Body Language

The concept of body language and other types of nonverbal communication has always intrigued me. Most of the time, we don’t notice specifically what other people are saying subconsciously with the positions of their bodies, or even what we’re saying to other people. For example, as I sit here I’m watching a boy and girl sitting together at a table talking. If I had to take an educated guess, I’d say that they were not a couple. Why would I assume this? Simple: their body language. As I’m watching, I find it very obvious that the boy is interested in her, but she does not reciprocate the feeling. On one side, he has both his legs and shoulders pointed directly at her. He’s holding her gaze and listening thoughtfully. She, on the other hand, has her legs crossed away from him and keeps looking around, almost as if she’s looking for someone better to talk to.

A few tables away sit two young men, one a little older who has an air of being a person of power in the younger man’s life. He sits with good posture and confidence enough to make continuous eye contact. The younger man, though, seems nervous and uneasy, as if he’s in trouble. His body language is very submissive: he’s slouching in on himself and his eyes are darting around. He leaves his superior with an annoyed, frustrated look on his face. About 10 minutes after he leaves, another young man comes to join the superior. He starts out looking fairly calm, but as the conversation progressed he begins to take on the last guy’s submissive, almost frightened posture and body positioning.

I turn my attention back to the couple on my left. The girl’s body position is still basically the same: good posture, speaking animatedly, not really taking much notice of whom she’s actually speaking to. The boy’s, though, looks quite different. He seems much more agitated and restless than normal. He’s bounding his legs, switching back and forth between the two, drumming his fingers, and looking around the room rather than directly at her. Maybe he’s nervous or uncomfortable, or maybe he’s simply just grown bored.

As I look around the room I try to identify how different people are feeling based on their body language:

·      Two boys laugh while they study and slap each other on the back—theyre both relieved that they’re not the only on who doesn’t have a clue about how to do their assignment.

·      A boy and a girl sit in the corner booth, facing each other sitting as closely as they con to each other without being on top of each other—they’re in the beginning “love bubble” stage of their relationship.

·      A girl slouches over a computer keyboard with her food on her lap, looking slightly dissatisfied—she’s stressing out about an exam or assignment coming up that she’s not prepared for.

·      A lady sits alone at a table. She’s been here for awhile already but still sits pin straight in clear view of the doors, looking that way every few minutes—she’s waiting on someone who’s obviously late.

If you know what you’re looking for, people are easy to read.