List of gestures and their meanings
Facial Expressions
- With nervous laugh - anxiety and enthusiasm?
- Covering of
mouth - doubtful, unsure, lying, distorting truth, embarrassed to show
missing teeth, or had been told to have bad breath
- With folded arms or crossed arms/legs- defensive, closed, has tuned out
- Cat that swallowed the canary look - slight turning of the lips in a faint smile
- Look that could kill
- Fish eye
- Come-hither look
- I'm available glance
- Do-or-die look - looking straight at you, eyes wide open, lips tightly closed, eyebrow corners down, etc.
- Choirboy look - capable, competitive, but cooperative
- Downcast eyes, face turned away - you are being shut out
- Poker face - no emotions, blank look, stoic, zero disclosure
- Astonished look - eyes and mouth wide open, eyebrows raised
- Blushing - shame
- Frowning, with body erect, shoulders squared, fist clenched - indignant, defiant
-
Frowning, with eyebrows down, lips tensed and pushed a bit forward,
teeth hidden, head and chin thrust forward, eyes glaring - in conflict
- Shocked/Surprised look - mouth wide open, jaw muscles relaxed, chin dropped
- Concentration - mouth unconsciously open, lower facial muscles relaxed, sometimes with tongue protruding
- Smile
1.
Simple smile - "a typically nonsense smile occuring when someone is by
himself and happy"; "lips curve back up and remain together and thus
there is no dental display"
2. Upper smile - "how-do-you-do smile"; "only the upper teeth are uncovered and the mouth generally is only slightly open"
3.
Broad smile - "commonly seen during play and associated with laughing";
"occurs in situations of pleasurable excitement"; "both upper and lower
incisors are exposed, and eye-to-eye contact seldom occurs"
4.
Oblong smile - pretend smile, "just to be polite"; "the lips are drawn
fully back from both the upper andlower teeth, forming the oblong with
the lips; a smile with no depth"
5. Lip-in smile - "often seen on
the faces of coy girls"; "much like the upper smile except that the
lower lip is drawn in between the teeth, implying that the person feels
in some way subordinate to the person she is meeting"
- Not looking while listening or talking - trying to hide something; shyness
-
People look at each other 30-60% of the time; looking more than 60% of
the time indicates interest in the person more than what he's saying,
for example, lovers looking at each other adoringly, hostile individuals
getting ready to fight; abstract thinkgers intently absorbing data; a
person who's really listening
- Gaze aversion - feeling uncomfortable or guilty
- Glance/Giving someone the eye - interest
- Sidelong glance/Stolen look - used by the secretive, who want to see but not get caught
- Glance under lowered eyelids - concentrate on something interesting
- Frown - displeasure, confusion
- Raised eyebrow - envy, disbelief
- Pursing + tight-lipped + tightening jaw muscles - defensiveness
- Squinting eyes - antagonism
- Thrusting out a chin - defiance, antagonism
Walking Gestures - depends on body structure, pace, length of stride, posture
- Quick, light on the feet - happy
- Droopy shoulders, heavy legs - not happy, dejected
- Cock of the walk, strutting (arms swinging) - goal-oriented, ready
- Hands in pocket - critical and secretive
- Meditative pose while walking + slow pace + pauses + kicks over a rock - preoccupied walk
- Scuffling + hands in pocket + seldom looking up or noticing where headed - dejected
- Walking hands on hip - bust of energy walker
- Mussolini walk: chin raised, arms exaggeratedly swinging, legs quite stiff + pace deliberate, to impress - pompous
Shaking Hands
- Shake hands like a man - hand gripping, then squeeze firm, then release
-
Women don't shake hands; they hold hands in theirs with congruous
facial expressions + embrace - used to express sincere feelings
especially in a crisis
- Sweaty palms - nervousness; addendum from RSO: if nervousness is not the reason, Filipinos would call the palms pasmado, or afflicted with some mysterious sweating disorder not related to nervousness
- Flaccid, dead fish handshake
-
Politician's handshake - grasping of hand with the right and cupping it
with the left, sometimes grasping opposite forearm or shoulder;
insincere if done by a nonintimate friend
Signs of Openness
- Open hands - sincerity and openness
- Laying open hands on chest + shrugging - "What do you want me to do?"
- Hiding hands in pocket or behind the back - guilt, suspicion
- Unbuttoning coat + taking it off in your presence - openness, friendly relations, agreement
Signs of Defensiveness
- Arms crossed on chest - defensive, assuming position of comfort; this could also be a sign that the person feels cold.
- Arm-gripping defensive position - with nervousness?
- Sitting with leg on arm of chair - indifferent, uncooperative, unconcerned, hostile
- Getting a leg up - announcing dominance/superiority or territorial rights
-
Sitting with chair's back serving as shield - seemingly informal and
cooperative but may be a sign of dominance or aggression; I notice boys
and men also do this when they feel like being playful.
