Gestures cannot be considered in isolation, since the same gesture has several meanings; the other at the moment may mean nothing at all; the third is to be deceitful. Therefore, they must be read in a system where each supplements, clarifies, and corrects others.

The gestures may or may not match the words of the person who is accompanying. If there is a match, they reinforce verbal information, and if they are absent, you should focus primarily on them, since their information content is about five times higher than words.

In addition to the correspondence between words and body movements, it is necessary to take into account the situation (for example, the postures of a frozen, tired or critical person are almost the same); health status; professional habits (the pianist, protecting his fingers, will avoid a firm handshake); features of clothing that can restrict freedom of movement and posture.

There is an inverse relationship between age, social status of a person and his gestures. With the preservation of the former meaning, with age and an increase in status, words are used more, the speed of movements decreases, although at the same time they become more refined.

Since the subconscious of people works automatically, regardless of them, gestures can “give out with their heads”, therefore, in order to hide your thoughts, it is advisable:

specially work out a set of gestures that give credibility to what was said;
try to completely eliminate gestures during contacts;
keep a distance in relation to the interlocutor so that microgestures (blush, change of pupils) and the pose in general are not visible;
make greater use of positive gestures that attract others and, if possible, get rid of negative ones.

1. Hand gestures

The first thing people encounter when they meet is the partner's hand, stretched out for a shake. There are four types of hands:

square; it is believed that its owner is conservative in views, practical, persistent and methodical in actions, energetic, sociable;
an elongated arm is rare; its owners are characterized by the harmony of spiritual and physical life, a developed sense of duty, a penchant for mental work;
an oval hand, devoid of angularities and tapering towards the fingertips, usually belongs to impulsive, fickle, impressionable people, lazy, superficial, but striving for new knowledge, always ready to help;
a narrow hand is believed to be characteristic of cold, self-centered people, with a narrow outlook, but purposeful.

The fingers on the hands can be long (more than 0.7 palm length) or short. It is believed that the owners of long fingers are reasonable, methodical, cautious, prone to analysis, mental work, but not capable of generalizations; people with short fingers, on the contrary, are impulsive, have a lively mind, are able to embrace the whole, but cannot "dig into the details."

The flexibility of the fingers indicates realism, common sense, openness to new things, good adaptability.

Fingertips can tell a lot about a partner: the owners of sharp ones are idealists; conical - impulsive, suggestible, intuitive; square - accurate, constant, pedantic; spatulate - energetic, inventive, initiative, superficial.

As a rule, fully or partially open palms indicate the honesty and openness of a person. Most people cannot lie by holding their palms open, and when they do, there are micro-gestures that indicate otherwise, so if they are telling a lie, they hide their palms behind their backs or in their pockets.

With the help of gestures, you can exercise your power and command; so, an open palm under conditions of subordination can be perceived by subordinates as a request; palm turned down - as an order; "pointing finger" - as a prohibition.

When shaking hands, imperiousness is demonstrated by clasping the partner’s hand and covering it with your own from above; stretching out the hand with the palm up or pulling the partner's hand close to oneself means giving up the initiative and the role of the master of the situation; with an equal handshake, the palms are perpendicular to the floor. Aggressive, dominant people tend to shake hands firmly.

To neutralize the powerful partner and return the initiative to yourself, you need to get close to him, take a position on the left, vigorously shake your outstretched hand and bring it to a vertical position. In order to always be in a favorable position, it is advisable to work out this set of movements in advance, taking into account the fact that at the moment of extending the arm, take a step with the left foot.

You can also put your hand on top of the partner’s hand, grab his wrist and shake it sharply, and grab the hand of a well-known person with both hands at the wrist, elbow or shoulder. Keeping a distance and protecting "personal territory" helps to shake a straight, unbent hand or shake the fingertips.

Among managers, accountants and lawyers, the so-called spire is common - folding fingers, meaning confidence. At the same time, the “spire up” accompanies the presentation of one’s own opinion, and the “spire down” accompanies the perception of someone else’s position. This category of people is also characterized by laying their hands behind their backs, demonstrating self-confidence and superiority over others.

Gestures of superiority also include the manipulation of the thumbs, which remain on the surface when placing hands in pockets, behind the lapels of a jacket or under the arms with their crossing on the chest (the latter is an expression of a negative attitude).

Raising the hand to the mouth during listening indicates distrust of the partner, and during one's own speech - about her insincerity.

