Ever since I was 9 I was fascinated with body language. It's really fun to look at people, how they walk, how they shake your hand, where their feet are pointing. For example, if someone blows cigarette smoke in your face they are very likely to be trying to put you down or if someone has their hands on their waist they are trying to look bigger. The pitch of voice is very important too. Different cultures have different body languages. It's kind of weird when you know how the other person feels without them being aware of it.
/me takes a weird stance
how do I feel? :D
just kidding
Understanding bodylanguage can be quite usefull I guess, but something can mean so many, so I sometimes doubt :)
That´s one of the big problems of the forums. Even with lots of emoticons poeple can´ y know what ere your feeling when posting.
I am fascinated with that too.
I also like to observe people's facial exprecions, sometimes they tell more than a 1000 words.
I once read a book as a teenager that said that if a guy stands with his thumbs tucked in his belt and his index fingers pointing to his rude bits, then women will flock to him and be unable to resist his charms.
It never worked for me :(
I like some of the writings of Allan Pease, who is aparently the "foremost expert on body lanuage".
Funnily enough, his major book on body language is entitled 'Body Language'.
SSH,
I never tried that :P
I have a very intricate body language, but not with my own body.
(I don't know exactly what I meant with that, but it sounded funky)
Body language is how those people that have those TV shows that see people's pasts and futures, use to trick them into thinking they know about them,
It's obvious by the way they look at them and use leading questions to make the people think that they came up with what's happened in their life.
They pray on the ignorant, and sell to tv networks,
a sad exploitation of people with a lack of hope in their life.
It's easy to read some body language, to some extent, but I'm no professional, sometimes though, I'd prefer to not know.
I can tell if some1 is lieing from their face.. or I could... I havnt dont it for a while..
/me tries the SSH method
/me is not overcome by chicks
I tried to make an actions dictionary ages ago. it was like what different body lanuage things mean. But I gave up and deleted it after 2 days. :(
An uncle of mine went to the village in Italy where my family is from and complete strangers knew who he was because of how he walked.
I guess we walk funny.
This doesn't have much to do with the topic, but it sure it wierd!
Quote from: rodekill on Fri 20/06/2003 21:31:40
An uncle of mine went to the village in Italy where my family is from and complete strangers knew who he was because of how he walked.
I guess we walk funny.
This doesn't have much to do with the topic, but it sure it wierd!
Hee, that's hillarious. ._.
Bodly language is a very interesting topic, yup. I used to read books on it back when ... I used to read. :P
Coincidentally, I was thinking the other day that the middle finger sign would have no effect in other countries, whereas here it could even lead to extreme violence.
Yeah, and likewise something like blinking wrong could probably get you killed in some countries.
Quote from: SSH on Thu 19/06/2003 12:07:33
I once read a book as a teenager that said that if a guy stands with his thumbs tucked in his belt and his index fingers pointing to his rude bits, then women will flock to him and be unable to resist his charms.
Actually, that's an agressive stance. The person who wrote the book must have been making fun of the reader he he he. The same goes for tucking your tumbs into your trouser pockets with the rest of the fingers out.
What really disturbs me is the way people shake hands. In grade 9 I received a few exelence awards so when I went on the stage to accept them I decided to experiment and offered the principal a dominant handshake and he took it and did NOTHING to make it an equal power handshake. Another time I took a dominant handshake without realising. >:( it was an apology handshake so I didn't think before I took it. I like watching people's body language. It saved me a few times. Watching people's pitch of voice proved very useful too. Generaly, if the pitch of voice goes up at the end of a sentence that is not a question the person speaking is a lying(exhapt for Australians who live in rural areas). Of course, body language can be interpreted in a few different ways, it can never be translated very accurately.
I wish you could see my muscles flexing while typing....
That is body language
Pétaglair
Hm, I have to disagree about the whole thumb...tucky...pointy...thing. Whenever I stand like that, I don't feel the slightest bit agressive or even nervous, I just stand like that when I'm slouching against a wall or something being lazy, so I'm not sure if that theory holds water with me.
