From the video clips you know that our voice and our body can become communication media.
- Have you ever considered how much body language makes of our daily communication?
- That body language can differ between cultures, men and women, individuals?
- How it important it could be to make your relations with people go smoother?
- Have you ever felt into a pitfall because of body language?
- Have you seen anything in the news recently that refers to body language?
- Do you realize that not only humans, but also animals have communication?
- Have you ever observed how animals use their body language?
- Which video had the greatest impact on you?
You can think about these and other questions, and share your opinion here!
Media Analysis 
Through the lecture of body language, I have two things that emerged for me, as follows: First, it is new to me that non-verbal communication is 97% of people’s communication, and I have acknowledged that body language shapes how you are looked at by others, which means it shapes people’s character. For example, when a person has a presentation with various voice tones and rhythms, the audience can keep paying attention to the speaker without boredom. Therefore, making some interesting points with body language is really important if I get a speech. Second, the point that I concede to the lecture is that body language makes people misunderstand because of the differences in cultural aspects. For example, in Japan, people take a bow, which is called ojigi, when they greet each other without speaking. If both of them are Japanese, they can make sense and greet each other with ojigi. However, if either one is not Japanese, they might not understand why the other takes a bow. So, body language sometimes makes a difference from the cultural aspect. In addition to what I learned, as I mentioned above, I can see how body language and visual image are really important through the Japanese comedy video by Tomonori Jinai. In his comedy, he performs with actual objects, and it helps audiences understand what he is doing. Also, he uses different voice tones, which makes audiences concentrate on him.
Here is the Japanese comedy video by Tomonori Jinai. If you are interested in it, you can watch it below:
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Sorry for mistaking the percentage of non-verbal communication. It is actually 93%.
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I agree, body language very much shapes character, I think, and how our character is perceived! The comedy video was great, he uses tome very well to emphasis his frustration with the game, but also convey the jokes in a way that makes the audience laugh!
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I was also surprised to see that non-verbal communication accounted for 97% of the total. At the same time, I thought it was due to the growing demand for the Internet. I also thought that the spread of social media and visual imagery, such as sending pictures and videos with short sentences, were the most popular methods of communication for non-verbal communication. People also tend to be attracted to presentations that use tone of voice and rhythm. When I was a high school student taking a speaking class, a teacher was told that I should use the intensity of my voice. When I improved that, I found that the audience was much more interested in my presentation than they had ever been before. It made me realize how much of a demanding role non-verbal communication plays. The Japanese comedy video was interesting.
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I believe that a lot of body language exists in our everyday communication and has a great impact on people. For example, in universities, when a professor is giving a lecture, he or she gestures while lecturing, or when he or she wants to emphasize something, he or she makes quotation marks by himself or herself. So the students can spot the important points and know that they are communicating more smoothly. Also, body language is very useful because it can be used in situations where you are not allowed to speak out loud. For example, I can wave to my friends and generally gesture to them, sometimes when I’m talking to them. Body language culture is used by both men and women and individuals alike. Men tend to touch their mouths when lying, and it is especially noticeable when they are feeling uncomfortable. Women, on the other hand, tend to use body language when they are not supposed to speak up. I also think that body language tends to be used when you want to tell someone something quickly. I thought that an individual is something that hits a deaf person. For the deaf person, body language is essential for him because his body language, or sign language, acts as his mouth. I have seen deaf people on the train several times talking with their hands. They were able to use their hands to say what they wanted to say and respond immediately. It reminded me again that although we communicate in different ways, we can easily converse by using body language. Recently, there are more and more dramas about deaf people, and people are trying to understand sign language as much as possible. Recently, it has become popular to create videos based on videos of cats expressing joy, anger, sadness, and pleasure, called cat memes on TechTalk. Videos of cats being scolded by cats and videos of cats being happy are sometimes used as the subject matter. I realized that animals have interesting communication in this way that is unique to them.
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Wow, I didn’t know men typically do that! I often, but now I can remember scenes in tv shows and some people I know covering their mouth while they think or seem a bit uncomfortable. I don’t think I’ve seen this in only men, but I’ll have to look out for it! However, I would not think it would only be women who use body language in such situations, though I guess it depends on the context. What do you mean when you say “when they are not supposed to speak up?”
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In Japan, there is an unspoken agreement not to speak out loud in various places. For example, when using transportation, such as on a train or bus, one should not make phone calls, nor should one engage in behavior that would disturb others, such as talking too loudly. Therefore, body language is useful because it can be used in situations where it is not possible to speak out loud. In addition, when women use body language, it tends to be used when they want to quickly communicate something to the other person. For example, if you cut your hair, you can tell through body language that you have cut your hair, or if you want your friend to wait for a moment, you can put your hand out in front of you and wave it slightly as a sign that the other person can understand.
