Reading Body Language - Congruence

In last article, we came to know about clustering which is the first thing to collect while reading body language. Moreover, a cluster is a door step for interpretation of a nonverbal message more accurately.

If any words are involved in a cluster then it has to be analyzed or scrutinized further to check if it conveys a true and consistant message along with the body language or not. Why exactly the verification of authenticity of the message is required in the first place at all?

By most, our brain maintains proper coordination or synchrony among facial expression, posture, movement, words and tone of voice. If they remain more synchronized with each other, a message gets across more effectively, precisely and correctly. Bodily clues and moves supporting, synchronizing and reflecting what words are conveying is an truthful massage. It is called as CONGRUENCE or compatibility.

What if someone wants to distract or lie to others with a false message? Our deliberate cleverness comes into play for the same. In practical life, we find ourselves in very awkward situations in which passing exact and true message may not be in our best interest. They are a number of reasons for same but all of them cannot be discussed in this article.

There are two persons saying, "I'm open to and confident about the new challenges!". One person has crossed arms over chest with false smile on face while the other has opened arms wide and seems ready to embrace. Who would you believe to be ready for challenges?

Who's open and confident? Person to standing at left or Right?

Anxiety, fear, guilt or distress of being damned, embarrassed and punished by others while saying what others are expecting to hear from an individual starts leaking out through the lack of bodily control and movement coordination. Ultimately we try to cover up it by verbal crafting but mind doesn't let us to deny the truth.

Movements of various parts of our body become less compatible with each other and/or get completely out of synchrony. Thus a whole cluster appears to be non-congruent and incompatible with the spoken or uttered words.

Always remember that actions clearly convey whereas words merely (try to) convince. That's the very reason why it's said that Actions speak louder than words.

Related Articles:
1) Body Language Brain 2) Basic Emotional Expressions 3) Clusters 4) Proxemics 5) Context 6) Micro Expressions 7) Para Language 8) Postures 9) Facial Expressions 10) Hand Gestures 11) Challenges 12) Interpretation 13) Baseline 14) Perceptual Bias 15) Basic Bodily Clues 16) Is Human Communication 93% Nonverbal?

Reading Body Language - Clusters

It’s very amazing to know that we all communicate nonverbally (through body language, facial expressions and voice) by most. Same fact excites many aspiring social readers and body language experts to jump start observing and interpreting others. Knowing someone’s emotions, feelings, attitudes and intentions is greatly decisive in social life but also it's more important to interpret them more accurately.

Putting pieces together

Reading and interpreting this very article is quite easy because we all are aware of different words that have been put together in an acceptable sequence (syntax) in different sentences and paragraphs by following a certain grammatical rules. They make clear sense to anybody who knows English.

On the contrary, shifting their positions, dropping them, inserting unrelated words or defying grammar rules would lead to complete confusion and total loss of the purpose of writing this article in the first place. The same rules apply to interpretation of body language and nonverbal communication.

Interestingly, body language has its own vocabulary, grammar, syntax and sentences. We communicate nonverbally with the help of different expressions, signals and clues that are grouped together or given away one after another in a sequence. It's identical to the way different words put together create a meaningful sentence. Any single word which is isolated from a sentence may not convey the whole message but many words can easily do the same.

Combination of different sensory stimulus or inputs, facial expressions, eye contacts, gestures, movements, postures and vocal tones convey a distinct message. Most of us try to interpret each of them in isolation, often leading to complete misunderstanding. Just like composing sentences, we need to put them together. This method is called as CLUSTERING. A cluster clearly makes sense of distinct nonverbal message. Let’s take an example of it.

Most of us simply assume that crossing arms over the chest is a self-defensive or controlling action. As it clearly appears, we cover vulnerable parts of upper body (torso). Definitely, it's not a welcoming or open approach at all. However, crossing arms over the chest doesn't mean entirely self-defense when it is put in different clusters.

Look at these three pictures and find what each person is likely expressing. Keenly observe their facial expressions (especially their eyebrows), postures (especially their necks) and gazes (how they make or don't make eye contacts).

Warning or Criticizing (Left),
Dejected or Heartbroken (Center),
Disagreed or Disappointed (Right)

Also, we need take physical environment or specific situation into account while looking at a person with arms crossed on its chest. This old lady wearing a sweater is protecting herself from cold by crossing arms so that maximum body heat would be retained.