Gestures indicating an inner desire to isolate oneself from someone or something are scratching or rubbing the eyelid, ear, neck, pulling back the collar.

Propping the cheek with the palm of the hand is considered a gesture of boredom. If the hand is clenched into a fist, and the index finger rests on the temple, this is an evaluative posture demonstrating polite interest. The sincerity of the latter is evidenced by the hand under the cheek, which, however, does not serve as a support for the head.

When the index finger is directed vertically to the temple, and the thumb supports the chin, the person evaluates the message negatively; the approach of the index finger to the eyelid indicates an increase in negativism.

Stroking the chin means that the person is contemplating a decision; if at the same time he chews on a pen, sucks on a pipe or cigarette, twists the temples of his glasses, he is at a loss as to what to do; crossing his arms over his chest, throwing his legs over his legs or leaning back in his chair indicates that he is rather negative.

Tapping fingers on the table or feet under the table are gestures of impatience; the faster they are, the higher the impatience; For more successful communication, a person needs to be distracted by something.

2. Gestures of defense and attack

Protective barriers created with the help of hands can be incomplete (grabbing the hanging arm of the other, bent at the elbow, or grasping both hands below) or subtle (touching an object, such as a bag, watch, bracelet, or holding it with both hands, say, a glass or a bouquet of flowers). But in any case, the hand is held across the body.

Barriers are also created with the help of legs, and their crossing characterizes a more negative mood of a person than crossing arms. Legs cross not only while sitting, but also standing. If at the same time the general posture is tense, and the person keeps his arms crossed, he is trying to protect himself from an unfamiliar company. But as soon as people begin to feel more comfortable, get closer to others, this posture changes to an open one: the arms open, and the legs unfold.

The defensive posture can also be expressed with the ankles brought together. In men, hands are added to this, clenched into fists on their knees or dug into the armrests, and in women - hands lying parallel on knees tightly brought together and tilted to one side of the lower leg.

In addition to arms and legs, other objects can be symbols of protection, for example, the back of a chair on which people sit "on horseback". Most people in this position are dominant by nature and seek to "protect the rear." To overcome the protection, you need to sit or stand close (to the side or behind this person), if possible so as to conduct a conversation, looking at the person from above, or put him on a chair with armrests.

The head tilted down also testifies to the defensive posture. Such a person needs to be forced to raise it or turn it to the side, for example, by reporting something curious. The tilt of the head will indicate the awakening of interest and the relaxation of tension. If a person continues to hold his head straight and motionless, or to make a barely noticeable nod, he is indifferent to what is happening.

3. Other types of gestures and their meaning

In addition to posture and movements, a look, pupil size, eye behavior can tell a lot about a person. In excited people, for example, the pupils dilate 3-4 times, and when bad mood- shrink. If, when communicating face to face, a person looks into his eyes for less than 1/3 of the time, he is hiding something, and if more than 2/3, he is interested or hostile (the pupils will be dilated or constricted, respectively).

It is believed that normal communication requires about 70% of the time of a conversation to make eye contact or look at the part of the face bounded by the eyes, mouth and point above the bridge of the nose.

To convey interest or hostility, a sideways glance is used; in the first case it is accompanied by a smile, in the second by a frown. Closed eyelids and a reclined posture express a negative reaction or superiority.

In order to control the gaze of the interlocutor during the conversation, you must first direct it to some object, and then transfer the latter to the level of your own eyes.

A number of gestures are usually classified as proprietary. Such is, for example, touching one or another object, and if this object is alien, then touching will mean a call. Therefore, at a party, all things, including chairs, are used from the very beginning only with the permission of the hosts.

A big role in expressing one's own mood and influencing others is played by the position in which a person is, for example, the angle at which he is turned to the interlocutor. If it is straight or more than straight, this is the so-called open position, where there is always a place for others, as opposed to a closed position, when two are directly opposite each other. During the conversation, an open position can always be transformed into a closed one, where the third one is superfluous, and vice versa.

Postures are closely related to the territory - the space that a person considers his own, which is, as it were, a continuation of his body. When the participants in the conversation are sitting opposite each other, they take a defensive position, where the table serves as a barrier; as a result, two equal territories are formed on it, the invasion of which is unacceptable and causes resistance.

This creates an atmosphere of rivalry, unwillingness to give in, and therefore conversations, as a rule, are short, devoted only to narrow, specific problems. Conducting important conversations in this position should be avoided, changing it to a "corner" or "business interaction" position. The signal to change position can, for example, be given by the host by pulling a folder with materials brought by the guest.