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I agree that body language is really important in our daily lives, to me body language stands out the most when you don not speak the language other is saying. When I travel to other countries with a different native language or does not really speak English, body language takes a big part of this whole trip. I would point to what I want on the shelf to let the worker understand what I am talking about.
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Body language has, to me, always been associated with pseudo-science. Especially in recent years, there are a lot of so-called “body language experts” who claim they can read your entire life and background just by watching you talk. Of course, that doesn’t mean the entire topic is made up, but I think it’s often stretched too far for the point of scamming people out of their money. Unfortunately, the whole topic is just riddled with negative connotations for me; when I was younger, I had a teacher who insisted that the cause and effect were backwards; it wasn’t your mood that affected your body language, but your body language that affected your mood. He literally would not allow his students to fold their arms, because he claimed that doing so would put us in a “closed-off mindset.” It was funny the first time, but increasingly frustrating every day after that, when he continued to insist that we manually control our body language. In a way, I think that reading animal body language is much easier than reading human body language. I think that humans have a broader, more complex range of emotions, and that the emotions communicated by an animal’s physicality are therefore easier to understand.
I also find myself wondering how much of body language is really just learned mannerisms. I think some gestures are natural, particularly ones that are universal across cultures. I was about to go on a whole tangent about how body language isn’t really communication, just patterns we learn to emulate… but then I realized, as I was writing, that ALL language is learned, and the fact that it has to be taught to us doesn’t make it any less valid as a method of communicating. So disregard my earlier point, I suppose.
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I had a similar experience where when I was in elementary school I would play with my hair like spinning it or like twisting it during the class, to me
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I had a similar experience where when I was in elementary school I would play with my hair like spinning it or like twisting it during the class, to me, I only do it without realizing when I am thinking but my teacher would take it as I am not concentrating in class, so he would kept on pointing it out in class in front of everyone, he also said “I know you have long hair but could you not do it and please listen to class!?”. Lowkey it kind of embarrassed me at the time lol.
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Its crazy how unconscious body language is. And as I am going through the interview process for future jobs, this subject has come up to mind pretty often. I always was taught to perfect my body language in these scenarios. But when you are constantly thinking about your body language, you tend to lose thought about what you might want to say during the interview. Mirroring is super important in this sense. You always want to mirror the interviewer to show that you are engaged and to insinuate the idea of empathy and connection you want to create with the the interviewer. Eye contact too is super important. But now that most interview process has moved virtually I wonder where all of these practices go. And if there is going to be a new study done to see how virtual body language affect the interviewing process or relationship development.
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I like your comment on how body language might also be universal across cultures. I read a book that touched on how the American CIA has to train their Intellegence to stop leaning. Americans are known for leaning on things when they are standing. And its unconsious behavior.
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I sympathize with what you went through when you were younger, and for what it’s worth, I think body language is certainly controlled by emotion. I like your idea that “body language isn’t really communication, just patterns we learn to emulate”, I think that’s pretty special.
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Hi, LAHABREA, I think what you mentioned about your teacher’s regressive theory of causation on the impact of body language on mood is very interesting, so I checked online. Google said that the effects of mood and body language are two-way, and people will be easily affected by their mood. If you are very downcast or serious, you will make a defensive action like wrapping your hands around your body. You will also take the initiative to raise your chest, raise your head, spread your arms and other relatively open postures to give yourself positive psychological hints and mobilize your emotions. So what your teacher said makes sense. My primary school teacher also said the same thing: when you feel sleepy in class, you must not lie down, because lazy movements will give you psychological cues and make it easier to fall asleep. Therefore, the impact of body language on people’s emotions is not groundless as you said. We should pay attention to the importance of body language and learn how to improve our emotional state by adjusting body language.
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Although I already understood that body language is a big part to communication its still a surprise to see how big of a percentage it is. I would’ve thought that although body language is a big portion it wouldn’t be a massive majority. The hidden things with body language like whos the first and last through a door as a display of power is a great eye opener like am I really displaying superiority unconsciously on someone with doors?
Knowing body language I knew it is different culturally, gender, and age difference. As I deal with many kids as the one kid at family gatherings that is old enough to talk with adults but cant correctly associate with them so then I get put with the kids who I also cant associate myself with so I become the lone person at the part not being able to stick to a group.
I feel like body language would make relations smoother as to me body language is more pure as compared to talking like in general a lot of body language is unconscious like I know for me I would unconsciously use body language during conversations so I feel like if someone can read your body language it would make the relation more smoother. Like talking to someone and you can tell by their body language if they are paying close attention to what you have to say or are disinterested.