Even here, her body posture and clothes give an idea about how intensely she would be suffering from cold. Look at hunched back, lowered chin and legs tightly held together.

Interpreting body language in clusters is very crucial to understand overall nonverbal message correctly, given by anybody in the given context.

Related Articles:
1) Body Language Brain 2) Basic Emotional Expressions 3) Congruence 4) Proxemics 5) Context 6) Micro Expressions 7) Para Language 8) Postures 9) Facial Expressions 10) Hand Gestures 11) Challenges 12) Interpretation 13) Baseline 14) Perceptual Bias 15) Basic Bodily Clues 16) Is Human Communication 93% Nonverbal?

Body Language Brain

Principally, we all have evolved to communicate, react and reciprocate nonverbally i. e. through physical movements, facial expressions and vocal tones. Surprisingly, an unimaginably ancient and equally amazing system inside our brains understands and also conveys emotions, intentions and motives through physical movements, facial expressions and vocal tones.

The system is formally called as the Limbic System (Paleomammalian Cortex). It works very precisely and also round the clock throughout the life. Only due to the same, we all can survive and also communicate with each other nonverbally by default, including the creatures too. Do you want to know how this shared system evolved is all of us?

Aquatic Ancestor

Although not scientifically precise, here’s an interesting story about how the limbic system evolved over the millions of years. In fact, it’s a short story of our own evolution i. e. how a water dwelling group of creatures turned into land roaming creatures and further into a race of walking, speaking and hunting creatures which we all belong to i. e. Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

It's really hard to believe for most of us is that most of the extinct and living creatures evolved from a few common ancestors. They first inhabited the Earth's vast oceans some 360 million years ago. Climatic changes and/or struggle to survive forced them to migrate to land.

Their leathery fins transformed into limbs/legs to roam on hard surfaces and outer skin became tougher to endure dry and harsh climate on land. They developed lungs to breathe. Amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are descendants of same land roaming ancestors.

Iguana

Reptiles evolved some 320 to 310 million years ago. This was the true beginning of limbic system's development. They evolved a reflexive system to fight, flight, feed and breed. Reptilian behavioral patterns are very apparent, repetative and predictable but those helped them to survive in the environment they inhabit.

There were no emotions in the world of creatures till mammals appeared on planet earth. Mammals evolved during collapse of dinosaur dynasty. Surprisingly, they evolved from reptiles 220 million years ago. Mammals emerged with more deliberate, social and motivated behavior unlike seemingly cold, impassive, predictable and brutal reptiles.

The reason behind it would be linked to their altered metabolism, reproduction, nurturing, bonding and cohabitation. Mammals grow off-springs inside their own bodies till certain stage of development, bring them in outer world through birth canal, feed them with by secreting nutrients from mammary glands and control body temperature to adjust diverse climatic conditions.

Plesiadapis

New mammalian brain structure Cortex was built upon reptilian complex. Even though mammals become more superior in survival strategies, they naturally incline to reptilian flight or fight approach. They developed variations to compensate fight or flight approach by more dramatic, planned and coordinated movements, behavior and physical expressions.

Emotions were incredible gift along with strong sense of different smells and ability to remember them (Olfactory system). It helped them to survive and reproduce in different environments, situations and circumstances. From the deep sea dwelling blue whales to the cave dwelling bats, they flourished, evolved and spread over the entire planet in the diverse forms.

Chimpanzee

Finally appeared the common ancestors (Hominoidea) of humans (humanoids) and apes (orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos) i. e. the primate ancestors who evolved 65 million years ago after the mass extinction of dinosaurs. They might have evolved from the same group of mammals who eventually developed great skills in climbing on trees for food and shelter.

Primates evolved more complex parts inside their brains for adapting new living conditions, anatomical features and social challenges. They gradually evolved with the superior system to coordinate physical movements and maneuvers on both trees and ground. They gained ability to think and plan. Their vision become more advanced so stronger became visual memory. They could remember and recall scenes voluntarily.

Why apes did not further evolve into humans, though we share more than 98% genetic profile with them? Why we eventually evolved into our present form? How we seemingly dominated the world of creatures? These questions definitely come into our curious minds.

