A gesture tells more than 1000 words, so says a proverb. Body language is the language of gestures, facial expressions and posture. It happens mostly unconsciously and says a lot about us. Who can interpret the nonverbal communication correctly, learns essentials about the character traits and feelings of his counterpart.
What is body language?
Body language is the language of gestures, facial expressions and posture. It happens mostly unconsciously and says a lot about us. Body language is any conscious and unconscious movement of a body part or the entire body with which we communicate with the outside world. Body language is the oldest form of interpersonal communication and immediately clarifies whether we are sympathetic or can trust each other. There are environmental and cultural differences in body language. From the beginning of the 19th century, body language was scientifically researched by Charles Darwin and became popular with the silent movie. Many gestures occur instinctively, some are even controlled by the subconscious such as blushing, or muscle twitching when caught lying. Non-verbal communication reveals intentions, motives, desires, thoughts and feelings, even if the person says something completely different about it. Almost 60% of the information we gain from conversations comes from body language, 33% percent from the sound of the voice. The content information is only about 7%.
Function and task
Nonverbal communication is extremely powerful and without body language relationships would be unthinkable, because with the body we reveal what we want and who we are. The body is constantly sending out messages. Certain primal feelings such as fear, happiness, sadness, disgust and surprise evoke fixed, non-verbal expressions in everyone. Frowning is a clear sign of anger in almost every culture in the world. A smile is also seen as a positive signal everywhere. In addition, there are body signals that have developed within a culture but can be interpreted quite differently. For example, the raised thumb is sometimes a sign of a positive value, but can also mean the opposite. While crossing one’s legs offends an Arab, it is completely natural in Europe. Many gestures are unambiguous, and facial expressions often leave no room for doubt. Small changes in sitting posture, open or closed palms, the way of moving and how the room is included are just as much elements of non-verbal communication as clothing and perfume. Facial expressions reveal emotional processes above all. With a rigid facial expression one would like to hide one’s feelings. Typical gestures are expressed by hands. A person who clasps his hands behind his head and possibly leans back in his chair is expressing dominance. This person will probably not take back his decision. On the other hand, the person who gladly folds his hands affirms that he has made a decision and will not take it back. The person who smiles with his arms folded is actually showing two faces. The arms are a defensive posture, the interlocutor is put on the defensive. He who touches the tip of his nose with his index finger has doubts. Those who feel cornered instinctively grab their necks. People who wipe imaginary dirt off their sleeves prepare themselves for contradiction. Anyone who points a pistol at his opponent is clearly not to be trifled with. The shooting symbolism leaves no room for ambiguity. The person is aggressive.
Diseases and ailments
When a sensory function such as speech is impaired, body language can be used specifically to communicate. Body language also has considerable importance in integrative learning of people with and without disabilities. In this context, the sense of touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste play an overriding role. When dealing with impaired people, body language is often the only means of communication. Thus, it is increasingly important to know the mechanisms of body language and to correctly decode its information content. The better the messages are interpreted, the easier communication will be. Being able to interpret symbolism is a form of listening with the eyes. Therapists and relatives can mirror the person’s body posture, but also awaken and recognize needs themselves.Especially when dealing with dementia patients, attention to body language is of utmost importance. Sooner or later, communication also changes in the course of the disease. Familiar dialogues can no longer take place and relatives encounter major barriers. Since the ill person no longer responds to everyday prompts as usual, relatives must pay increased attention to nonverbal signals. It is not the speechlessness of the dementia patient that creates the difficulties, but a problem between sender and receiver. Since the person with dementia cannot send clear messages, the caregiver also has more and more problems understanding what is being expressed. Communication must be adapted accordingly. While the ability to communicate in the linguistic area declines in the course of dementia, the ability to express and perceive via body language remains intact for a long time. People can therefore learn about the person’s state of mind through facial expressions, posture, movement and gestures. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to talk to the dementia patient, because language conveys warmth. Body language also has great therapeutic significance, for example in dance therapy. This is often used, for example, with people with mental illness who also suffer from a weakening of their verbal expressiveness, but can express a great deal through movement.
