Body Movements

Researchers in kinesics, or the study of nonverbal communication through face and body movements, identify five major types of movements: emblems, illustrators, affect displays, regulators, and adaptors.

Emblems are body gestures that directly translate into words or phrases; for example, the OK sign, the thumbs-up for "good job," and the V for victory. You use these consciously and purposely to communicate the same meaning as the words. But emblems are culture specific, so be careful when using your culture's emblems in other cultures. For example, when President Nixon visited Latin America and gestured with the OK sign, intending to communicate something positive, he was quickly informed that this gesture was not universal. In Latin America the gesture has a far more negative meaning. Here are a few cultural differences in the emblems you may commonly use:

■ In the United States, to say "hello" you wave with your whole hand

moving from side to side, but in a large part of Europe that same signal

means "no." In Greece such a gesture would be considered insulting.

■ The V for victory is common throughout much of the world; but if you

make this gesture in England with the palm facing your face, it's as

insulting as the raised middle finger is in the United States.

■ In Texas the raised fist with little finger and index finger held upright is a

positive expression of support, because it represents the Texas long-horn

steer. But in Italy it's an insult that means "Your spouse is having an affair

with someone else." In parts of South America it's a gesture to ward off

evil, and in parts of Africa it's a curse: "May you experience bad times."

■ In the United States and in much of Asia, hugs are rarely exchanged

among acquaintances; but among Latins and southern Europeans, hugging

is a common greeting gesture, and failing to hug someone may

communicate unfriendliness.

Illustrators enhance (literally "illustrate") the verbal messages they accompany. For example, when referring to something to the left, you might gesture toward the left. Most often you illustrate with your hands, but you can also illustrate with head and general body movements. You might, for example, turn your head or your entire body toward the left. You might also use illustrators to communicate the shape or size of objects you're talking about. Research points to an interesting advantage of illustrators: They increase your ability to remember. In one study people who illustrated their verbal messages with gestures remembered some 20 percent more than those who didn't gesture.

Affect displays are movements of the face (smiling or frowning, for example) but also of the hands and general body (body tension or relaxation, for example) that communicate emotional meaning. Often affect displays are unconscious; you smile or frown, for example, without awareness. At other times, however, you may smile consciously, trying to convey your pleasure or satisfaction. Not surprisingly, people who smile spontaneously are judged to be more likable and more approachable than people who don't smile or people who pretend to smile.

Regulators are behaviors that monitor, control, coordinate, or maintain the speaking of another individual. When you nod your head, for example, you tell the speaker to keep on speaking; when you lean forward and open your mouth, you tell the speaker that you would like to say something.

Adaptors are gestures that satisfy some personal need, such as scratching to relieve an itch or moving your hair out of your eyes. Self-adaptors are self-touching movements (for example, rubbing your nose). Alter-adaptors are movements directed at the person with whom you're speaking, such as removing lint from someone's jacket or straightening a person's tie or folding your arms in front of you to keep others a comfortable distance from you. Object-adaptors are gestures focused on objects, such as doodling on or shredding a Styrofoam coffee cup.

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