It is one of the most powerful forms of communication; very few people will ignore or not notice signs of anger or stress. Lord Chesterfield probably said it best in Letters to his Son when he intoned that “learning is acquired by reading books, but the much more necessary learning, The knowledge of the world, is only to be acquired by reading men, and studying all the various editions of them.”
How important is body language? Interestingly, studies have shown that we give more weight to the messages given off by a person’s body than to what is said. If somebody claims to be interested, while simultaneously staring off into the distance and twiddling a pen, we’re unlikely to be in any doubt as to their true opinion. It goes further: Experts claim that ninety percent of our opinion of somebody is formed within ninety seconds of meeting them in person. That is maybe a slightly unreasonable generalisation, but there is certainly no doubting the indelible effect that these first impressions have on us.
This goes back to basic instinct; a hangover from our animal ancestry. In the animal kingdom, there is obviously no verbal communication, and so we have grown quite adept at recognising indications given off by the body. Plenty of animals manage very sophisticated hierarchies. These are established purely by communication through bodily indications. Anyone with two or more dogs, especially, will be very aware of this. As humans, we retain this instinct, but it now takes second place to language, relegated to the realm of the subconscious mind.
Body language has still had a considerable influence on our verbal language, however. Our verbal communication is littered with it – which are possibly easier to relate to. ‘Shifty eyes’, ‘gut feeling’, ‘bite your lip’, ‘pushy’ and ‘get a grip’ are fairly common examples. We can understand their meaning immediately, without need for explanation.
It’s often questioned just how instinctive body language is. Some obvious expressions – the smile or frown – most definitely are, and have even been discerned on babies in the womb. On the other hand, gestures often used as part of body language are not necessarily instinctive, or even obvious. For example, in Western societies, an upwards gesture with the hand is used to summon somebody. In the East, however, the gesture is with a downwards motion – something more akin to our sign of rejection. The same goes for the Eastern sign of “who, me?”, involving touching the nose, instead of our pointing at the chest.
It is intriguing to study the role of body language in some societies, most notably that of Japan. Here, in a very rigid social hierarchy, a premium is placed on respect and discretion. In general, it is often preferred to express meanings implicitly rather than explicitly so as to avoid conflict. Japanese demands complex verb-endings depending on the rank of the person being spoken to, and so opinions are sometimes better expressed discreetly.
One of the first questions we’re likely to ask about body language is why so little attention is given to it, if it is truly so important. The answer probably lies in the fact that it is a mainly subconscious form of communication. We don’t consciously note the expression of interest when somebody leans forward as we speak, but it still has a substantial effect on us. Society is beginning to take notice of it, though, and people are learning how to use body language to their advantage – or at least avoid broadcasting negative signals. Books are now beginning to come to the market, under the ambiguous genre of ‘kinesics’ (and, for the adventurous, ‘olfactics’ – smell). Most apply body language to professional situations, including interviews, where first impressions are vital.
It’s important to realise that body language complements verbal language, rather than being superseded by it. Indeed, both are but part of the same highly complex art of inter-personnel communication. It still does, and will continue to, play a very significant role in our society. Hopefully, people will now sit up and take notice.