People who do not want to interact at all sit opposite each other at different ends of the table in an independent position.

The nature of contacts is influenced not only by the location at the table, but also by the shape of the table. Thus, a square table emphasizes subordination and gives rise to a spirit of rivalry in everyone except those sitting in the “corner” position.

At the oval table, those who are located at its ends get a psychological advantage, especially if they do not sit with their backs to the door (they, by the way, get more territory than the rest). Therefore, negotiations are most often best conducted at a round table; here everyone is on an equal footing, everyone gets the same space, which creates an atmosphere of informality and helps to quickly conclude an agreement.

The ability to recognize the character of the interlocutor and his thoughts by movements and facial expressions will give you a huge advantage over other people. Especially in modern world filled with rivalry, envy, lies and insincerity. Knowing some tricks, you can easily figure out a person - whether he is lying to you or not, how much your conversation means to him, what intentions he has in his head. Learn to read a person like an open book and all the cards will be in your hands.

Studying the interlocutor during a conversation

During important negotiations or just a dialogue with a stranger, pay attention to his gestures. This will help you understand what kind of person is in front of you and how he is set up.

If a person’s hands are calmly openly lying on the table, and his body is slightly tilted forward, then be sure that your interlocutor is not only disposed to the conversation, but also the subject of your conversation is very interesting to him.
If, during a conversation, a person grabs a chair or puts his hands on his knees, then he is not averse to ending this conversation.
If his hands are located on his belt during a conversation, then this may mean natural determination and aggression. Your interlocutor is not going to give in and is ready to insist on his point of view.
If your interlocutor is a man, and you are a woman, then some gestures may indicate increased interest. For example, his hands are thrust into the slots of his pockets or behind the belt of his trousers, and the pupils are slightly dilated. This means that in you he sees first of all an attractive woman and his desires are very unambiguous.

How to understand that you are lying?

If you doubt a person and assume that he can tell you a lie, act dishonestly with you, then pay attention to some gestures that will betray him with his head.

Children usually cover their mouth with their palm when they lie, as if it can hide their lies. Interestingly, adults sometimes do almost the same, only imitate coughing at this moment.
Very often, a person who tells a lie slightly scratches his nose or scratches his eyes, hiding from his own lies.
If a person rubs his earlobe during a conversation, then he is not only insincere with you, but also does not want to listen to you anymore.
You can't catch his eye - he keeps looking away. This can only mean one thing - he is afraid that his lies will be revealed.
During a conversation, pay attention to facial expressions. The face is always mobile, but if your interlocutor has more left-hand side(the eyebrow rises higher, the eye twitches slightly, etc.), then this sure sign lies.
It seems that a person is stuffy - he is fiddling with his tie, shirt collar or sweater. Women may tear at the chain or beads hanging around their necks.
From lies, especially if a person is not used to lying, his throat may dry up. This can be recognized by nervous swallowing or the fact that he will ask for a glass of water if he is in your territory.
The complexion may change - blush, turn pale, or both alternately.
A lying person's pulse quickens. A strong heartbeat can be seen by a pulsating vein on the wrist.

What facial expressions and eyes can say

The facial expressions and expression of the eyes can say a lot about state of mind person.

If a person is constantly smiling, then he probably needs your approval.
If the smile looks slightly crooked, then this indicates that the person is nervous.
If the eyebrows are raised with a smile, then the person agrees with you and is ready to meekly obey.
And lowered eyebrows, on the contrary, warn that a person has a feeling of superiority over you and is not going to give up so easily.
If a person smiles and at the same time opens his eyes wide, then a threat comes from him.
If a person’s eyes “run” during a conversation, then he can experience a variety of feelings - shame, fear, anxiety. Or he's lying to you. Frequent blinking can tell you the same thing.
Glitter in the eyes indicates that the person is overly excited.
If the pupils are enlarged, then your conversation is interesting to him, he experiences satisfaction and pleasure. Constricted pupils often tell about negative emotions- anger, anger, irritation, rejection.

It is not enough to know these signs in order to say with confidence what kind of person is in front of you and what he is experiencing at the moment. It is necessary to learn how to interpret the totality of these signs. Let's give some examples.