As like today, groups of common ancestors (who further evolved as modern apes) were living in thick forest areas that was far away from homeland of some members. Chain of climatic disruptions during 3 to 5 millions of years ago separated those few from forest inhabiting groups forever.

Huge drop in rainfall on the north-eastern part of the African continent (Afar valley, Ethiopia) replaced forests which were once full of tall, large and lush trees by vast planes of grass and bushes. Apparently, nature forced our ancestors to roam on ground. They started walking on their two legs (hind limbs) with two hands free (fore limbs) to gather food, make tools, hunt animals, catch fishes and farm crops. They started living in fixed shelters.

Ability to walk on two feet or the bipedal anatomy changed our apparent behavior, movement patterns and ultimately the way of communication. Making different facial expressions, gestures and sounds became beneficial to express emotions and feelings among members in group. Throughout different civilizations, we kept improving and diversifying our life style, occupation and communication. We formed ethics, vales and social norms.

Three brain sections

We (modern humans) are called as Homo Sapiens that literally means as "wise man" or "knowing man" in Latin. Neocortex is the most advanced structure that rests right about engulfs both reptile and mammalian sections of the brain. Primary function of neocortex is to fine tune the reactions and responses arising from the reptile and mammalian sections.

It can delay and dampen the instinctive, instantaneous and emotional reactions which ultimately gives us the some of the unique abilities such as reasoning, imagination, speaking languages, introspection, navigation, mathematical calculations and problem solving. Although we can harbor feelings, regulate emotions and restrain limbic impulses; we cannot entirely surpass the limbic system.

Human rage

Moreover, visual and emotional memory makes us to act or behave the way our ancestors would have done in remote history. We become comfortable in favorable environments and situations and uncomfortable in distress and (signs of) danger. Under threat, we experience more or less same kind of physiological responses like reptiles or mammals give (flight or fight/run away).

On the other hand, we display rage or aggression exactly like other creatures and animals do (fight) by opening or tightening our jaws in the presence of the culprit. Neocortex has only brought a few variation in the basic defense patterns that are instinctively exercised by all other creatures.

Different creatures expressing rage or aggression

If we pay keen and conscious attention, all inherited and learned patterns of physical movements, facial expressions and vocal tones are easy to decode only due to the functional precision of limbic system, parasympathetic nervous system and endocrine system.

[Special Thanks to the world's leading, respected and critically proven Body Language expert, Nonverbal Communication pioneer and my Guru Sir Joe Navarro (retired special agent, Counter-Intelligence Supervisor and Spy-Catcher who served in FBI for 25 years) for personally reviewing this article and sharing his own views which has resulted into several valuable additions and enhancements.]

Related Articles:
1) Survival of Communicator 2) Evolution of Nonverbal Communication 3) "The expression of emotions in man and animals" 4) "Nonverbal" is alien way of communication? 5) Basic Emotional Expressions 6) Clusters 7) Congruence 8) Proxemics 9) Context 10) Micro Expressions 11) Para Language 12) Postures 13) Facial Expressions 14) Hand Gestures 15) Challenges 16) Interpretation 17) Fear Factor 18) What is Nonverbal Communication? 19) Gestures - Are they learned or genetic? 20) Body rubbing to soothe brain 21) Recognizing emotional expressions: Scientific viewpoints 22) Turtle Effect: Body response under threat 23) It’s Written All Over You... 23) Can body language reveal thoughts? 24) Why exactly languages evolved? 25) Amygdala Hijack: Irrational Physical Reactions 26) Chicken and Egg Paradox

Social Footsteps

You might not remember the very first step took as a child. Before started to walk, we certainly would have stumbled, fallen and tried to stand up again and again. Continuous encouragement, appreciation, empathy and guidance motivated us to take the early steps. Somebody was there who we looked at, followed and seek support from until becoming able to walk on our own. We all started to walk because somebody thought that we ought to do it!

We come across many people after birth but most decisive influence we have on our mind is of parents, caretakers or elders who bring us up. They shape our basic habits, behavior, etiquette and attitude. They train to restrain fear, to soothe distress, to identify crucial signals and triggers, to make way towards what is favorable and safe, to communicate, to socialize and to form bonds that can serve the best interests.