Also, can you explain this whole business with "dominant" and "equal power" handshakes? Frankly, I never think about how I'm shaking someone's hand ("Ah, I'll give him a dominant handshake to show my superiority!").
But I agree though, body language can be an interesting thing, but theres a lot of ways one can read into it.
- Bryan
Quote from: undergroundling on Sat 21/06/2003 01:15:29
Hm, I have to disagree about the whole thumb...tucky...pointy...thing. Whenever I stand like that, I don't feel the slightest bit agressive or even nervous, I just stand like that when I'm slouching against a wall or something being lazy, so I'm not sure if that theory holds water with me.
Also, can you explain this whole business with "dominant" and "equal power" handshakes? Frankly, I never think about how I'm shaking someone's hand ("Ah, I'll give him a dominant handshake to show my superiority!").
But I agree though, body language can be an interesting thing, but theres a lot of ways one can read into it.
- Bryan
body language is not conscious
when you feel self confident youll naturally shake hand more vigourously( strongly)
if you had to be conscious of each movement you do( each muscle) you would fall on the floor at each time you attempt to step(like babies who learn to walk, they fall because they have to do each movement consciously in order to learn)
I realize that its not concious, but for Femme Fatale to think "Oh, I gave him a dominant handshake", there has to be some definition of "dominant handshake." And what would make an "equal power handshake"?
- Bryan
Quote from: undergroundling on Sat 21/06/2003 01:44:48
I realize that its not concious, but for Femme Fatale to think "Oh, I gave him a dominant handshake", there has to be some definition of "dominant handshake." And what would make an "equal power handshake"?
- Bryan
i guess if the both hands are broken it should be an equal power handshake
*Sigh
I gave the dominant handshake as a little experiment, I didn't mean anything by it. In a dominant handshake the palm of the hand is facing slightly downwards, it means that the person who gives the handshake likes to be in control, but it doesn't mean that the person giving it is "superiour" in any way. Equal power handshakes are your usual everyday handshakes where the palm of the hand is perpendicular to the ground. Submissive handshakes are handshakes where the palm of the hand is facing slightly upwards. Body language is not accurate. Everybody has their own but some gestures are similar for everyone. Different cultures have different body language and symbols. For example in some places in Asia a thumbs-up can be rude. Some Russian gestures don't mean anything in the western world for example the Russian "no way you're not getting anything from me" (fist clenched, tumb sticking out between middle and index finger) The handshake thing was just out of curiosity. I wanted to see what he would do. I like doing that - I do something weird like wear a raincoat on a sunny day and see what people say.
try going out naked in winter and see what the policemen would say , and your doctor when you tell him how you catch this cold ;)
you should try in summer so that you would only have to explain it to the police
;)
i put a smiley i don't want to be banned for another meany joke of mine ;)
squinky
But if the other person giving the handshake does not conciously think of the handshake as being dominant or submissive, it could be equal power in his mind even though his body language might not agree with how you're interpreting it.
Just a thought.
- Bryan
I always thought of a dominant hand shake as when you put more force into it then needed, not crushing their hand, just letting them know you can.
Small note - dont try other cultures gestures in your own, in some villages in africa and south america its polite to spit on some one, i tried it in australia, and they hit me. :(
Quote from: petaglair on Sat 21/06/2003 02:35:04
try going out naked in winter and see what the policemen would say , and your doctor when you tell him how you catch this cold ;)
you should try in summer so that you would only have to explain it to the police
;)
i put a smiley i don't want to be banned for another meany joke of mine ;)
squinky
Squinky? who the , what the? what did I do? heh...
it's safer for me to hide my identity when i put a humorous post
AGA
I don't think you should generalise too much about body language...like in those american hostage-negotiator movies when the hero knows exactly when the bad guy lies, because the bad guy looked up and to the left when he said something.
Silly.
Also the thing about the voice going up in pitch at the end of the sentence should really be handled with care - the best thing is probably to ignore all these signs and not judge people on those premises at all...analysing people is harder than that