For example, if a person looks away and looks up at the same time, then it can be said with accuracy that he is bored with the conversation, and you do not cause any interest at all. If the gaze is averted and directed downward, then most likely the interlocutor is deceiving you.

And if he stares into your eyes, not allowing you to look away, and his pupils are dilated, then the person is sexually interested in you.

What can gestures say?

The use of open palms in a conversation shows you that the interlocutor with you is completely frank and disposed towards you.
Scratching the forehead, chin, cheeks, or other parts of the head tells you that the person is unsure, preoccupied, and confused.
If a person adjusts his tie, cufflinks, fiddling with buttons or collar, then he is trying to hide his nervousness.
Restlessness of the hands - a person fiddling with a napkin or handkerchief, playing with a pen, or something else says that he is alert and worried.
If a smoking person suddenly extinguishes a half-smoked cigarette or puts it aside, the conversation has gone in the wrong direction, it is tense and unpleasant.
If the interlocutor takes off his glasses and begins to wipe the glasses or lightly bite their handle, then he needs time to think over your words, find the right answer and solution.
By tilting his head to one side, he tells you that he is interested.
Frequent dropping bangs from the forehead betrays anxiety.
A constant attempt to lean against something or lean on informs you that this conversation is extremely difficult for a person, unpleasant for him, and he thinks how he will get out of this situation. Support is needed in order to feel more confident.
Picking up lint and imaginary dust particles from clothes will tell you that the interlocutor does not agree with you and does not approve of you.

Knowing these gestures will be very useful to you when conducting business negotiations or just in serious conversations that are important to you. This will help you even if you do not trust your interlocutor, suspecting that he can deceive you.

What can a person's posture say?

In some cases, you can evaluate the posture of a person and find out for yourself the mood of the interlocutor, his opinion about the subject of the conversation and his opinion about you. If gestures tell you more about the state of a person, his inner experiences, then the posture, rather, gives out impulses and desires.

A head held high, a chin thrust forward, and hands clasped behind the back tell you that the person is completely confident in himself and you will not break him.
If in a conversation your interlocutor gets up and leans his hands on the table, then he feels that your contact is not complete enough, he lacks honesty and trust.
Crossed arms or legs show the inaccessibility of the interlocutor, his closeness from you and the topics of conversation.
If a person is sitting on the very edge of a chair, then he is ready to jump out of it at any moment, either in order to immediately leave, or in order to immediately get down to business - it depends on what you are talking about. In any case, it speaks of impatience.
The cross-legged and clasped-toes pose indicates frustration and a desire to hide your negative attitude towards you or the subject of conversation.
The interlocutor rests his elbows on the table, and places his hands under the chin or at the level of the mouth - he feels superior to you, but hides his true intentions wanting to play a little with you.
If the interlocutor props up his chin with his thumb, then everything said causes him criticism, he completely disagrees with you.

The combination of postures, facial expressions, gestures and gaze can tell a lot about a person. This is an indispensable skill for those who have to constantly contact people in the course of their professional activities. In fact, these are far from all gestures, and their study is a whole science that is not so easy to master thoroughly. But even these basics will already provide you with invaluable help.

CONTENT: Introduction. In our time, people began to pay more and more attention to non-verbal means of communication, in particular, sign language. Increasingly, people began to notice exactly how a person speaks, and what he says coincides with how he speaks. When people do this kind of analysis, it is quite common to make mistakes and misinterpret the speaker, leading to misunderstandings and broken communication.

Introduction.

In our time, people began to pay more and more attention to non-verbal means of communication, in particular, sign language. Increasingly, people began to notice exactly how a person speaks, and what he says coincides with how he speaks. When people do this kind of analysis, it is quite common to make mistakes and misinterpret the speaker, leading to misunderstandings and broken communication. Most often, people notice several separate gestures, by which they begin to judge, not realizing that a person’s closed posture is not caused by his attitude towards a communication partner, but simply by an uncomfortable atmosphere or weather. Therefore, it is important when evaluating human gestures to conduct them complex analysis given the setting, the mood, and the overall situation, which most people rarely do.

I think that this problem is quite relevant in our time, in order to understand it, I need to answer the following questions:

Identify basic human gestures in communication.
Determine what gestures a person makes when he is lying.
Determine what factors should be taken into account when determining whether a person is lying or not.

Basic communication gestures.

