Psychology of gestures

Of course, non-verbal language is more difficult to understand, as it is continuous, our movements and gestures can change every minute, even second, unlike our speech, which is filled with pauses, breaks between the exchange of phrases. In this regard, the interpretation of a particular gesture is relative and is only an attempt to interpret non-verbal messages.  Non-verbal language is very rich – this and a different position of the arms, legs, head, posture, gait, facial expressions. In this article on the psychology of gestures, we will consider only the position of the head, arms and legs. 

So, the position of our head:

• raised high –  self-confidence and an active relationship with the world.
• head upturned speaks of arrogance, the impossibility of intimacy and a kind of protection from the world of people.
• lowered down – sign of lack of will, lack of interest. tilted to the side indicates attentiveness, interest, but at the same time lack of activity.

Arms and hands:

• hands behind the back indicate a predicament, stiffness and reflection.
• hands in pockets – indecisiveness, shyness, while the desire to suppress other people.
• arms folded across the chest indicate that the person is defensive, hiding from self-expression and feeling unsafe.
• hands on hips – a sign of readiness for activity, for communication, while demonstrating one's firmness and some kind of superiority.
• hands clenched into a fist – the desire to master one's excitement or aggression, a kind of self-control. rubbing hands indicates pleasant thoughts, satisfaction.
• Hand at the cheek indicates concentration and active thought process.
• hand covers mouth – fear of expressing one's opinion.
• closely entwined hands – a gesture of distrust, insincerity and suspicion.
• hand rubs the earlobe or the eye is lost – the person is tired of the conversation, but does not dare to interrupt it, feels awkward. hands turned palms up – openness and sincerity of the interlocutor.
• hand scratches chin – a gesture symbolizing decision making, weighing all the pros and against.

Legs:

• spaced shoulder-width apart speak of a self-confident person, open and "standing firmly on the ground".
• legs wide apart – overestimated self-esteem, inadequate idea of ​​one's capabilities, possibly an inferiority complex.
• frequently changing leg position – inconstancy, irresponsibility and timidity. socks turned inward indicate shyness, introversion and internal constraint. socks, strongly turned outward, indicate an active life position, some narcissism.

Knowing the psychology of gestures opens up opportunities for us to communicate more effectively. But it must be remembered that gestures have different meanings in different contexts. Scratching the mouth or eyelid does not always indicate a lie, perhaps it is also a gesture of flirting, a desire to please (especially in women).