Research Paper on Body Language

453 Words2 Pages
Understanding body language The ability to accurately read gestures can improve our lives and impact how others see us. It's all about the body language and it's another means of effective communication. Check out different gestures and their connotations. Gestures express thoughts, ideas, and feelings and enable communication. They also signify different things in varied cultural contexts. This is the power of body language. The thumb up gesture is perceived differently in various countries. While in India, it means terrific or everything is fine, it has negative connotations in Australia, Iran and Nigeria. In Japan, it means five, and in Turkey, it refers to the right-wing political party. Now bring the thumb and the index finger closer, joining them together. While in India, this gesture traditionally means it’s perfect, in France, it means worthless; in Japan, it refers to money; in Germany, it is rude; and in Malta, Greece and Brazil, it is an insult. Body language consists of gestures, touch, body movement, gaze and facial expression. It is found that communication consists of 93 per cent body language and paralinguistic cues, while only 7 per cent consists of words. Interestingly, body language takes shape as early as the time when the foetus is in the mother’s womb. Development researchers infer the foetus’s gestures such as yawning and kicking the mother as signs of happiness and joy. Understanding body language can help us move ahead in our working lives, not just because we may look the part, exude confidence, and act assertively, but because we can look beyond what people say and what they really mean. Body language plays an important role in day-to-day situations such as appearing for a job interview, giving presentations in college or giving a viva in school. Here are some do’s and don’ts: • Don’t cross your arms
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