The basic communication gestures are the same for all people on the planet, regardless of race or creed. When a person rejoices, his palms are open; when he agrees, he nods his head in the affirmative; when he does not agree, he shakes his head negatively. Many gestures were formed in primeval time, today they also exist in our communication, but in a modified version. When a person is angry, his eyes narrow, his face tightens, a primitive person would show his teeth if he expressed anger. Perhaps a smile is one of the few gestures that has not undergone any changes. A smile always expresses a friendly mood. Next, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the most common and popular gestures.

Open palms.

From time immemorial, an open palm has been associated with sincerity, honesty, devotion and gullibility. Oaths are usually given with the palm over the heart; in court, when testimony is given, the hand is raised with an open palm, the Bible is held in the left hand, and the right hand is raised up so that the members of the court can see it. IN Everyday life people use two palm positions. The first is when the palm is extended like a boat and means the gesture of a beggar asking for alms. The second position - the palm is turned down, and this is a restraining or calming gesture.

Palms are a universal indicator of openness and honesty in communication. The more often a person, when talking with you, keeps his palm open, the more he trusts you and the more truthful what he is talking about. If during the conversation, you see that the interlocutor is holding his palms down, then either he is not telling you something, or he is lying to you, but you should not rush to conclusions right away. You also need to assess the position of the person's body in relation to you.

Also, do not think that if you lie while holding your palms open, people will believe. Most likely, your interlocutors will notice the lie in your other negative gestures, which will indicate to them that you are lying.

However, you can increase your credibility by developing the habit of keeping your palms open when interacting with people. Conversely, when the gesture of open palms becomes a habit, the number of lies in your speech decreases. It is interesting to note that most people cannot lie if their palms are open. With open palms, you can make others lie less.

The position of the palm when speaking.

I think that many noticed how high-ranking people communicate: directors, officials, corporate "bumps", but not everyone paid attention to the position of their palms during a conversation. And in vain, by the position of the palm, one can very easily determine the status of the narrator. There are three basic palm gestures: palm up position, palm down position, and pointing finger position.

The position of the palm up indicates that the narrator keeps himself on an equal footing with the interlocutor. And his will, most likely, will be deciphered as a request, not a specific order. People are more willing to make a request than an order.

The position of the palm down will indicate that the person feels confident enough to force people into action. Such people are most often leaders in any situation.

Well, a completely anti-social gesture - pointing a finger. Nobody likes to be pointed the finger at. Such behavior is more likely to turn people against themselves than to force them to take any action.

Handshakes

A handshake is a gesture that came to us from a primitive society; this gesture stands for none other than: "Without weapons." This gesture has undergone changes over time and its modifications have appeared, such as waving the hand in the air, placing the palm on the chest, and many others. The modern form of this ancient greeting ritual involves people extending their hands to each other and shaking them slightly, which in most English-speaking countries is done at the moments of greeting and farewell.

Most often, there are three types of handshake: Submissive, partner and expressing humility. They differ in the position of the palm. If during a handshake the palm of the interlocutor is turned with the back side up, then this is the dominant type of handshake, characteristic of powerful people.

A partner handshake is when the palm is at a 90 degree angle to what the person is standing on and a handshake that expresses submission when you extend your palm facing up.

Rubbing the palm.

By rubbing their palms, people non-verbally communicate their positive expectations. The speed with which this gesture is performed signals the person who intends to receive positive results in this situation. For example, a student takes an exam, answers all the teacher's questions, answers perfectly, it's time to rate you, most likely this student will rub his palm while waiting, which will indicate to us that he expects a positive result.

One warning: if you see a person rubbing his hands at a bus stop in winter, it doesn't have to mean that he is doing it out of impatience while waiting for the bus. His hands are just cold!

Also, rubbing the thumb against the index finger or the tips of other fingers is commonly used to signify money and expect money to be received as payment.

Arms crossed on the chest.

It is customary to interpret as a barrier, an attempt to isolate oneself from others. This is also not entirely true. For example, it is often with such a gesture that the Demonstrative or Immediate lady lifts and, as it were, puts forward her breasts. But the Demonstrative does this in order to draw the attention of the interlocutor to this area of the body (that is, in fact, in its performance it is precisely a gesture of sexual appeal, and not a barrier), and the Direct in this way can mean both aggression and readiness for an “attack”!

Collecting non-existent villi.

Picking non-existent villi from clothes during a conversation. A sign of hidden disagreement with what was heard, rejection of this information - in any case, as an emotionally significant reaction to the words of the interlocutor

Correction of clothes on the interlocutor.

