BODY LANGUAGE - When we talk about body language, we look at the subtle cues we send and receive to each other nonverbally. Many people want to know how to read body language. We are very drawn to looking at and observing the face to understand someone’s hidden emotions. They are an essential part of body language. Proxemics is a term for how our body moves in space. We are constantly looking at how someone is moving — are they gesturing? Leaning? Moving towards or away from us? Body movements tell us a lot about preferences and nervousness. They are instrumental body language cues. Clothes, jewelry, sunglasses, hairstyles, are all extensions of our body language. Not only do certain colors and styles send signals to others, how we interact with our ornaments is also telling. Is someone a fidgeter with their watch or ring? Do they constantly self-preen or touch their hair? These are all body language cues.

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Body Language

What It Is & How To Read It

Vanessa Van Edwards

Body Language is jam packed with interesting science. In this comprehensive introduction we’ll show you the basics of body language, how to read other’s body language, and how to improve your own.

What is Body Language?

When we talk about body language, we look at the subtle cues we send and receive to each other nonverbally.

Many people want to know how to read body language. To get started, body language can be broken down into a few different channels:

Facial Expressions:

Researcher Dr. Paul Ekman discovered 7 universal microexpressions — or short facial gestures every human makes when they feel an intense emotion.

We are very drawn to looking at and observing the face to understand someone’s hidden emotions. They are an essential part of body language.

Body Proxemics:

Proxemics is a term for how our body moves in space. We are constantly looking at how someone is moving — are they gesturing? Leaning? Moving towards or away from us?

Body movements tell us a lot about preferences and nervousness. They are instrumental body language cues.

Ornaments:

Clothes, jewelry, sunglasses, hairstyles, are all extensions of our body language.

Not only do certain colors and styles send signals to others, how we interact with our ornaments is also telling.

Is someone a fidgeter with their watch or ring? Do they constantly self-preen or touch their hair? These are all body language cues.

Body Language Principles

How To Read People’s Body Language

There are actually two sides to reading body language in others.

Decoding is your ability to read people’s cues. It is how you interpret hidden emotions, information and personality from someone’s nonverbal.

Encoding is your ability to send cues to other people. This is how you control your personal branding, what first impression you give and how you make people feel when they are with you.

Vanessa Van Edwards is a national best selling author and behavioral investigator with Science of People.

Vanessa is Lead Investigator at Science of People. She is the bestselling author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People. Her book has been translated into 15 different languages and more than 20 million people watch her on YouTube.

Vanessa shares tangible skills to improve interpersonal communication and leadership, including her insights on how people work. She’s developed a science-based framework for understanding different personalities to improve our EQ and help us communicate with colleagues, clients and customers.

She works with entrepreneurs, growing businesses, and trillion dollar companies; and has been featured on CNN, BBC, CBS, Fast Company, Inc., Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, the Today Show and many more.

https://www.scienceofpeople.com/body-language/