I feel like the body language of animals is great as I have a cat and I can basically read his body language easily, like when he feels needy and hungry he will actively bob his head at you. When he feels comfortable he closes his eyes. And knowing how he acts all the time I would say he is a very needy cat. There’s also how wild animals would use body language, like cobras scaring things off by becoming bigger and birds like peacocks calling for mates.
I think I liked all the videos as they were all good watches.
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Hi, I find your comment very interesting, but does body language really make relationships smoother? This may not be conclusive, it just depends on different cultures. In my country, body language is almost rare, which has made me practice certain language skills.
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Hello, CHEESE2!
The cobra and peacock examples you mentions are very interesting. Indeed, Amazonian animals use some kind of body language. They threaten other animals and use courtship behavior.
I have a pet like you have a cat. I have a dog and he has his own body language such as when he is hungry he scratches his bed and makes noises.
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I agree with you about how body language makes relationships smoother and that body language is pure compared to talking. You can say whatever you want but you can’t hide how you’re really feeling as easily with your body language.
Cat’s body language is such a fun thing to study because they are so expressive and vocal about their emotions and learning about little details like the way their tail moves based on their emotions or how they interact with other animals compared to humans is so fascinating.
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Hi CHEESE2, I feel deeply that your body language has become a display of power. Maybe it’s because my country is in East Asia. People here have reached a level of flattery and pursuit of power. The degree of morbidity, although everyone knows that such a trend is bad and should be stopped, and they don’t like to bow down to others and act too groveling, but this phenomenon is only increasing. As a college student who has not yet entered the workplace, I often see content like this on social media：Teaching newcomers in the workplace how to please more accurately by observing the leader’s expressions and body movements, such as when the leader has not yet revealed his identity. , the only person present with his hands on his hips and his elbows stretched out is the person with the most power, because such body movements often reveal the nature of their habit of giving orders. I think that although these contents do not express the essential truth, but it seems very convincing.
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Hi CHEESE2, I’m glad you mentioned the body language of your pet cat. In fact, my friend has a guinea pig. When I visited my friend’s house for the first time last time, I found that the limbs of the guinea pig are short and hairy. It’s very long, and I can’t seem to see any body language, but when it first saw me, it actually raised its head, its whole body was tense and motionless, and its nose was constantly twitching. My friend explained to me that this meant that it was very defensive of me. . However, when it sees its owner and wants food, it will scream loudly and also raise its head high. I think this is very interesting. It also raises its head, but the emotion it expresses is totally different.
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While I think that body language and tone of voice play a large part in conveying meaning I think that it’s preposterous to assign a percentage to the role that words, tone of voice and facial expressions play in conveying meaning. I think that assigning numeric values is an attempt by the theory’s creator to lend credibility to his idea by couching in scientific terms. Modern society tends to place a great amount of faith and trust in science and data so expressing an idea in scientific terms can give it more weight than it may deserve. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the idea pseudo-science but I think the theory is far too specific.
Communication is an incredibly complex subject that varies not just between cultures, but sub groups within cultures and even from person to person. Broad trends can certainly by observed and may even be useful in certain situations but I don’t think communication can be broken down neatly into precise categories and percentages.
The theory, at least as discussed in the video, also fails to take into account the context in which people are using nonverbal communication. Context also plays a vital role in what a facial expression or gesture means. For example, a picture of a man in a black suit crying could have opposite meanings depending on the context. If the man is at a funeral it would be an expression of grief but it could also be a man at his wedding expressing joy at seeing seeing his bride walking up the aisle.
All that being said, I agree that words only convey part of a message. I think the prevalence of texting and messaging applications makes that very clear. How often does a joke or sarcastic comment get misunderstood because there is no tone of voice a facial expression to go with it. You can also see how the lack of nonverbal cues affects communication in comment sections on social media. Often times somebody will post a ridiculous statement that is in all likelihood meant as sarcasm or a joke but other commenters will take the comment seriously and start arguing with the original poster. In a face to face conversation a sarcastic tone of voice or a smile would easily convey that the speaker doesn’t actually believe what they are saying. Sometimes /s is used in a comment to denote sarcasm but the practice is far from universal and, at least for me, much of the humor is lost.
In texting, emojis can somewhat take the place of body language in conveying the true meaning of a message. A text message that reads “I hate you so much” has a completely different meaning when accompanied by a laughing emoji or the tongue out emoji. The shrug emoji works just like the physical gesture to convey uncertainty or resignation.
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I can agree that it is silly to assign percentages to communication roles. Since body language and other aspects of communication are unique to each person, it is very likely that the percentages of roles will be different for each person. However, I also believe that non-verbal communication is more important in communication than verbal communication. However, I still do not believe it myself. I have not yet believed it myself, because I thought that words, verbal communication are more important. I also thought your example of emoji was very interesting. Each emoji has a different meaning, and I think it is easy to know what kind of expression you want to express just by looking at it. Therefore, using emoji can facilitate communication, but I think that the selection of emoji can have a negative impact on communication.