The bond between mother and child is the most fundamental and also the life transforming. Mother not only just feeds and protects a child but also formulates what the same child is mostly likely going to do or be in the future. A secure or an insecure bond between the child and its mother kick starts everything.

Surprisingly, it is the child who continuously follows her to relate, communicate and socialize with others. Indeed, the role of a father in the same is also indisputable. Children learn to express and respond to things and people the way parents do by most. Never forget that children inherit from their biological parents only.

Have you ever observed a child being handover to a stranger by its parents? If not then do closely watch at desperate look of the child and its alert stance. Most of the children look back at the faces of its parents to know their expressions and feelings about the stranger.

Unless they give assurance of no harm from the stranger to the child, it never moves forward or at least stay calm in the company of the stranger. Simply, a child seeks opinion from parents and caretakers until it becomes entirely independent in justifying others.

Even after growing up, we always seek clues from familiar person before moving forward to strangers, new places and novel things. Let’s take a very good example of it. In office or social gathering, we approach to or stay close with the person we know best or feel favorable.

The same person gives information and shares opinion about the others and introduce you with them. Otherwise, imagine a level of anxiety one feels while walking all alone with the crowd of strangers. For succeeding in the vast and complex social world, the proper guidance out of proven experience is the must.

Parents shape their child's social life.

The crucial importance of emotionally adept, encouraging and pro-social parenting would always remain because it assures social survivability, more fulfilling relations and enormous opportunities outside home. More socially mature and relation oriented parents, more their children would likely become the same in future.

It's all starts at home. Children observe the body language of their own parents and check if they're empathetic towards them and others.

Related Articles:
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Courtship and Dance

Search for a suitable mate has brought surprising and dramatic transformations in us since millions of years and they would continue to happen in the future. Each gender has kept itself changing, enhancing, adjusting or modifying to become more and more suitable for opposite gender, Diversified geographical, climatic, resource and ecological conditions as well as socio-economical norms, pressures and demands have led to various mental, social and intellectual adaptations.

Although being technologically advances and geographically diversified, we are biological creatures. We apply some distinct selection criterion with a few fundamental filters that we commonly share with all other creatures. Biologically, men look for physical beauty, fertility, attractiveness, youth, cheerfulness and nurturing capabilities in women. Socially, women look for resourcefulness, courage, competitiveness, physical power, protective capabilities and economical stability in men. Women's preferences and expectations might be much higher than men.

Birds in courtship

Each gender has put a constant pressure of desirability on another. Only those who successfully adapted to the pressure and changed themselves accordingly have passed their genes to the next generation(s). We are the biological product of the same long running and demanding process. It's called as Sexual or Mate Selection, which was Sir Charles Darwin's alternative theory of Evolution.

Due to the constant pressure, males have principally evolved with qualities like pursuing, running, analyzing, planning, searching, navigating, hunting, protecting, cultivating, crafting, fighting, competing, using weapons and making tools whereas females have evolved with qualities like nurturing, care taking, harvesting, preserving, collecting social cues, scrutinizing, managing people and conflict solving that directly complements with male qualities.

Additionally, both genders seek fertility, fitness, health and favorable mindset in each other. Even in modern world, we hardly could hold back ourselves from finding the same qualities in potential partner(s) since they have helped us in surviving over the millions of years. Modern lifestyle, tools, transport, comfort, luxury, medical intervention, economy and easily availability of resources are quite recent achievements.

An elderly couple in Courtship from Papua New Guinea

While courting or soliciting a member of the opposite gender, each of us tries to highlight the same qualities, flaunts, accentuate them, exhibits and draws attention towards them. Like studying other kinds of nonverbal behavior, clues, signals, expressions and displays; different patterns through which males and females (try to) draw attention, attract each other, send clues and exhibit things is really fascinating and interesting.

Studying human courtship is really interesting and pleasing. Unlike other nonverbal displays, clues, signals and expressions; human courtship is very dramatic, poetic, colorful, vivid and sparkling because it holds some definite promises for both individuals. However, the most wonderful aspect of same is that we behave, accentuate, exhibit, display and show off somewhat similarly the way others creatures do during their courtship and breeding seasons.