A variation of this gesture is to take the interlocutor by the button. The transaction of this is simple - the desire to take on a “short leash” or even show: “I am your father (mother), which means I have power over you” (not to mention the fact that by straightening the interlocutor’s clothes, you somehow approach too close to him, invading the zone of his intimate space, and he feels defenseless in front of you). Most often they do it

The position of the hands and body during a conversation.

Hand and body movements convey a lot of information about a person.

First, they manifest the state of the body and direct emotional reactions. This allows you to judge the temperament of a person (strong or weak reactions, fast or slow, inert or mobile).

Secondly, the postures and movements of the body express many traits of a person's character, the degree of his self-confidence, stiffness or looseness, caution or impulsiveness.

The social status of a person is manifested in the posture and movements. Expressions such as “walk with your head held high”, “straighten your shoulders” or, on the contrary, “stand on half-bent legs”, but also express a certain psychological state of a person.

Thirdly, in the posture and gestures, cultural norms assimilated by a person are manifested.

For example, a well-mannered man will never talk while sitting next to a standing woman, no matter how he evaluates her personal merits.

Fourthly, purely conditional symbolic meanings. Thus, they are able to convey accurate information.

Protective gestures and postures are signs that the interlocutor feels threatened or threatened. The most common gesture of this group of signs is the arms crossed on the chest. Hands here can occupy three characteristic positions.

A simple crossing of the arms is a universal gesture that indicates the defensive or negative state of the interlocutor. In this case, you should reconsider what you are doing or saying, because the interlocutor will begin to move away from the discussion. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that this gesture affects the behavior of other people. If you cross your arms in a defensive posture in a group of four or more, you can expect other members of the group to follow suit soon. True, this gesture can simply mean calmness and confidence, but this happens when the atmosphere of the conversation is not of a conflict nature.

If, in addition to arms crossed on the chest, the interlocutor also clenches his fingers into a fist, then this indicates his hostility or offensive position. In this case, you should slow down your speech and movements, as if inviting the interlocutor to follow your example. If this does not help, you should try to change the subject of the conversation.

The gesture, when the hands are clasped around the shoulders (sometimes the hands dig into the shoulders or biceps so hard that the fingers turn white), indicates the containment of the interlocutor's negative reaction to your position on the issue under discussion. This technique is used when the interlocutors argue, trying at all costs to convince each other of the correctness of their position, and often accompanied by a cold, slightly narrowed look and an artificial smile: This facial expression means that your interlocutor is at the limit, and if not take prompt measures to reduce tension, then a breakdown may occur.

The gesture, when the arms are crossed on the chest, but with the thumbs held vertically, is quite popular among business people. It conveys a double signal: the first - in a negative attitude (crossed arms), the second - about a sense of superiority expressed by the thumbs. The interlocutor resorting to this gesture usually plays with one or both fingers, and when standing, swaying on heels is characteristic. The thumb gesture also expresses derision or disrespectful attitude to a person who is pointed with the thumb as if over the shoulder.

Gestures of reflection and evaluation reflect the state of thought and the desire to find a solution to the problem. A thoughtful (reflective) facial expression is accompanied by a gesture of “hand to cheek”. This gesture indicates that your interlocutor is interested in something. It remains to be seen what prompted him to focus on the problem.

The pinching of the bridge of the nose, which is usually combined with closed eyes, indicates deep concentration and intense thinking. When the interlocutor is at the stage of making a decision, he scratches his chin. This gesture is usually accompanied by squinting of the eyes - as if the interlocutor is looking at something in the distance, trying to find the answer to his question there.

When the interlocutor brings his hand to his face, resting his chin on his palm, and stretches his index finger along his cheek (the rest of the fingers are below the mouth), this is eloquent evidence that he critically perceives your arguments.

Gestures of doubt and uncertainty are most often associated with scratching with the index finger. right hand under the earlobe or the side of the neck (usually five scratching movements are made).

Touching or lightly rubbing the nose is also a sign of doubt. When it is difficult for the interlocutor to answer your question, he often begins to touch or rub his nose with his index finger. True, sometimes people rub their nose because it itches. However, those who scratch their nose usually do it vigorously, while those for whom it is a gesture only lightly rub it.

Scratching, touching the ear.

It indicates the desire of the interlocutor to isolate himself from the words that he hears. Another gesture associated with touching the ear, sipping the earlobe, indicates that the interlocutor has heard enough and wants to speak for himself.