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I agree that sometimes a message cannot be fully expressed with words alone. Nonverbal indicators are sometime lacking in texting and internet conversation, which can occasionally result in misunderstanding. Emojis are not a perfect replacement for in person communication, but they can help close the gap to some extent. Many factors, such as cultural background and experience can have impact on communication. Depending on the context, a single gesture or facial expression might represent a wide range of things
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I agree that sometimes a message is not able to be fully expressed with just words so that is why people add body language to support their message, but could sometimes body language can be too extra which might cause more misunderstanding???
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I agree with you that non-verbal communication has a lot to do with context and storyline as well. In today’s society, some people will shout abuse and make terrible comments without any basis for a single photo uploaded on an SNS such as Instagram or X. This is one of the bad aspects of non-verbal communication and should be developed in research.
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Hi! MISTER X, I completely agree with your view on the importance of body language and tone in conveying meaning. I also believe that assigning percentages to them is absurd and pseudo-scientific. This approach may oversimplify the complex process of communication. It’s irresponsible and biased to try to quantify something as intricate as human interaction, considering the complexity of the human brain, which far surpasses what contemporary science has developed. Moreover, it overlooks the differences between individuals and cultures. For example, a joke can be purely humorous to liven up the atmosphere, or it can be a subtle way to criticize certain injustices. Additionally, the example you mentioned of a man in a suit crying in a photo also requires specific context to convey the correct message. The emergence of social media has made us realize that the absence of tone, facial expressions, and body language in non-face-to-face interactions can lead to misunderstandings. Therefore, tools like emojis partly compensate for the lack of nonverbal communication. However, they still cannot fully replace genuine body language and tone. For instance, the widely-known “crying laughing” emoji often signifies something as excessively funny that it makes the user laugh until they cry, but I often use this emoji sarcastically to mock others.
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I agree that emojis can do some of the things body language does but never fully replace it. There is just too much meaning conveyed by tone of voice and facial expression for emojis to fully replace them. I think that text based communication always caries a higher risk for misunderstandings and miscommunication due to the lack of body language.
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I was aware of the importance of non-verbal communication such as body language in daily life. However, I had never thought deeply about how important body language is. Through this class, I realized that body language is more important than I thought. In particular, I was most surprised to learn that 93% of communication is non-verbal communication. I was aware that words were more important in communication. However, in the first bird video, there was only non-verbal communication. However, I was able to understand what the birds were saying and thinking just by their facial expressions and actions. This made it easy to understand the power of non-verbal communication. Another example of the importance of non-verbal communication was its use in politics. One example of a handshake is said to indicate dominance. Body language such as these is not that important to many people, but I could understand that communication through non-verbal communication in politics is hidden. And it is also an important method of communication in places where heads of countries gather.
I also thought that body language facilitates communication because it adds visual understanding. It can enhance communication, for example, by signaling that you are listening to the other person when you are speaking, or by expressing apology through a serious facial expression or bow when apologizing. On the other hand, body language can vary from culture to culture. Japan has a culture of bowing, and when I say “thank you” to a part-timer or superior, a light bow is natural. However, I don’t think I do it when I say “thank you” to professors at school or other places. I think this reflects both linguistic differences and cultural differences. Another cultural difference I have heard is that in Japan, beckoning means come here, but in the U.S. it means go away. I think there are also differences in body language due to other cultural differences. Some of them have bad meanings in other cultures, and while they are usually helpful for communication, sometimes they can be a communication problem in the opposite direction. I also think there are differences based on gender. My personal opinion is that men are more dynamic and casual, while women are more delicate and elegant.
I think animals also use body language. I have a dog, and when he is playing with a ball or eating food, his tail is up because he is having fun. It expresses excitement and enjoyment. On the other hand, when I am angry at him for being naughty, his tails are down and do not make eye contact, expressing apology or ignorance. As shown in these examples, even without words, I can understand what they are trying to say by their actions and facial expressions. Humans can communicate with animals as well, although it is easier to understand them because of their words and body language.
These things have helped me understand the importance of non-verbal communication in communication, and I want to use them when I want to say something. I used to focus more on words, but now I want to try to communicate better by using body language as well.
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Totally agree when you pointed out how the bird video and the handshakes proves that how much a non-verbal communication could weight and how much it stands out.
My family used to own a puppy back when I was in high school, when I visit him at my grandfather’s house I could also tell that he was happy to see me because his tail was up high and it was shaking so much. Also when we were playing ball together I could also tell he was enjoying it based on his tail.