In courtship, which is quite an elaborate, step-by-step and also a long running process, both male and female have different strategies to attract, bond with and retain a partner. Courtship is the process which continues even after establishment of firm bond between the two partners e. g. post-marital and post-childbirth recognition, assertion and confirmation of (sexual) attraction, affection and bonding.

A man tries to accentuate, emphasize, exhibit and show off his physical capabilities, confidence, courage, physical fitness, dominance, protective power, socio-economical status, aspirations, intelligence, achievements and goals. On the other hand, a woman tries to accentuate, emphasize, exhibit and show off her youth, beauty, sensitively, fertility, vulnerability, sensuality, gentleness, cheerfulness, joyfulness, funny side, lightheartedness, exuberance, adaptability, caring nature and nurturing capabilities.

While most men's preferences and needs have hardly changed over centuries, most women's preferences and expectations have greatly changed and are changing dramatically with the changing world. In the modern, liberal, civilized and industrialized world in which women get educated, money and drive cars on their own; women get attracted towards, impressed by, get weak in their knees over and prefer men with diverse expertise, qualities, abilities, aptitudes, competencies, capabilities, calibers, powers, skills, talents, strengths, prospects, potentials, goals, ambitions, achievements etc.

They include optimism, energy, ingenuity, creativity, sensitivity, positivity, integrity, sensuality, spontaneity, generosity, credibility, dependability, adaptability, good habits, discipline, physical fitness, aesthetic endowments, athletic abilities, sportive nature, social rapport, intellectual reasoning, organizational vision, tactical competitiveness, strategic strength, technical aptitude, scientific knowledge, poetic expression, artistic achievements, culinary skills, comic sense, verbal fluency, oratory talent, nurturing nature etc.

Generally, during initial stages of human courtship, a man makes straightforward advances, spends money, belittles other men, tries to run them away, competes with them and risks himself physically whereas a woman remains choosy, reserved, suggesting, evaluating, encouraging, examining and investigating. However, some of the mentioned strategies can also be switched between and/or shared by both men and women.

If both parties (a man and a woman) arrive at the level of fondness for each other after some initial interactions, they engage themselves in scrutinizing each other. After finding other party fit for a long term relationship, they spend time together in submission, synchrony and solitude. Nonverbal communication plays a crucial role in deciding the course, direction and future a potential romantic relationship between both parties.

In human world, dancing has been accepted, incorporated, ritualized and standardized as a way to celebrate, enjoy and express happiness. Basically, in the world of creatures, dancing evolved as a way to demonstrate physical fitness, motor skills, lightheartedness, creativity and fertile potentials. In combination, each footstep, bend, spin, tug, tap, turn, toss, gesture, posture and body movement convey and express different meanings and messages.

Achieving accurate and dynamic coordination among each moving body part requires a lot of energy, adaptability, elasticity, balance, motor control and spatial (height, width, length, and breadth) awareness. They directly correlate with physical fitness, endurance and brain’s motor control (movement and synchronization) capabilities. A certain type of dance movements, moves and steps are sexually suggestive, appealing, alluring and flirtatious.

Dancing is a partner attracting strategy.

Both men and women have inherited the ability of dancing but sometimes systematic training is also required. Elder men and women teaching dance steps to young members and candidates is an integral part of tribal and civilized societies. In animal world, both males and females start dancing and singing during breeding season to attract partners.

Sociologists, biologists, zoologists, courtship experts and body language experts notice, observe, document and analyze biological, physical, emotional and intellectual expressions, clues, signals, displays and tells of both male and female and try to decode the strategic, tactical, genetic, biological and evolutionary goals behind each of them.

By most, it's the women who suggest, smile, giggle, laugh, shy, bend, twist and adorn themselves a lot and it's the men who stand and/or remain protective, strong, caring, courageous, generous, expending, resourcing, risking and resourceful by them during the initial stages of courtship. Both maintain hygienic and good looks.

Related Articles:
1) Woman's Courtship Body Language (Part 1) 2) Woman's Courtship Body Language (Part 2) 3) Man's Courtship Body Language 4) Primary Attraction 5) Smell of love 6) Social Class 7) Proxemics 8) Secondary Attraction 9) What we seek in partner? 0) Why women apply makeup on face? 11) Indian Classical Dances 12) The ways woman provokes her man to be protective 13) Know Who is Attracted to You 14) Couple in trouble?

