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''Body language'' is a term for Communication using Body movements or Gesture s (such as the '''Pinocchio Syndrome''') "Liar, liar, nose on fire" (body language), Dr. Gifford Jones, December 2001, webpage: GeoC-Liar . instead of, or in addition to, sounds, verbal language or other communication. It forms part of the category of Paralanguage , which describes all forms of human communication that are not verbal Language . This includes the most subtle of movements that many people are not aware of, including Winking and slight movement of the Eyebrows . In addition body language can also incorporate the use of Facial Expressions . Paralanguage, including body language, has been extensively studied in Social Psychology . In common parlance and Popular Psychology , the term is most often applied to body language that is considered involuntary, even though the distinction between voluntary and involuntary body language is often controversial. For example, a Smile may be produced either Consciously or unconsciously. TERMINOLOGY ''Voluntary body language'' refers to movement, Gestures and poses intentionally made by a person (e.g., conscious smiling, hand movements and imitation). It can apply to many types of soundless Communication . Generally, movement made with full or partial intention and an understanding of what it communicates can be considered voluntary. ''Involuntary body language'' quite often takes the form of Facial Expression , and has therefore been suggested as a means to identify the emotions of a person with whom one is communicating. Dr. Alan Hirsch, from the department of Neurology and Psychiatry at the Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, explained the "''Pinocchio Syndrome''": blood rushes to the nose when people lie. This makes the nose itchy. As a result, people who stretch the truth tend to either scratch their nose or touch it more often. ORIGINS OF BODY LANGUAGE The relation of body language to Animal Communication has been discussed. Human paralanguage may represent a continuation of forms of communication that our non-linguistic ancestors already used, or it may be that it has been changed by co-existing with language. Some species of animals are especially adept at detecting human body language, both voluntary and involuntary: this is the basis of the Clever Hans effect (a source of artifact in Comparative Psychology ), and was also the reason for trying to teach the Chimpanzee Washoe to use American Sign Language rather than speech — and perhaps the reason why the Washoe project was more successful than some previous efforts to teach apes to use human language. Body language is a product of both Genetic and environmental influences. Blind children will smile and laugh even though they have never seen a smile. The Ethologist Irenaus Eibl-Eibesfeldt claimed that a number of basic elements of body language were universal across cultures and must therefore be Fixed Action Pattern s under Instinct ive control. Some forms of human body language show continuities with communicative gestures of other Ape s, though often with changes in meaning. More refined gestures, which vary between cultures (for example the gestures to indicate "yes" and "no"), must be learned or modified through learning, usually by unconscious observation of the environment. UNDERSTANDING BODY LANGUAGE Although they are generally not aware of it, many people send and receive non-verbal signals all the time. These signals may indicate what they are truly feeling. The technique of 'reading' people is used frequently. For example, the idea of mirroring body language to put people at ease is commonly used in interviews. It sets the person being interviewed at ease. Mirroring the body language of someone else indicates that they are understood. Body language signals may have a goal other than communication. Both people would keep this in mind. Observers limit the weight they place on non-verbal cues. Signallers clarify their signals to indicate the biological origin of their actions.
It should be noted that some people (e.g., people with certain disabilities, or those on the Autistic Spectrum ) use and understand body language differently, or not at all. Interpreting their gestures and facial expressions (or lack thereof) in the context of Normal body language usually leads to misunderstandings and misinterpretations (especially if body language is given priority over spoken language). It should also be stated that people from different Culture s can interpret body language in different ways. SOCIAL USES Body language is particularly important in group communications because for large groups it dominates the spoken word.Tarnow, Eugen (1997). Bodily language is of particular importance in large groups. http://cogprints.org/4444/. Body language is a factor in '') Body language is now widely used in the field of selling, where sales personnel are trained to observe and read the body language of their potential customers. Sales personnel trained to read body language can now utilize this skill to read the subliminal cue exhibited by the customers to close a deal. Consequently, many companies such as insurance companies, direct-selling companies, international car-showrooms now engage body language experts. EXAMPLES OF BODY LANGUAGE In our daily lives we encounter many forms of body language gestures, these are a few examples. Although these signs are not immediate signals of a persons' feeling or implications, the following are traditional signs for certain implications. When noticed, they should not be taken as definite indications:
"Proxemically speaking - body language in interviews" (how-to), Julie Spencer, Australian Marketing Manager of eurolinkglobal, August 2003, webpage: BBox-AE335 .
Consider multiple related gestures, because folding arms could also mean a person is cold, rather than rejecting ideas being discussed.
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