You can say a lot by saying nothing at all. The limbic system in our brains controls involuntary reactions that show how we are feeling and what we think about a situation. For example, when we are upset, our brows furrow. When we’re stressed out, we clench our jaws. When we’re happy, we smile and may let out a chuckle. This nonverbal communication is hard-wired in our lives, so it’s important that we understand how effective it may be.
Potential romantic relationships
Understanding body language is vital when considering a love interest. After all, your relationship with the person will become largely physical. Research shows that everything from eye contact to posture to tone of voice will determine how interested the partners are in each other. In fact, it has been proven that women often seem more interested than men when really they are just more sociable in general. So be sure to tune into your partner’s nonverbal cues, as well as your own, as you make steady advances.
In the workplace
Nonverbal cues play just as big of a role in the workplace as verbal ones. Just peek into the office to see how people are sitting: the boss may take a more relaxed stance with louder displays of emotion. At the same time, the secretary will most likely be the one scurrying around with their head to the ground. It’s all about confidence–to look more powerful, you must exude confidence in every gesture. The more insecure employee will wear their fear on their face.
Reading the “micro expression”
A micro expression is a quick change in facial expression (think as short as 1/125th of a second) to show when someone tries to hide their true emotional reaction. It can be useful to understand these expressions because most often they’re associated with lie detection. If you catch fear on someone’s face for a split-second, for example, you may have caught them in a lie.