In the case when the interlocutor clearly wants to end the conversation faster, he imperceptibly (and sometimes unconsciously) moves or turns towards the door, while his legs turn towards the exit.

The turn of the body and the position of the legs indicate that he really wants to leave. An indicator of such a desire is also a gesture when the interlocutor takes off his glasses and defiantly puts them aside. In this situation, you should interest the interlocutor in something or give him the opportunity to leave. If you continue the conversation in the same vein, you are unlikely to achieve the desired result.

Eye signals.

For many centuries, mankind has thought about the meaning of the look and its influence on human behavior. We all use phrases such as “She has big baby eyes”, “She has an enticing look”, “She gave him an angry look”, “She has shifty eyes”, “He has such a sparkle in his eyes” or “He me jinxed it."

When we say this, we mean the size of a person's pupils and the behavior of their eyes. In his book Expressive Eyes, Hess says that the eyes transmit the most accurate and open signals of all human communication signals, because they occupy a central position in the human body, and the pupils behave completely independently.

In daylight, the pupils can expand and contract depending on how the person's attitude and mood changes from positive to negative, and vice versa. When a person is excited, his pupils dilate four times against the normal state. On the contrary, an angry, gloomy mood causes the pupils to contract, resulting in the so-called "beady eyes" or "snake" eyes. Eyes play a big role in courtship, women line their eyes for their expressiveness. If a woman loves a man, then at the sight of him her pupils dilate, and he will correctly decipher this sign, not knowing how he does it. Therefore, romantic dates are often arranged in dark, poorly lit places, which allows the pupils to dilate.

Young lovers stare intently into each other's eyes, subconsciously expecting their pupils to dilate, each getting excited by the other's dilated pupils. Studies have shown that if men are shown pornographic films depicting a man and a woman in a sexual position, their pupils dilate almost 3 times against the normal state. When the same films are shown to women, their pupils dilate even more than men's, disproving the theory that women are less turned on by pornography than men.

Collection of gestures

One of the biggest mistakes newcomers to learning body language can make is trying to single out one gesture and treat it in isolation from other gestures and circumstances. For example, scratching the back of the head can mean a thousand things - dandruff, fleas, sweating, insecurity, forgetfulness, or telling a lie - depending on what other gestures accompany this scratching, so for a correct interpretation, we must take into account the whole complex of accompanying gestures.

Like any language, body language is made up of words, sentences, and punctuation. Each gesture is like one word, and a word can have several different meanings. You can fully understand the meaning of this word only when you insert this word into a sentence along with other words. Gestures come in the form of "sentences" and accurately speak of the actual state, mood and attitude of a person. An observant person can read these non-verbal sentences and compare them with the speaker's verbal sentences.

The Importance of Context for Gesture Interpretation

In addition to taking into account the totality of gestures and the correspondence between words and body movements, for the correct interpretation of gestures, it is necessary to take into account the context in which these gestures live. If, for example, on a cold winter day you see a person sitting at a bus stop with crossed legs, arms crossed tightly on his chest and his head down, then this will most likely mean that he is cold, and not at all his critical attitude towards anything. However, if a person in exactly the same position is sitting opposite you at the negotiating table for a deal, then his gestures should most definitely be interpreted as having a negative or defensive attitude in the current situation.

Gestures that indicate lies.

There are some of the most common gestures by which you can understand whether a person is lying or not. For example, if you notice that a person covers his mouth with his hands during a conversation, this means that he seems to be trying to keep the words in himself, even if the gesture is reduced to a light, barely noticeable touch of his lips with his fingertips.

Stiffness of movements.

If a person is not sure what he is saying, he simply stops gesticulating: he is so preoccupied with his words that the movements of his hands stop. In a calm conversation, you can notice the movements of the interlocutor's hands, even if he keeps his hands in his pockets. However, a sharp reduction in gestures is observed when a person is nervous and depends on the nature of the interlocutor.

Nervous cough.

A nervous cough may just be a nervous cough. However, if the cough appears as soon as the person begins to explain his position, and is accompanied by some other characteristic gestures, then you may think that the person is lying.

Blush. Blush

The most obvious signal that a person feels uncomfortable. A blush can appear as a result of some words that sounded in a conversation, due to the presence of a certain person, when you can’t keep yourself natural and you can’t express your real feelings. But it also happens when a blush indicates a feeling of embarrassment that a person experiences because of his own words.

