Henry VIII popularised this gesture as a high-status signal because
of his small mouth and modern Brits and Americans still use itThe Japanese
One area where handshakes, kissing and bear hugs have not
become established is Japan, where such bodily contact is con-
sidered impolite. Japanese people bow on first meeting, the
person with the highest status bowing the least and the one
with the least status bowing the most. On first meeting, busi-
ness cards are exchanged, each person assesses the others
status and appropriate bowing follows.
The Definitive Book of Body Languagesion, which, to many in the non-British world, came across a
unemotional about Diana's death.
Henry VIII was famous for pulling the Lips-Pursed expres-
sion. He had a small mouth and when he stiffened his upper
lip for a portrait it looked even smaller. This habit led to a
small mouth being a superiority signal among the English of
the sixteenth century. The Lips-Pursed is an expression still
used today by English people when they feel they are being
intimidated by inferior people and this gesture is often accom-
panied by extended eye blinks.