What Our Bodies Say?
Body language is a type of nonverbal communication in which physical behavior, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expression, body posture, gestures, eye movement, and touch.
Some researchers conclude that nonverbal communication accounts for the majority of information transmitted during interpersonal interactions. It helps to establish the relationship between two people and regulate interaction.
Some types of nonverbal communication:
- Facial expression: the human face is extremely expressive, able to convey countless emotions without saying any word.
- Body movement and posture: consider how your perceptions of people are affected by the way they sit, walk, stand, or hold their head.
- Gestures: are woven into the fabric of our daily lives. You may wave, point, beckon, or use your hands when arguing or speaking animatedly, often expressing yourself with gestures without thinking.
- Eye contact: the way you look at someone can communicate many things including affection, hostility, or attraction.
In an interview with Dr. Haitham Mohamed Ali, an expert in educational economics and administrative and human development expert, he said body language is a gestural movement that the body makes from head to feet when expressing emotions while communicating with others.
Body language helps us to communicate better, but there is a difference between positive body language and negative body language. Positive body language such as smiling, shaking the head and moving the shoulders forward, help others accept our words better. On the other hand, negative body language such as closing body movements, shaking feet, and resentment movements, that leads to cutting off contact with others.
Dr. Ali dded: body language is 80% common to all people and 20% different in that it follows the customs of people, different cultures and religions. The meaning of some gestures can be very different across cultures. For example, while the “ok” sign made by hand usually conveys a positive message in English speaking countries, it is considered offensive in countries such as Germany and Russia.
Unlike words, body language is often shown subconsciously. It can be innate, that is a reflection of a specific emotional state, but we can also practice body language to control our emotions and better confront others.
`According to a search by Albert Merrabian, the professors of psychology: when we communicate a message, the feeling and attitude of the receiver are determined by 7% verbal , 38% vocal liking and 55% facial liking.
Dr. Haitham confirmed that reading body language needs an expert to be able to interpret the gestural movements. In addition, it requires knowing the emotional state in which the person is and attaching the words with movements. Normal person cannot read the body language but he can feel if this language is positive or negative.
Souha Sulieman