Some of the Commonly Observed Gestures of Body Language

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.