BODY LANGUAGE: EYES, HEAD, AND HANDS
The meaning of these gestures comes from research with videotapes
taken during psychological therapy sessions. Gestures were
matched against the patients' statements. As an example, a woman
covered her eyes as she told of an incident she was ashamed of.
The subtext behind covering the eyes became clear.
Chewing a pencil or other objects signals nervousness and uncer-
tainty. Putting a hand over the mouth sends a subtext of embarrass-
ment, of hiding something, or of a reluctance to speak.
Clenching or wringing the hands signals nervousness or anger.
Crossing the arms over the chest sends a subtext of "I don't agree
with you."
This last gesture has to be interpreted carefully. Someone may
sit with crossed arms because it is a comfortable position. To
interpret it as resistance, you must look for tightness and tension
in the rest of the body. Some time ago Dr. Benjamin Spock spoke
to a group of police officers. Dr. Spock and the police thought
differently about most matters. A picture taken from the podium
showed almost all the policemen sitting with crossed arms. There
was no doubt about the subtext they sent out!THE CULTURAL CONNECTION
I've mentioned that the rules for eye contact differ from society
to society, but gestures are even more closely linked to culture.
This linkage is so strong that a person talented in reading subtexts
can usually guess what country someone is from by observing
the way that person uses his or her hands.
Certain general rules apply. People from the northern countries
of the Western world tend to use fewer gestures than people from