- Crossing
legs (figue four position or thigh-over-thigh European style) -
competitive, closed; this could also be a sign that the person feels
cold.
- Crossing legs + foot in slight kicking motion - boredom
Signs of Evaluation
- In a trance look - cover up to indicate one is "all ears"
- Body leaning forward + head slightly tilted, supported by one hand - interest
- The Thinker pose: hand to cheek + blinking slightly - engrossed in meditation, interested, attentive
-
Hand in face + chin in palm + index finger on cheek + other fingers
below the mouth + body drawn back - skeptical, critical, cynical,
wait-and-see
- Head titled - interested
- Head erect + back straightened up then slouches + glances at ceiling/watch + body pointing to exit - indifference
- Stroking chin or beard + slight squinting of eyes - "Well, let me consider."; making a judgment
- Pipe-smoking
- Pacing
- Pinching the bridge of the nose
- Gesture with glasses
1. Granny glasses - eyeglasses dropped onto lower bridge of nose, and peering over them - "What's that again?"
2.
Taking glasses off slowly and carefully cleaning the lens unnecessarily
- pausing thought/procrastination, delaying or stalling for time think
over something
3. Glasses removed and thrown at table - exasperated
4.
Glasses removed + earpiece of frame put in mouth - listening, avoiding
talk first + maybe seeking the nourishment of more info - gaining time
to evaluate
Signs of Suspicion and Secretiveness
- left-handed gestures
- Left hand covering mouth - "My heart is not in it."
- Not looking up at you - concealing
- Superficial smile - may be used to soften the blow of belligerence; real meaning: "I'm not buying it."
-
Folded arms + body moved away +legs crossed, head tilted forward +
peering over glass + silhouetting (turning the body only slightly away
so as to present a silhouette) + non-touching, non-rubbing
- Squinting - rejection, suspicion, uncertainty, doubt
- Sideways glance - distrust: "Just what do you mean by that?"
- Cold shoulder treatment - distrust
- Feet and/or entire body pointing toward the exit - wishing something to end; anxious to leave
-
Touching the nose with index finger + doubt gesture cluster (squirming
in chair, twisting body into a silhouette, physical withdrawing, rubbing
behind or beside the ear with index finger, rubbing the eyes) -
doubtful; "Well, I don't know."; "No!"; only means itchiness if
scratching is vigorous
Signs of Readiness
- Hands on hips and feet spread apart
- Hitching up the trousers
- If seated, one hand placed on mid-thigh and body leaning slightly forward
- Sitting on edge of chair - ready for action, whether positive or negative
- Arms spread while hads grip edge of table
- Moving in, speaking confidentially - covert aggressive readiness to dominate or direct a person
Signs of Reassurance
- Clenched hands with thumbs rubbing against each other
- Cuticle-picking
- Hand-pinching
- Sticking pen/pencil/etc. in mouth to chew or suck
- (In conferences) Touching back of chair before sitting down - reassurance of belonging
-
(Women) Slowly, gracefully bringing hand to throat; if wearing
necklace, feeling the necklace as though to see if it is still there
- Pinching fleshy part of hand
- (Child) Thumb-sucking
- Nail-biting
Signs of Cooperation
- Sprinter's position - sitting forward in a chair, feet on tiptoes
- Sitting on edge of chair
- Hand to face
- Unbuttoning coat
- Tilted head
Signs of Frustration
-
Removing hat, running fingers through hair, rubbing back of neck,
kicking dirt (or imagined dirt), or picking a pencil/etc. and throwing
it forcibly and breaking it in two
- Short breaths with air expelled like in a snort
- Tsk sound - admonishment or distrust; other cultures have other meanings
- Tightly clenched hands
- Wringing hands
- Fistlike gestures
- Pointing index finger
- Palm to back of neck
- Kicking at the ground or an imaginary object
- Fistlike gestures - fierce determination, anger, hostility; extreme emphasis, desperate resolve, vehement declaration
-
Pointing index finger (much disliked except in public speech settings) -
to reprimand, admonish, emphasize, drive home a point; sometimes with
eyeglasses used as extension
- Palm to back of neck - defensive beating posture to sublimate desire to beat someone
- Kicking
- Slamming/kicking door - angry, frustrated, irritated
Signs of Confidence
- Talking without hand-to-face gestures
- Proud erect gesture
- Squared shoulders, straightened backs
- More frequent, longer, less-blinking eye contact
- Steepling - joining fingertips to form a steeple - confident; also smug, pontifical, egotistical, proud
- Low steepling - subtle steepling
- Under-the-table steepling - covert steepling
- Hands joined together at the back, chin thrust upward - swaggering; also defiance; the reverse, chin downward, means timidity
- Other indications of territorial rights, dominance, or superiority
- Feet on desk - dominance or ownership
- Leaning on car, repeated glances on car - ownership
- Placing hand around partner's waist - ownership
- Placing an object on a desired space - indication of territorial rights, hoping nonencoachment
- Elevating oneself - symbolic of authority and judgment, so one can talk down on another
-
Cigar-smoking - celebrates special event when lighted; depends on the
way it is held, smoke is blown out (upwards), spacing of puffs, and
vocal accompaniment (deliberate)
- Clucking sound + snapping fingers + hitting-a-bottlecap hand gesture - self-satisfied, proud of job just accomplished
- Wolf-whistling???
