Body Language in the United States
Most people shake hands and make eye contact when they meet people for the first time. Among very good friends, a woman may give another woman a little hug, and a man may kiss a woman quickly on the cheek. Males don't hug one another, which, however, is changing. Men usually shake hands with the right hand. Sometimes they use the left hand to either cover the handshake or lightly hold the other person's arm. This shows greater warmth and friendship. What's more, most people wave hello or good-bye. This is important to know because in many other countries, the same movements mean "no".
When people are waiting in a public place, such as the post office, they usually form lines. Some people get angry and complain if someone jumps ahead of other people. Moreover, many women like men to open doors for them. They also like men to give up their seats on public transportation. However, some women do not like this type of behavior. They feel that men and women should be treated in the same way.
In the United States, it's important to make direct eye contact in business and social situations. If you don't make eye contact, people will probably think that you are bored or not interested. If there is silence in these situations, people usually try to make conversation. People in the United States usually stand about one arm's length away from each other while talking or standing together. This space is called "the comfort zone".
In the United States, mothers sometimes show that they are angry with children by shaking an index finger(食指) at them. People may show that they like children by patting them on the head.
There are various ways in which to read body language so that you can understand how someone is feeling. Reading emotional clues(线索) is one of them.
Crying is considered to be caused by an explosion of emotion in most cultures. Oftentimes crying is considered a sign of sadness, but crying can also be an expression of happiness. Crying can also come about through laughter and humor. Thus, when judging crying, you'll need to look for other signs to determine the meaning of the crying. Crying can also be forced in order to gain sympathy or to cheat others. This practice is known as "crocodile tears", an expression that draws on the wrong idea that crocodiles "cry" when catching prey(猎物).
Signs of threat include v-shaped eye brows, wide eyes, and an open or down-turned mouth. In a similar way, Arm tightly crossed over the other is a common sign that the person is angry and is closing himself off to you.
When people show anxiety, they display increased facial movements, and their mouth made into a thin line. Individuals who are anxious may also play with their hands, unable keep them in one spot. Anxiety can also or have nervous legs. It can be conveyed when people seemingly unconsciously(无意识地) tap their feet or have nervous legs.
Embarrassment can be expressed by turning the eyes or shifting them away, turning of the head and controlled or even tense smiles. If someone looks down at the floor a lot, they are probably shy, afraid, or embarrassed. People also tend to look down when they are upset, or trying to hide something emotional. People are often thinking and feeling unpleasant emotions when they are in the process of staring at the ground.
There are also some signs of pride. People show pride by displaying a small smile, holding their head backward, and putting their hands on their hips.
Body language provides a lot of information on what other people are thinking. A research has shown that 55% of communication comes from body language. Next time you're in a meeting, watch for these cues(暗示):
Real smiles crinkle(使起皱纹) the eyes. When it comes to smiling, the mouth can lie but the eyes can't. Real smiles reach the eyes, crinkling the skin to create crow's feet around them. People often smile to hide what they're really thinking and feeling, so the next time you want to know if someone's smile is real, look for crinkles at the corners of their eyes.
Have you ever been in a meeting with someone and noticed that every time you cross or uncross your legs, they do the same? Or perhaps they lean their head the same way as yours when you're talking? That's actually a good sign. It means that the conversation is going well and that the other party accepts your message.
Eyes that lie. Most of us believe that it's difficult to hold someone's gaze(凝视) when they're lying. But that's such common knowledge that people will often try to hold eye contact, hoping to cover up the fact that they're lying. If you're talking with someone whose gaze is making you uncomfortable, something is up and they might be lying to you.
Even if you can't read a person's exact thoughts, you can learn a lot from their body language.
A. Copying your body language is a good thing.
B. If they aren't there, that smile is hiding something.
C. Good sings lead to good conversations in a meeting.
D. You'll have to find out how long they have looked at you.
E. Learning how to understand that 55% can give you a lot of help.
F. That's especially true when words and body language don't match.
G. The problem is that most of them will hold eye contact until it feels uncomfortable.
Body language is the quiet, secret and most powerful language of all! It speaks 1 than words. According to specialists, our bodies send out more 2 than we realize. In fact, non-verbal communication takes up about 50% of what we really3. And body language is particularly 4 when we attempt to communicate across cultures. Indeed, what is called body language is so 5 a part of us that it's actually often unnoticed. And misunderstandings occur as a result of it. 6, different societies treat the 7 between people differently. Northern Europeans usually do not like having 8 contact even with friends, and certainly not with 9. People from Latin American countries 10, touch each other quite a lot. Therefore, it's possible that in 11, it may look like a Latino is 12 a Norwegian all over the room. The Latino, trying to express friendship, will keep moving13. The Norwegian, very probably seeing this as pushiness, will keep 14—which the Latino will in return regard as 15.
Clearly, a great deal is going on when people 16. And only a part of it is in the words themselves. And when parties are from 17 cultures, there's a strong possibility of18. But whatever the situation, the best 19 is to obey the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be 20.
