Body Language Magic Some of the Commonly Observed Gestures
During a Conversation
Although hardly do we notice some of the behavioral patterns
shown by people around us, but it is worth noticing that the
higher the socio-political stature of a particular person, the
lesser is his usage of gestures and more refined is their
selection of appropriate gestures for a particular scenario
With the aid of this example we can clearly see that with
the increase in age, a person’s gestures also get refined. For
e.g., if a child tells a lie he immediately covers his/her
mouth with one or both the palms. In the same situation a
teenager could be observed to be touching his lips or mouth
region lightly with his finger.
But when an adult is faced with a similar situation, he being a
seasoned campaigner will show a bare minimum gesture of
touching his nose lightly, something which we would hardly ever
notice. Yet, some people will tell outright lies and you will
not notice unless the person is observed closely, while his/her
words are thoroughly paid attention to. For example, a
sociopath, psychopath, or pathological liar will not use body
languages to let you know he or she is telling a lie.
Mouth covered by hand or palm:
Very often people try to cover their lie by making certain
gestures like covering their mouths partially with their palm
while the thumb is kept pressed against one of the cheeks. This
kind of a gesture denotes that the speaker is flatly lying or
is trying to hide something. But if the listener makes the same
gesture then it means that the listener has no trust in the
speaker and is not ready to buy his story.
Nose Touching:
This is just a more sophisticated replacement for the above
mentioned gesture. While making this gesture some people rub
below their nose, since it’s more effective than the above
because it’s not much evident.
Rubbing the Eyes:
While speaking in public or in a private gathering if you
notice that someone is rubbing his/her eyes and avoiding making
any kind of eye contact, then it is quite a possibility that
he/she is lying. This gesture is generally employed to avoid
the eyes of a person to whom one is telling a lie.
Collar Pulling:
Some people unconsciously pull their collar when they tell a
lie. In doing so they suspect that they have been caught. This
gesture also indicates a person’s anger or frustration. In such
a case this person simply pulls his collar to let some cool air
inside to make himself feel a bit relaxed.
There are several other indications that a listener may give
when he begins to get bored like supporting his head on his arm
or palms, putting his head down on the table while listening
etc.
There are certain gestures that a listener makes at what time
he is interested in a conversation. If two people are sitting
across a table or a speaker is giving a lecture and the
listener is sitting watching intently with a closed hand
resting on his/her cheek and the index finger pointing upwards,
then it is a clear signal of the fact that the listener is very
much interested in continuing the conversation. But one must be
cautious to note that when the index finger points vertically
upwards and the thumb are supporting the chin, it could mean
that the listener does not agree with the speaker’s point of
view. If at this point of time the listener begins rubbing his
chin with his thumb and index finger then it means that he is
making a decision.
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