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I agree with the point you show an example with your pet dog! I also have a dog which is really naughty, friendly and cute. He really wave his tail when I went back home, and when we feed him but when we be mad at him, his tails are down and also he will rush into his house. He is actually a dog with easily recognizable emotion. We can see how much body languageage creates communication between animals and humans for them, because humans cannot understand what dogs are saying. For humans, their behavior is also an important factor in understanding their feelings. I wonder if doctors at veterinary clinics also read the emotions of animals from it.
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I agree with you about your second opinion. Body language facilitates communication and the ability to receive the feelings of others quickly. For example, when parting from a friend at the train station, the body language of saying bye-bye can be very frank and has the ability to activate communication in a positive way. Also, I could not really mention that body language varies from culture to culture. However, your opinion made me realize that this is indeed true. I realized that body language can be used for both good and bad aspects, so we need to understand each other’s culture before we use it. If I ever travel to another country, I would like to check the taboo items before I go.
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After watching the first video, I was actually a little confused and didn’t quite understand it. But it seems like the big bird wanted to be friends with them, but the little bird excluded it. Finally, the little bird hurt the big bird and ultimately hurt itself. Maybe the meaning of this video is that when getting along with others, we should not hurt them.
The second video mainly focuses on the behavior of human nonverbal communication and its deep analysis. Here are the key points I took down: Human communication is 7% formal and 93% informal, encompassing gestures, intonation, and microexpressions. This video differs from other educational videos in that it provides many specific examples and analyzes the body language during the communication. For example, it cites many leaders and their micro-movements, including their mobile patterns, strong physical presence, such as “patting on the back”, which is a symbol of power and domination. This allows us to better understand how to observe a person’s inner thoughts in real time, thus enabling better communication with them. A good speaker expresses their thoughts through gestures that align with their spoken words. People with integrity have congruent finger pointing, eye contact, and head orientation. The way one sits, dresses, and walks can reveal their character. It also cites the example of President Clinton’s two-level reversal in his speech and scandal clarification to further illustrate the educational philosophy behind this concept. It also explores how to correctly interpret facial expressions. Ekman has conducted research on this topic, showing that we can determine a person’s emotional changes by observing which part of the face changes. Finally, sound can also express emotions, with changes in intonation and volume indicating a person’s mood. Through this second video, I can clearly see the advantages of using examples first and then analyzing them through expert commentary. The educational approach of this video makes up for the boredom of blindly explaining theories and the inappropriateness of sometimes giving examples, allowing fun and education to coexist, and enabling us to understand the importance of non-verbal communication and the meaning of every behavior in real life.
The third video is too commercial and entertaining, leading to a lack of educational value. I didn’t really understand what it was about without reading the title. Although the title says “Japanese Gestures”, it actually explains what a gesture means in Japan and Europe, but the main idea is not clear enough, so I only have a general understanding of the meaning of each gesture, without a deep understanding.
The fourth video teaches us about the three etiquettes of Japanese bowing.
1. 会釈（15度) : It is the etiquette when meeting acquaintances, a general greeting; or a form of polite gratitude; or an expression of apology.
2. 敬礼（30度）: It is widely used in business, such as company interviews; and a way to express appreciation and gratitude to superiors.
3. 最敬礼（45度）: It is used to express “apologies”, such as when there is a work mistake and deep regret to the leader; or “thank you very much”; or to see off important guests.
The fourth video teaches us how to correctly understand and learn the way of bowing and its significance in Japan through personal demonstration of interpersonal communication patterns.
The fifth video is very concise but very interesting. It introduces the exaggerated apologetic style of the Japanese, broadening our horizons.
The sixth video teaches us how to judge the psychological activities of the boss during the interview through body language. This time, it uses face-to-face communication as an educational form to teach us how to judge through eye contact, voice quality, handshake, content, and posture. In just four and a half minutes, we learned the micro-communication skills of how to judge whether the boss is satisfied with our behavior through body language.
The seventh video is particularly interesting, discussing gender transition and the exchange of male and female gender characteristics. Firstly, in terms of appearance, men shave their legs and change their hairstyle. Then, in terms of voice, women tend to express themselves through pitch, while men use volume. Professional teachers are brought in to help them with the transition. Finally, as a fun little project, men are encouraged to unleash their feminine side, find their favorite opposite-sex role model, and then imitate them. They also communicate with the women they admire to acquire gender skills. After watching this video, I gained a clearer understanding of male and female gender characteristics and gender skills.
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The first time I watched the first video I was just like you, thinking that the small birds were just being mean to the big birds, but think deeper into that video. How do we know that the small birds do not welcome the big bird? And how to those small birds gather together to bully the bird? Even though these birds could not speak but we can still understand them by their eyes and body languages, so I guess this also means that sometimes body languages speaks more than actual verbal language.