Emotional Intelligence and Success

We think that our materialist knowledge and skills to operate and handle many things would help us in achieving what we want in our life. Do you really think that this assumption is true? If it was the case then we might not have run in many issues in our lives related with emotions. We live in a world that is full of people with different interests, motives and orientations.

We can neither keep fighting with others all the time nor let ourselves completely surrender to the others for getting successful in our lives. Nevertheless, we surely can try to understand each other in terms of emotions, feelings, intentions and motives only because of the shared commonalities.

Prof. Dr. Howard Gardner

It's not at all possible until an individual isn't capable of understanding its own emotions, feelings and motives to be able detect them in others. Howard Gardner (the founder of Multiple Intelligence theory) greatly emphasizes on emotional awareness. Success mostly depends upon how an individual precisely understand other's emotions and reponds appropriately i. e. whether the individual is emotionally intelligent or not.

Traits like openness, ingenuity, tolerance, politeness, resilience, courage, diligence, determination, confidence, cooperativeness, compassion, competency, consistency, commitment, comfort level, maturity, self-esteem, strength, enthusiasm, trustworthiness, respectfulness, kindness, foreseeability and affection give clear insight of individual nature. In short, body language and nonverbal communication clues gives an overall idea abut an emotional character of a individual.

We have an inherited ability to realize an emotional interplay at an unconsciously level even we don't emphasize or not paying enough attention to nonverbal clues we collect unconsciously.

All individual characteristics can only be judged through face-to-face interactions or deliberate observations but most of us don't pay much importance to the same and ultimately invite many troubles everywhere.

Until we don't realize the great importance of emotional intelligence and social situational awareness, we would keep the most valuable body language clues undervalued and ignored at all time.

Emotions are common and natural but traits and temperaments of an individual broadly determine its destiny. Want to know your own EQ (Emotional Quotient)? Please don't at all forget to take this test.

Related Articles:
1) Evolution of Nonverbal communication 2) "The expression of emotions in man and animals" 3) "Nonverbal" is alien way of communication? 4) Emotional expressions are manipulated 5) Unlimited potentials 6) Basic emotional expressions 7) Social Footsteps 8) Botox hampers emotional awareness 9) Should leaders show emotions?

Emotional expressions are manipulated

We are the smartest liars.

All non-human creatures of our planet survive and reproduce naturally in their respective ecosystems. They survive with their sheer physical capabilities, instincts, reflexes and predictive behaviors while lacking verbal abilities like us. Hence they find no difficulty in understanding, judging each other and responding accordingly.

This is not entirely true in human world because everybody of us isn't predictive every time at all. We need to spend more mental energy in predicting what other person sitting or standing in front of us might be thinking (about us) at the very given moment. This is exactly what every parents needs to teach their children along with the words and numbers.

Actually, all verbal languages came into existence for accelerating exchange and spreading the information rapidly to many individuals at the same time. Even though the languages are the greatest gift to the mankind, verbal communication enables us to lie, mislead, deceive, divert and distract on a large scale. Other creatures can't do the same.

If we consider this as a thumb rule then nonverbal expressions should match with verbal message that anyone conveys. This doesn't happens every time because thinking is an unique quality that gives us an enormous amount of power to control, suppress and manipulate true emotional expressions on purpose.

Picking clues of distress

For securing personal or social interests, both verbal and nonverbal message is consciously regulated to inhibit or tamper actual underlying motivations. Expressions discord with words while deceiving, betraying or diverting somebody.

Brain immediately anticipates the threat of being exposed or getting caught and tries to get rid of it somehow. Therefore defensive, distracting or submissive gestures, postures and expressions are automatically adapted or given away.

Some of us are very good lie detectors because they can accurately pick nonverbal clues like fear, sadness, guilt or nervousness being suppressed by the liars. We wonder about abilities of such individuals but they have nothing but proven expertise of monitoring and interpreting emotional expressions of others and most importantly - their own.

Many a times different emotions are expressed in form of subtle facial muscle movements in which they occur in only a part of the face or otherwise at a very low intensities. A recent research has shown that the ability to recognize the subtle emotional facial expressions is an extremely advantageous in detecting deception.

