How facial expressions are triggered and controlled

Facial expressions are triggered by conscious and unconscious interpretations of events and situations. These interpretations usually happen very quickly and instantaneously so that we only become aware of our own facial expressions once we’ve already made them. Sometimes we don’t become aware of them at all, even though they’ve been lingering on our face for quite …

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Subtle facial expressions

The types of facial expressions that most of us are familiar with are what are known as strong or full facial expressions. All of us can easily recognize when a person is feeling happy, sad, angry, afraid, etc. just by looking at their facial expression because the expressions for these emotions are full, strong, and conspicuous. …

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Why reading facial expressions is important

Reading facial expressions is something comes naturally to most of us. But if you learn to observe them more carefully, you’ll take your communication skills to the next level. A person’s face is the seal of his identity. Our face is what gives us our distinct identity and separates us from others. You are you and …

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3 Common gesture clusters and what they mean

Isolated gestures are rarely noticed while observing body language. Often, a person will convey his emotional state via more than one gesture and this combination of gestures is known as a gesture cluster. While analyzing body language, it’s imperative that you take into account as many gestures as possible because that will provide a more …

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Walking and standing body language

walking style

How we think and feel is reflected in the way we stand and in our walking style. This article explores the various nonverbal signals you give off with your standing and walking style. The attention position This is a standing position in which the feet are placed close to each other so that the legs …

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How important is height in body language

importance of height

One morning you wake up and find yourself not in your home but in a small wooden hut. Startled, you look outside through a hole in the hut wall beside your grassy bed, a prototype what we today call the window.  You see people walking around dressed in long, white robes. You go outside and …

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Body language: Truth of the pointing foot

men pointing foot

Can we deduce what’s on a person’s mind merely by reading the body language of their feet? That is the question this article attempts to answer. When we communicate with others, we focus our attention mainly on their words and facial expressions. We pay little, if any, attention to gestures of the body and when it …

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Body orientation in nonverbal communication

body orientation in business

In order to highlight how body orientation matters in nonverbal communication, consider the following scenario: You’re browsing through some items in a provisional store. You notice an old high school friend at the far end of the store and you decide to approach him.  You move towards him walking backward- yes, with your back turned towards him. As soon as you …

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Body language in communication and personal space

body language in communication personal space

To give you an idea about how body language plays a role in communication, I want to introduce you to Ahmed. Ahmed was a very jolly and a happy-go-lucky kind of person. You know the type- the one who’s always smiling and breaks out in a friendly, high-fived laughter at the pettiest joke. The one …

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What do the seated legs and feet gestures reveal

The leg and feet gestures can provide the most accurate clues to someone’s mental state. The more a body part is located away from the brain, the less aware we are of what it is doing and the less control we have over its unconscious movements. In fact, the leg and feet gestures can sometimes tell you what …

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