Stomping.

Typical for people with a high degree internal stress. Most likely, this is a sign that a person wants to speed up the conversation. Although sometimes stomping betrays liars.

Light fussiness.

When a person lies, his body goes out of control, thoughts and words do not match. A professional liar may have barely noticeable hand movements, there seems to be no significant changes in the face, the voice is loud and clear - however, despite obvious signs of self-confidence, there remains a feeling of some kind of fuss.

Avoidance of direct gaze.

Imagine such a situation. You are conducting an interview and when you ask a visitor why he left his last job, he looks away and, answering you, looks away. You will understand that question asked for some reason, it evokes unpleasant memories in a person that there is something that the interviewee clearly does not want to talk about.

Closed eyes.

Some people blink frequently when talking, and sometimes close their eyes for a moment. This behavior may indicate that they do not like the situation in which they find themselves. They seem to separate themselves from the situation that is unpleasant for them. Try to close your eyes and say, "I'm telling the truth." Doesn't match, right?

When people lie, the voice loses its expressiveness, becomes, as it were, flat. For example, when a person spoke with enthusiasm, gesticulated vividly, and suddenly his voice suddenly becomes sluggish, gesticulation is reduced to a minimum. Such a sudden change may be evidence of a lie.

Mouth protection with hand

The hand covers the mouth, and the thumb is pressed to the cheek (the brain thinks something like: “If only I didn’t get burned!”). Some may cough at the same time. But! If a person uses this gesture at the time when something is being said to him, then he thereby shows: "I know that you are lying."

Touch on the nose

This is a variant of the previous gesture: a person subconsciously wants to close his mouth when lying, so that unnecessary words do not bring him to clean water, but at the last moment he comes to his senses and has no other choice but to touch his nose. If a person's nose itches, he will scratch it. But it won't touch easily. This gesture is also used when listening to lies, if a person guesses that he is being deceived.

Talking through teeth

Again: a person does not want to let out a false “not a sparrow”, that is, a word. And closes his "birdhouse". But! Perhaps the person is dissatisfied with something, so do not be zealous, shaming him for lying, otherwise you may run into a scandal in response (worst case: assault).

Neck scratching.

A person scratches the place under the earlobe or the side of the neck with the index finger of the right hand. Interesting fact: a person with this gesture makes five scratches (usually). This gesture speaks of the listener's doubt and uncertainty about the correctness of what he perceives. The person subconsciously uses this gesture when expressing the contrast between what he said and what he means: "I understand you" (this is not true if he rubs his neck).

Collar pull

Lying has been proven to cause an itchy sensation in the delicate muscles of the face and neck, and scratching is required to soothe these sensations. That's good: if a person pulls back his collar, he suspects that his deceit has been revealed. The liar may have drops of sweat on his face. But! The same gesture a person uses when he is angry or upset, while he pulls back his collar to cool off. So watch the person before you "prick" him.

If you want to “finish off” a liar, then just ask him again about what he said: “Could you clarify this?”. This will force the deceiver to stop continuing the lie.

Fingers in the mouth.

This gesture indicates that a person needs support in something (our version is in a lie). This is a subconscious attempt to return to a safe, cloudless state in infancy, when he was safe when feeding, and even more so he did not have to lie. A person is looking for help and support, so give it to him if he is your friend, and do not reproach severely if he is just an acquaintance.

We have considered the most obvious signs of a lie. However, one should not forget that a person can use similar gestures when he is unsure of himself or nervous. Therefore, before concluding that your interlocutor is lying, ask him clarifying questions that will help you find out his true feelings.

Conclusion.

So, when evaluating an interlocutor, it is important to take into account his emotional mood: the desire or unwillingness to make contact, it is also very important to consider what context you are in and what he says. The frequency of repetition of a particular gesture also needs to be taken into account, the time between repetitions. If a person often makes this or that gesture, then most likely he is lying, unless, of course, the gesture indicates that he is lying.

It is also important to take into account certain habits of a person when communicating, it is possible that if a person constantly straightens his hair during a conversation, this does not signal that he is lying. It's possible it's just his habit.

In order to more accurately determine whether a person is lying to you or telling the truth, it is advisable to pay attention to several gestures, and not judge a person’s act by any one. With these tips and information, you can never go wrong with your analysis of human behavior.

Bibliography.

Alan Pease. Sign language - Voronezh 1992

Lowman. Body language St. Petersburg - 1997.