Humintell's Subtle Expression Recognition Training (SubX) tool was originally funded by and developed for the different governmental agencies within the United States of America (USA). I've passed the same course with Proficient level of accuracy, at the speed of 200 milliseconds.

This is my second formal certification in decoding body language, after earning one in facial micro-expressions.

Related Articles:
1) Evolution of Nonverbal communication 2) "The expression of emotions in man and animals" 3) "Nonverbal" is alien way of communication? 4) Emotional Intelligence and Success 5) Women are body language experts 6) Unlimited potentials of Nonverbal Knowledge 7) Basic emotional expressions 8) Survival of communicator 9) My career saving lie detection 10) Recognizing emotional expressions: Scientific viewpoints 11) Are you a 'flying' terrorist? 12) Entire body can’t lie

Unlimited Potentials of Nonverbal Knowledge

Today, robots, machines, cell-phones, devices and computers are being taught or programmed to interpret emotions and respond them appropriately. This overtly underlines the profound effectiveness and necessity of nonverbal communication. If machines will communicate with us nonverbally in future then why not we, surviving from millions of years using the same channel of communication, master it again by ourselves?

We're one of the best moving and living creatures that the mighty mother nature has developed, shaped and modified over a millions years. We inherit nobody other than our own ancestors. In comparison to any artificial and non-biological machines, it's very easy for us because we inherently have everything that is required to gain mastery in human nonverbal communication (HNVC).

Whenever detecting, analyzing, recognizing, understanding and decoding emotions, attitudes, sentiments, moods, feelings, phobias, drives, desires, wishes, ambitions, motivations, intentions, intuitions, inclinations, urges, emergencies, needs, stances, temperaments, biases, orientations, experiences, opinions, social statuses and trustworthiness is necessary in interacting and working with people then involuntary, instinctive, spontaneous, obvious, overt, micro, subtle, leaking or even suppressed nonverbal clues can be analyzed as per their availability.

Therefore knowledge of body language, emotional expressions and nonverbal communication can be harnessed not only in personal, professional and social life but also in different fields like education, sports, entertainment, media, fashion, advertisement, performing arts, public relationship, psychoanalysis, counseling, human resource, marketing, servicing, tourism, hospitality, disaster management, rehabilitation, health care, counseling, security, intelligence, law & order, international relationships, defense, diplomacy, administration, strategic planning, ergonomics etc.

Lawyers, doctors, therapists, teachers, trainers, psychotherapists, politicians, diplomats, media analysts, businessmen, traders, counselors, negotiators, sellers, investigators, detectives, security officials, secret agents and even con-artists closely and routinely interact with people and influence them as an integral part of their occupation.

They need to be very smart, quick and also accurate enough to interpret people nonverbally in real time. Matter of fact is our own parents, grand parents and great grand parents had to be well-versed in reading people nonverbally in the first place.

Almost everybody can develop such an enormously advantageous skill within oneself. It’s for sure that proficiency in decoding body language and nonverbal communication would let you know yourself and others way better like never ever before.

Also, it would pave a super-path way towards success, harmony and happiness. Moreover, rise in consciousness towards our own body would fulfill a great purpose of being in harmony with the world full of people and different creatures.

Related Articles:
1) Evolution of Nonverbal communication 2) "The expression of emotions in man and animals" 3) "Nonverbal" is alien way of communication? 4) Emotional expressions are manipulated 5) Women are body language experts 6) Survival of communicator 7) Basic emotional expressions 8) Emotional Intelligence and success 9) Genius of acting 10) What is Nonverbal Communication? 11) Is Human Communication 93% Nonverbal?

Evolution of Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal Communication simply means communication without or in absence of words. We mostly communicate nonverbally throughout our lives but many of us don't really understand what Nonverbal Communication is exactly since we've become massively dependent upon spoken and written languages. So let’s try to understand that why and how exactly nonverbal communication evolved in the first place.

We all know that our ancestors faced same challenges like any other creatures. To survive successfully, any creature has to 1) defend itself from predators and adverse climatic conditions 2) mark and defend certain geographical area for shelter 3) find and preserve food to live upon 4) attract a mate, protect it and produce off-springs 5) take care of off-springs and teach them same techniques and manners 6) cooperate and coordinate with members of same species as well as others to seize opportunities and minimize risk to life.