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As you wrote in your last paragraph, I initially felt it was just entertainment with men trying to change their gender by shaving their legs or changing their hair. But through the video, I could understand that they were trying to clearly convey the characteristics and gender skills of men and women as you mentioned in your conclusion.
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HI, TUR91384, I think the project in the seventh video about encouraging men to release their feminine side is a particularly meaningful activity. I don’t know when the requirement for male “correct aesthetics” became popular in today’s society, a large number of men agree that growing long hair, dyeing hair, wearing makeup, and wearing earrings are exclusive to women. If a boy meets any of the above “feminine traits”, he will be looked down upon by the male group and given a discrimination The sexual noun “sissy”. I think this project can very well help men reduce this view. They should correct their misconception that “femininity is shameful” and reduce stereotypes and stigmatization of women. Promote understanding and respect for transgender people and different gender expressions. It can also break the constraints of traditional gender roles and allow individuals to express their gender identity more freely. Taken together, this passage calls for people to face the diversity of gender characteristics and gender skills with an open and inclusive attitude.
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I have always had the habit of looking at people’s facial expressions.
For example, when I go out to have lunch, I suspect that the person I went with was just trying to accommodate me. However, I can be reassured by a people’s smile or a tone of voice, not just the words, “This is fine.”
Now, one of the videos we watched mentioned that 93% of communication is non-verbal.
I honestly doubted that this was true. Because I have been learning difficult languages and writing. Who would believe that only 7% is verbal communication? I even thought it was ridiculous.
However, then I watched the video and reflected on my daily life. Surprisingly, it is full of non-verbal communication. For example, there is a Japanese saying, “目は口ほどにものを言う”.This means that if you look into a person’s eyes, you can learn more about the person’s truth than the words he or she utters. Indeed, I look into a person’s eyes when we go out to lunch and eat. I check to see if they are smiling.
And nonverbal communication is not just about the eyes.
The pandemic that happened a few years ago forced many people to wear masks. This has a huge impact on the mental development of children. I am personally involved in early childhood education right now, and I hear a lot about the negative effects of wearing masks. For example, they learn a lot of words by watching the words and facial expressions of adults. Wearing a mask makes this more difficult, and as a result, language acquisition can be delayed. In addition, sensitivity is developed by watching facial expressions, including the mouth. The ability to understand words and emotions grows especially during the “sensitivity period of brain development” until around the time they reach elementary school age. Children see the richly moving facial expressions of others and understand the hearts of others by imitating them. So, no-verbal communication is essential for children, who do not speak language. In addition, since we were also children in the past, it can be said that they are inseparable.
Now, I fully understand the importance of nonverbal communication.
However, I think that such “nonverbal communication” is often not used in situations where it is necessary. I used to work in a convenience store, and when I asked if they had plastic bags, many customers would just say “no” with Air Pods in their ears and a no facial expression. On the other hand, some would smile and say “no.” Even though they are saying the same thing, it is obvious that many staff want to serve the latter customer more politely.
Also, although it would be nice to communicate with someone coming from the opposite direction at a station ticket gate by making eye contact, many people do not communicate with each other as if it were a race where the first person to arrive first wins.
It is a sad fact. I would like to be a person who can use non-verbal communication skillfully.
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I also couldn’t believe at first that 93% of communication is non-verbal. As the Japanese proverb suggests, eye contact plays a significant role in communication. During class when I can’t speak but want to convey something, I often make eye contact with friends. For simple matters, i feel like I can have a conversation with my close friend using just our eyes.
The communication aspect of wearing masks was interesting. During the pandemic, I saw on Japanese TV that when Japanese people do their facial expressions, they don’t use their eyebrows much. On the other hand, Americans often move their eyebrows a lot while talking. I wondered if this was true and even tried making various expressions in front of a mirror. Even with a mask on, if the eyes are expressive, it’s possible to pretend smiliing even if the mouth isn’t smiling. To keep the facial muscles active, I’ll try to be conscious of moving my eyebrows while speaking.
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I am honestly not surprised verbal communication is only 7% of communication in an age where we are immersed in technology. It feels as though many people dont actually prefer to engage in conversation as often as we might think, especially because they dont want to be seen as rude if they reject someones approach to converse with them. People want the ability to not be judged for not wanting to converse, but are also often to shy to converse with the people the DO want to converse with lest they be judged if they say the wrong thing. Ultimately I think our insecurities get the better of us in this hyper tech capitalistic and super individualistic world that makes it uncompelling to talk to random strangers. In our society one of the “worst” fates is to be seen as a super chatty weirdo who doesnt know body language social cues that are supposed to emphasize they dont want to consider talking. As someone who is neurodivergent I feel as though I had to spend a lot of time and effort to fully grasp subtle social cues because people generally dont like to or downright refuse expressing themselves earnestly. Even as a child I was always a person who expressed exactly how I felt so realizing everyone puts on a mask was jarring. It is very difficult to feel connected or even just respected by people who dont know how to express their emotions, feelings, or boundaries and as neurodivergent person because it forces me to read into their body language and mindset in a way I may not inherently understand. Body language is an extremely important tool that I use reject unwanted advances, express joy, or show my understanding, but sometimes we have to be verbally expressive and clear as well.
