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Body language is a broad term for forms of communication using body movements or gestures instead of, or in addition to, sounds, verbal language, or other forms of communication. It forms part of the category of paralanguage, which describes all forms of human communication that are not verbal language. This includes the most subtle of movements that many people are not aware of, including winking and slight movement of the eyebrows. In addition body language can also incorporate the use of facial expressions.

Paralanguage, including body language, has been extensively studied in social psychology. In everyday speech and popular psychology, the term is most often applied to body language that is considered involuntary, even though the distinction between voluntary and involuntary body language is often controversial. For example, a smile may be produced either consciously or unconsciously.

Contents 1 Terminology 2 Origins of body language 3 Understanding body language 4 Social uses 5 Examples of body language 6 In the animal kingdom 7 See also 8 References

Voluntary body language refers to movement, gestures and poses intentionally made by a person (e.g., conscious smiling, hand movements and imitation). It can apply to many types of soundless communication. Generally, movement made with full or partial intention and an understanding of what it communicates can be considered voluntary.

Involuntary body language quite often takes the form of facial expression, and has therefore been suggested as a means to identify the emotions of a person with whom one is communicating.

The relation of body language to animal communication has been discussed. Human paralanguage may represent a continuation of forms of communication that our non-linguistic ancestors already used, or it may be that it has been changed by co-existing with language. Some species of animals are especially adept at detecting human body language, both voluntary and involuntary: this is the basis of the Clever Hans effect (a source of artifact in comparative psychology), and was also the reason for trying to teach the chimpanzee Washoe American Sign Language rather than speech — and perhaps the reason why the Washoe project was more successful than some previous efforts to teach apes to use human language.

Body language is a product of both genetic and environmental influences. Blind children will smile and laugh even though they have never seen a smile. The ethologist Irenaus Eibl-Eibesfeldt claimed that a number of basic elements of body language were universal across cultures and must therefore be fixed action patterns under instinctive control. Some forms of human body language show continuities with communicative gestures of other apes, though often with changes in meaning. More refined gestures, which vary between cultures (for example the gestures to indicate "yes" and "no"), must be learned or modified through learning, usually by unconscious observation of the environment.

Although they are generally not aware of it, many people send and receive non-verbal signals all the time. These signals may indicate what they are truly feeling. The technique of 'reading' people is used frequently. For example, the idea of mirroring body language to put people at ease is commonly used in interviews. It sets the person being interviewed at ease. Mirroring the body language of someone else indicates that they are understood.

However, some people (e.g., people with certain disabilities, or those on the autistic spectrum) use and understand body language differently, or not at all. Interpreting their gestures and facial expressions (or lack thereof) in the context of normal body language usually leads to misunderstandings and misinterpretations (especially if body language is given priority over spoken language).

Body language is particularly important in group communications because for large groups it dominates the spoken word.^[1].

Body language is a factor in human courtship as a subconscious or subtle method of communication between potential mates. Researchers such as Desmond Morris have extensively studied and reported on courtship behaviour. (see also: Flirting)

Body language is now widely used in the field of selling, where sales personnel are trained to observe and read the body language of their potential customers. Sales personnel trained to read body language can now utilize this skill to read the subliminal cue exhibited by the customers to close a deal. Consequently, many companies such as insurance companies, direct-selling companies, international car-showrooms now engage body language experts.

In our daily lives we encounter many forms of body language gestures, these are a few examples:

• Stress: shaking of legs
• Lying: Face turned away, no eye contact, or looking to the left (fabricating information). Also wiping hands on trousers to get rid of sweat or fidgeting with hands
• Aggression: Clenched fists, squaring of shoulders, stiffening of posture, tensing of muscles
• Anxiety: Massaging temples, different than normal breathing rates, hunched shoulders, nervous head movements

Body language is documented in the animal kingdom to play an important role, particularly in the case of mammals during animal courtship. As an example, the male Blue Wildebeest produces an array of behaviours in the territorial staking and subsequent mate attraction process. An erect posture signals dominance to other males, warning not to enter his domain territory. While standing, an angled head, pointing his horns at another male, invites combat. In attracting a female, he will often gore a tree to display athleticism and virility, signaling interest in mating.

• Biosemiotics
• Eye contact
• Facial expression
• Flirting
• Gesture
• Kinesics
• Neuro-linguistic programming
• Nonverbal communication
• Posture
• Proteans
• Proxemics
• Sign language

Other species:

• Cat body language
• Dog communication

• Argyle, M. (1990). Bodily communication (2nd edition). New York: International Universities Press. ISBN 0823605515

• Livingston, Drs. Sharon and Glen (2004). How to Use Body language. Psy Tech Inc.

1. ^ Tarnow, Eugen (1997). Bodily language is of particular importance in large groups. http://cogprints.org/4444/