bodylanguage

Body language refers to nonverbal signals that accompany or replace spoken language; it includes facial expressions, gestures, posture, eye movements, touch, proxemics, and paralinguistic features such as tone and pace of speech. It conveys attitudes and emotions, signals engagement, authority, or openness, and can reinforce or contradict verbal messages.

Facial expressions are among the most studied; gestures range from iconic to emblematic; posture communicates status and confidence; eye contact ranges in indicating attention and intimacy; touch conveys support or power; proxemics covers physical distance; paralanguage includes vocal qualities not words.

Cultural and individual variation is significant; some cues are widely recognized (e.g., smiles), but interpretations differ by culture and context; gender, situation, and personal experience influence reading; misinterpretation is common.

Study and use: researchers use observations and coding schemes such as the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) to categorize facial movements; reliability varies; body language can supplement but not replace verbal communication; it is often unconscious but can be deliberate.

Applications and limitations: in clinical assessment, leadership, negotiation, interviewing, sports; ethical considerations include privacy and manipulation risk; best practice emphasizes multimodal interpretation and awareness of context.