The Definitive Book of Body Languageare no drawers in the desk, placing his foot hard against the
of the desk to stake his claim to it.Claiming ownership
of the deskBody Lowering and Status
Historically, raising or lowering the height of your body in
front of another person has been used as a means of estab-
lishing superior-subordinate relationships. We refer to a
member of royalty as 'Your Highness', whereas individuals
who commit unsavoury acts are called 'low', 'low down' and
'low lifes'. No one wants to be described as 'short-sighted', be
'looked down on' or 'fall short' of their targets. The protest
rally speaker stands on a soapbox to be higher than everyone
else, the judge sits higher than the rest of the court, the
Olympic gold medal winner stands higher than the other
medal winners, those who live in a penthouse command more
authority than those who live at ground level, some cultures
divide their social classes into the 'upper class' and 'lower
class' and pharmacists stand 18 inches above everyone else.
Superior people can sometimes get on their 'high horses',
'rise to the occasion', 'put themselves on a pedestal' or become
'high and mighty'. And no self-respecting God would ever live
down in the boondocks, on the salt flats or in the valley. They
live in Valhalla, on Mount Olympus or in Heaven above. And
everyone understands the significance of standing to speak to
a meeting to gain control.