A Silent Language

We spent a good few minutes in class the other day discussing the different ways people cross their legs. The majority of the class agreed that the poet in the picture, a woman, had a manly leg cross. Then, Alex and Thomas went back and forth specifying how feminine and or masculine our fellow classmates leg crossings were. I feel like our entire lives those around us, especially our parents, push us to “sit lady like” or, “get your elbows of the table!” The fact is, you can tell a lot about someone without actually talking to them. I have researched different body languages a bit further; I have come to realize the following:

Heads

Overly tilted heads are either a potential sign of sympathy

Lowered heads indicate a reason to hide something. Take note if someone lowers their head. If it is when he is complimented, he may be shy, ashamed, timid, keeping distance from the other person, in disbelief, or thinking to himself or herself.

Eyes

People who look to the sides a lot are nervous, lying, or distracted

Some cultures believe that looking at someone in the eyes is a sign of disrespect, so this could explain why someone is avoiding eye contact with you.

Arms

People with crossed arms are closing themselves to social influence. Though some people just cross their arms as a habit, it may indicate that the person is reserved, uncomfortable with their appearance, or just trying to hide something on their shirt.

If their hands are on their hips, they might be waiting or impatient.

Here are a few more actions and interpretations.

Brisk, erect walk	Confidence
Standing with hands on hips	Readiness, aggression
Sitting with legs crossed, foot kicking slightly	Boredom
Sitting, legs apart	Open, relaxed
Arms crossed on chest	Defensiveness
Walking with hands in pockets, shoulders hunched	Dejection
Hand to cheek	Evaluation, thinking
Touching, slightly rubbing nose	Rejection, doubt, lying
Rubbing the eye	Doubt, disbelief
Hands clasped behind back	Anger, frustration, apprehension
Locked ankles	Apprehension
Head resting in hand, eyes downcast	Boredom
Rubbing hands	Anticipation
Sitting with hands clasped behind head, legs crossed	Confidence, superiority
Open palm	Sincerity, openness, innocence
Pinching bridge of nose, eyes closed	Negative evaluation
Tapping or drumming fingers	Impatience
Steepling fingers	Authoritative
Patting/fondling hair	Lack of self-confidence; insecurity
Tilted head	Interest
Stroking chin	Trying to make a decision
Looking down, face turned away	Disbelief
Biting nails	Insecurity, nervousness
Pulling or tugging at ear	Indecision