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I didn’t know that there’s much gap in human communication, 7 percent is words and the rest is nonverbal. That’s just crazy because when I communicate with others, I just need to talk clearly so other people would understand. I just realized that after seeing the videos that how body language has impacted our daily communication and I see body language as a work of art, everyone can see the same picture or painting, but everyone can interpret it differently because there are different cultures, backgrounds, genders, and individuals. One of the videos shows about the door games of President Clinton, Ehud Barak, and Yasser Arafat. In my culture, there’s no such as who enters the door last is more powerful, but it shows that in the Middle East, there is a cultural impact that shows who is the winner. Another interesting example is how people see that a handshake has power. For instance, when President Putin hosted the summit where the big leaders would come. They plan where and how will Putin stand because they want to show that he’s in charge. I just realized these details need to be done because of power. This is very interesting because these kinds of details have a huge impact on the world. Therefore, body language has a big role in having relationships with others. For example, handshake. When I give a handshake, with good posture, and a genuine smile, I think it will give a positive tone that communicates confidence and approachability. on the other side, if I avoid eye contact, and cross arms all act as barriers, it will give other people sense signals of discomfort or disinterest. so, body language can either facilitate connection or create barriers before a conversation even begins. Animals also use their body language to communicate with people. For example, a dog will be wagging tails and body wiggling when they are happy. I saw a lot on Instagram that when the owner says in high pitch, they will tilt their head and give like sense of scared. When cats and dogs need people’s attention, they often start running around or trying to sit on people’s lap.
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Hello, TUP21989!
I find your perspective on body language as a form of art very interesting, and I completely agree with your viewpoint. Just like how different individuals interpret the same picture or painting differently based on their upbringing and cultural background, body language can also be interpreted in various ways. Additionally, your mention of the absence of a concept of the “strongest person entering last” in your culture resonates with me because your culture is similar to mine in that we also don’t have this kind of concept. Therefore, I believe such a culture may be more prevalent in countries outside of Asia. However, this raises a question for me: if leaders from cultures with and without such concepts discuss politics, could it lead to mutual misunderstanding? I find it fascinating how each country has its own unique history and cultural artifacts, but just like body language, differences in environments and backgrounds can lead to more misunderstandings, as we’ve discussed today. So, sometimes I hope that the body language that we use can be the same. What do you think?
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The second video left a deep impression on me, but the third video was the most interesting. Firstly, the second video mentioned the body language of all the past and present presidents we have seen, which was very intriguing. Seemingly ordinary gestures and movements are expressions of power. There were several actions mentioned in it that I had heard my parents talk about since I was young, such as tapping the other person’s body. However, some gestures were new to me, such as the way of shaking hands. I remember when I was young, watching TV, I always felt that the handshakes of those politicians looked so fake. But after watching the video, I realized it was because they were demonstrating the power to their citizens through their handshake (Body language, Gesture). Additionally, the video mentioned a machine that can detect whether someone is lying, which I also found fascinating because, from this machine, we can see that even if someone is acting or pretending, their lies can still be detected through every muscle cell from the entire body and the speed of human speech (tone, etc..). This is also why body language is so important. To me, body language is the characteristic and identity of each of us. In the third video (“Japanese Gesture”), I found it interesting since as a Japanese person, I rarely use body language except for those mentioned. Foreigners, besides using language to communicate, also use body movements to convey their thoughts. Additionally, body gestures in Japanese culture are not universal among foreigners, which may explain why people from different countries are often misunderstood by each other. Speaking of misunderstandings, languages like Chinese and Japanese, is a grammar languages. This means that we have many nouns and metaphors to enrich our expressions. However, English does not have many nouns to express, so they are more adept at using gestures and facial expressions to complement their language expressions. I feel that if you want to communicate with Japanese people who have less experience talking to foreigners, you don’t need to use too many body movements because it may seem overly enthusiastic. However, if a Japanese person wants to try talking with a foreigner, they can try to incorporate some body language and expressions to enrich the content they want to express. But one thing to note is that when you want to express something with body language, you should first consider whether their country also expresses it in this way, otherwise, it may cause some misunderstandings such as I have heard that in the United States, the “hang loose” gesture can mean making a phone call if done incorrectly, or “I love you” sign in other country means dirty words.
