BODY LANGUAGE

Gestures, body movements, facial expressions, and eye contact are behaviors called body language.

Researchers found wide variations even with such universal rituals as nodding agreement and greeting friends. Although most cultures do indicate “yes” by a nod of the head and “no” by shaking it, there are variations; In Ceylon, for example, a yes answer to a specific question is indicated by a nod of the head, whereas general agreement is indicated by a slow sideways swaying of the head.

For greetings, in the United States a handshake is appropriate. In France, where the traditional U.S. handshake is considered too rough and rude, a quick handshake with only slight pressure is preferred. In Latin America, a hearty embrace is common among men and women alike, and men may follow it with a friendly slap on the back. In Ecuador, to greet a person without a handshake is a sign of special respect. In India, the handshake may be used by Westernized citizens, but the preferred greeting is the namaste—placing the palms together and nodding one’s head. In Japan, the traditional form of greeting is a bow or several bows.

Likewise, waving good-bye varies among cultures. In Italy, Colombia, and China, people may wave good-bye by moving the palm and fingers back and forth, a gesture that more likely means “come here” in the United States. But in Malaysia, beckoning someone by moving the forefingers back and forth would be taken as an insult.

Even seemingly obvious gestures can be misunderstood. Using fingers to indicate numbers can vary. In the United States, most people would indicate “1” by holding up the forefinger. In parts of Europe, “1” is indicated by using the thumb, “2” by the thumb and forefinger.

The Japanese point their forefingers to their faces to indicate they are referring to themselves, Chinese point to their nose to signify “me”, whereas in the United States, citizens are more likely to point to their chests.

In France and Belgium, the thumb-and-forefinger-in-a-circle (the okay gesture) has an insulting meaning: “You are worth zero”, while in North America or some other parts of the world, it is a friendly gesture.

Eye contact is also very meaningful, but it, too, can mean different things in different countries. One study showed that Arabs, Latin Americans, and Southern Europeans focused their gaze on the eyes or face of their conversational partner, whereas Asians, Indians and Pakistanis, and Northern Europeans tend to show peripheral gaze or no gaze at all (Harper, Wiens & Matatazzo, 1978). Duration of eye contact varies in diverse cultures (Shuter, 1979). In the United States, the average length of eye contact is 2. 95 seconds, and the average length of time two people gaze at each other is 1.18 seconds (Argyle, 1998; Argyle & Ingham, 1972). Any less than that may be thought that the person is shy, uninterested or preoccupied. Any more than that may indicate that the person is communicating unusually high interest.

American parents and teachers tell children, “Look at me when I’m talking to you!” They feel sure that the other person is listening if they can see his or her eyes. They think that it is important to make eye contact during a conversation. To them, it’s a sign of openness and honesty. It shows respect. They think that a person who doesn’t look at the eyes of the listener may be hiding the truth. However, in some other cultures, children are taught not to look directly at someone. For example, in some Spanish-speaking countries, children show respect to an older person by not looking directly into the person’s eyes during a conversation.