- Leaning back with both hands laced behind head in support - relaxed aggressiveness
Signs of Nervousness
- Clearing throat - anxious, uncertain, apprehensive; also signal (to children) to behave; admonition
- Whew sound, with air-expelling - "I'm gld that's over with!"
- Whistling - frightened, apprehensive, building up courage or confidence; act of displacement for comfort
- Cigarette-smoking - depends on lighting, smoking, and extinguishing; used as tranquilizer between periods of tension
- Fidgeting in a chair - uncomfortable with the situation; if unaddressed, leads to tuning out
- Hands covering mouth while speaking - astonished; also self-doubt, lying, having said something regrettable, "Oops!"
- Shielding mouth with hands when whispering to someone - secretive
- Speaking out of one side of mouth - usu. used when not permitted to speak
- Cupping hand to mouth, intimate distance - to consciously hide conversation
- Holding both hands together in front of mouth while talking - playing cat or mouth
- Tugging at pants while sitting + fidgeting - indecisiveness
- Jiggling money in pockets - concerned with mooney or lack of it
- Tugging at ear - urge to interrupt; also anxiety
- Raising hand - having something to say
- Suppressing lips - to stop words from coming out of mouth
- Placing hands on speaker's forearm and restraining it
Signs of Self-Control
- Locked ankles and clenched hands - disguising emotions, holding back strong feelings
- Holding arm behind back and clenching it while the other hand grips the wrist or arm - ditto
- Restraining an arm or Gripping the wrist - ditto
Signs of Boredom
- Drumming on table, tapping with feet - impatient, anxious
- Head in palm of hand + drooping eyes - unfeigned boredom
- Doodling - indicates waning interest, unless in cases of abstract thinkers
- The blank stare - looking but not listening, zombie-like gaze, asleep with eyes open and unblinking
Signs of Acceptance
- Open hands toward chest - loyalty, honesty, devotion; also openness
- Raising hand with palm exposeed - swearing, making oath
-
Touching gestures - demonsrative, emotionally transparent, want to
interrupt or emphasize a point, calming gesture, affection, feeling
comfortable with you, need for reassurance, endorsement
- Moving
closer to another person - want to be physically close; want to share in
confidence; indicate to third parties that conversation is
exclusive/private
Signs of Courtship
- High muscle tone, erect torso, no slumping, direct eye contact
- Preening
-
(Women) Smoothing or arranging hair, smoothing dress, turning around
and looking at oneself at mirror or glancing sideways to see reflection,
subtly rolling pelvis, slowly crossing and uncrossing legs in front of
male, caressing inside of calf, knee, or thigh, delicately balancing
shoe on the toe of one of the feet, sitting with one leg tucked under
-
(Men) Straightening ties, adjusting cuff links, buttoning or
straightening coats, pulling up socks when sitting down, checking
fingernails, performing a cursory personal inspection before meeting the
person, thrusting chin upward and forward
Signs of Expectancy
- Rubbing of the palms, jingling of money, rubbing of thumb and index finger together, rubbing hands - expectation of money
- Crossed fingers - hoping for good luck or to avert evil
Signs of Anger
- (Children to parent) Slamming door, screaming, playing loud music
**
It's
notable the amount of gestures the book has left out. I am hereby
taking over from where the authors have left off, but my observations
are limited to Filipino culture:
Teasing
- (Especially among children) Sticking out the tongue - to tease someone; also, to gloat over something
- Etc.
- (I am leaving out sexual teasing for now.)
Placing barriers
-
Placing barriers such as table, eyeglasses, or any object between two
conversants - blocking out the conversant for some reason
Crying
- Crocodile tears - faked tears
- True crying has an accompanying mucus secretion from the nose.
- Wailing: crying out of deep anguish or grief has a voice coming from deep down the gut
- A cry may also be out of joy, frustration, or some other emotion
Signs of Shyness or Reticence
- Downcast look + extra-soft voice
- Discomfort with eye-to-eye contact and a hesitant body language
