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Jul 21, 2023 · But gestures that mean one thing in your part of the world can mean the exact opposite somewhere else. In this post, we’ll look at 10 examples of body language in different countries—a small sample of the big pool of non-verbal communication.
- Hand Gestures and Communication
- Why Hand Gestures Are An Important Survival Tool
- 8 Hand Gestures with Different Meanings Around The Globe
- Final Thoughts
Human beings communicate in a number of different ways. Speech is the most obvious method, but we also use nonverbal clues, such as facial expressions and body language. We speak using the language of our country. However, did you know that hand gestures also have different meaningsdepending on where you were born? More to the point, we can recogni...
Author of ‘The Human Swarm‘, Mark Moffett, describes our need to belong to a certain group. Belonging to a group is beneficial to its individual members. We are safer in a group, we feel more comfortable with members of our own group. We trust them, they protect us, and they share the same values and beliefs as us. At the same time, we feel pride i...
In western society, thumbs up hand gestures mean that everything is ok or a sign of approval. However, in other parts of the world, it has negative meanings. This is thought to originate from Roman timeswhen a thumbs-up signal would mean a gladiator should die. The thumbs up lost these negative connotations during WW11 after American pilots began u...
Who would have thought that simple hand gestures could have so many different meanings depending on which country you are from? I’m sure I haven’t covered all of them, so if you know any, please let me know. References: 1. www.tripsavvy.com 2. https://www.psu.edu
Therefore, if you learn foreign languages or communicate with people from other countries, it's important to know these differences to make sure that such communication will be as effective as possible, eliminating any misunderstanding. Here are some examples of how body language is used in different cultures.
- Nodding the head. Nodding of the head has been studied for centuries. In many cultures, nodding the head up and down signals “yes.” Charles Darwin even went as far as to suggest that when babies are hungry, they search for milk by nodding their heads.
- Facial expressions. According to psychologists Kleef and Côté, who wrote about the social effects of emotions, facial expressions are one of the most important forms of non-verbal communication, indicating one’s emotional expressiveness.
- Eye contact. Professors Uono and Hietanen studied eye contract perception in the West and East and how they differ. They noted that the eyes are a universal language, and humans use the information from the eyes to understand each other.
- Kissing in public. Kissing is one of the most devised non-verbal expressions across the world. Kissing traditions vary from greetings, to special occasions, religions, and more.
- Facial expressions and head movements. North America. Smile: Happiness, friendliness, agreement. Eye contact: Sign of attentiveness, confidence, and honesty.
- Hand gestures. North America. Thumbs up: Approval, agreement, or positivity. Peace sign (V for Victory): Generally means peace or victory. Europe. A-OK Sign (thumb and forefinger forming a circle): In some countries, it means "okay" or "good," but can be offensive in others.
- Silence. North America. Silence in conversations: May indicate discomfort, awkwardness, or a pause for reflection. Silence in public spaces: Generally seen as normal, with no specific cultural connotations.
- Greetings. North America. Handshake: Common greeting in professional and social settings. Hugs: Common among friends and family. Europe. Cheek kisses: Common in many European countries — as la France bien sûr — number of kisses varies.
Feb 4, 2014 · There are certain gestures and movements that have a universal appeal while some gestures mean different to a specific group of people. Let us take a closer look at the meanings of certain hand and body gestures across cultures.
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Feb 13, 2011 · If so, or even if you’re just interested in looking further into our shared, contrasting customs and confusing gestures, you’ll enjoy checking out this new infographic that breaks some of our daily behaviors into national tendencies, so you can see just what countries share with others.