To have aforementioned skills and capabilities, an intelligent system came into existence which senses each factor subjected with survival and responds to it appropriately. We know that sensory organs send signals to brain, brain processes them and finally signals are sent back to various parts of body and organs. It's an entirely closed-loop communication system.

Capability of sensing and reacting to and by various forms of signals like sounds, vocal tones, movements, gestures, facial expressions, postures, body positions, smells and colors are basic characteristics of nonverbal communication. All of these nonverbal communicational characteristics are deeply rooted in our expression of emotions, feelings, motives and intentions.

Word “Emotion” has been derived from word “Emote” and it simply means as “to drive”. An emotion can be generally defined as “a pre-defined or hard-coded survival strategy of reacting to environment, incidents or entities”. We all share and live under the influence emotions because they have deeper, wider and crucial importance for us.

Emotions and their elaborate expressions evolved in mammals as behavioral reflexes or fixed response patterns. They have helped our ancestors and they help us with each specific emotion securing a distinct survival interest.

Different emotions have different purposes.

What each emotion or reflex basically does? Fear helps body to move way from source of danger, anger to reprove or retaliate, anxiety to anticipate risks or dangers, suspect to demand assurance, pride to challenge rivals, respect to secure favors from others and affection to create bonds.

Unconsciously, we reciprocate, react with and respond to people, environment and entities around us on the basis of the emotions and feelings only taking shape inside our own brains.

Body Language is the external manifestion of the changes that happen inside the vast world hidden that is inside all of us.

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1) Survival of communicator 2) "The expression of emotions in man and animals" 3) "Nonverbal" is alien way of communication? 4) Emotional expressions are manipulated 5) Women are body language experts 6) Unlimited potentials of nonverbal knowledge 7) Basic emotional expressions 8) Body Language Brain 9) Fear Factor 10) What is Nonverbal Communication? 11) Why we clench fist after victory? 12) Is Human Communication 93% Nonverbal?

Is "Nonverbal" an alien way of communication?

This age is indeed the age of massive revolution in human communication. We’re constantly, continuously and consistently being introduced to newer technologies, platforms, channels, devices and gadgets. Positively, many superficial factors are being rectified by latest neuro-psychological research by anticipating future challenges.

Along with all of these things, we’re hearing a new buzz word “Body Language” and this dialect is gaining considerable amount of attention, right from our homes to the corporate offices worldwide. The phrase is being used by people from age groups almost everywhere.

Some experts are couching us to help shaping effective, smart and friendly ways which could benefit us personally, professionally, financially, socially and nevertheless romantically. So does it mean that body language is an entirely new dialect itself? Is "Nonverbal" an alien way of communication?

Several research projects over body language and nonverbal communication began in 19th century and their common conclusions were both startling and enlightening for all of us. Body Language and Nonverbal Communication is being used by us unconsciously from millions of years. Also, it remained evolving along with us while facing new psycho-sociological challenges.

Our ancestors developed, evolved and used it as a common communication platform for very need of survival and socialization before any verbal language evolved. Even after verbal languages or dialects coming into existence, body language is still effective but most of us are not aware of it. In modern era, we use body language to support verbal communication but almost unconsciously.

Since the words are unnecessarily emphasized almost all the time, we are becoming more and more mutually ignorant about expression of emotions, feelings, motives and intentions. We're ultimately inviting the lack of deeper mutual understanding, reciprocity and empathy everywhere.

Are we becoming social dummies?

Our personal, professional and social relationships are at risk due to not expressing ourselves and interpreting each other accurately as our ancestors did. Though some languages are endangered due to not fulfilling some contemporary demands-standards and aversive to change, body language is unchallenged and it exists globally.

We communicate throughout the day almost nonverbally, over our entire life span. We have bodies and we talk through them. It’s at the core of our emotions, feelings, motives and intentions urges so doubting about it is just like underestimating struggle for survival of our own race.

Related Articles:
1) Survival of communicator 2) Evolution of Nonverbal communication 3) "The expression of emotions in man and animals" 4) Emotional expressions are manipulated 5) Women are body language experts 6) Unlimited potentials of nonverbal knowledge 7) Basic emotional expressions 8) Body Language Brain 9) What is Nonverbal Communication? 10) Would aliens have emotions? 11) Is Human Communication 93% Nonverbal?