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The truth that surprised me the most about this lecture is that 3% of communication is spoken and the other 97% is body language. That is, with many gestures people are communicating. Body language varies from culture to culture. Knowledge of body language is quite important in cross-cultural communication. For example, in American culture, it is common to shake hands when greeting. On the other hand, in Japan culture, bowing is considered a greeting. In addition, in Thai culture, people greet each other with their hands together. In addition, body language includes not only gestures, but also facial expressions and tones. When Americans look at the other person’s facial expressions, they often judge how the other person feels by looking at their mouths, while Japan people often look into their eyes. That’s why, during the pandemic, I’ve heard that Americans tended to have a hard time sensing when someone was wearing a mask.Next, there is a difference in body language by gender. Men tend not to show their feelings too much, while women tend to show their expressions obediently. When I saw the video of the bird taking flight, I thought that in a community, a human being can see one body language and receive a certain message. So is peer pressure and collaborative rules. I think the environment and culture make a big difference in body language. In fact, habits are created by the environment. Laughing is also distinguished by the way you laugh, the laughter, the speech bubble, and the condescending laughter. In this way, body language has meaning.
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The part that you pointed out the American culture, Japanese culture and Thai culture was interesting. Another examples might be; Indian culture where they place their palms together in front of their chest and bow slightly, like “Namaste”. I forgot where do this but, some countries or culture foes place the right hand over the heart. I thought these body language signs are having a essential roles in their communication. The part that you said that “ I’ve heard that Americans tended to have a hard time sensing when someone was wearing a mask.” might highlights and enforce the cultural body language’s importance and I thought that was good point!!
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I think it is so interesting how every culture has a different way of greeting one another. I knew that the American greeting was hand shakes and hugs and bowing is common practice in Japan but I didn’t know about the Thai culture and that they greet eachother with their hands together. I know many parts of Europe greet eachother with air kisses on the cheek and I was curious to learn more and found out that places such as Qatar, and Yemen bump noses as a greeting and other places like Malaysia you put your hand on your heart. It just shows how different each culture is and that’s so beautiful.
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Hii, NATHY!
Many people (including myself) were truly startled by the fact that body language occupies 97% of communication. Furthermore, as you mentioned, every country has its own unique body language. To use greetings as an example, while both Americans and Thais greet with a handshake, the Japanese bow instead. Your point about Americans being accustomed to assessing others’ feelings through their mouth reminded me of something I heard. It’s common in Japan to cover one’s mouth while speaking, but in other countries, especially the United States, people might perceive it as impolite and suspect something is being concealed. It does make sense in a way. Additionally, it’s quite normal for Japanese people to read others’ thoughts through their eyes (after all, that’s how crime dramas in Japan are portrayed). In conclusion, this class was truly interesting.
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I agree with this opinion. As you mentioned, it’s amazing how body language is such an important part of communication. In fact, more information is conveyed through nonverbal elements such as gestures, facial expressions, and posture than words. Also, the differences in body language in different cultures and societies are very important in cross-cultural communication. Certain gestures and facial expressions may have different meanings in different cultures, and understanding such differences can help you avoid misunderstandings.
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Body language is almost just as important as verbal language. You can almost entirely understand a message from an individual by their body language. Its a crucial part of human expression.
Body language definetly differs between cultures and genders. society have trained individuals within a group to behave and react in certain ways. Body language can also be a useful tool to communicate with people who you don’t speak the same verbal language as. its like a universal way of communicating, using our bodies to signal what we mean. It’s also interesting to think about animals using body language to communitcate. For them, body language is their main system of communication and expression. Thinking about animals and how for example they build relationships with their babies solely from body language. the most important and is formed by actions of nurture and care.
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Adding on to this post after being in Tokyo now for a little over two months. Body language and non verbal communication have become way important and evident in my everyday life. being a foreigner and not speaking the native language I find myself using hand signals, facial expressions/gestures more then ever speaking. Many people may think that this does not sound ideal and in a way I agree but it also has been working very well for me in suprising way. I didn’t realize how much you could communicate without the spoken word. I feel like I’m connecting with people on an even deeper level because we are able to understand each other without speaking. Its an experience both parties have to figure out how to communicate with each other. and when the message is received it feels like the ultimate win. I feel like when I get back home to the states Im going to be way more expressive in my body language just from this experience. I wonder if people will notice this or if it will become like a new normal of communicating.
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Listening to documentaries or a professional of some sort explain the science and impact of body language has always intrigued me, as so much can be revealed through body language. The first video is a great example of why I love studying body language, as it’s used here to tell a story and parallels a lot of visual signs in body language that we use. Though exaggerated, the smaller birds all view the large bird as a joke and a nuisance, and we can see this by the way the smaller birds mimic the bigger bird before slowly inching away and leaning towards each other, as if to speak privately, about the bigger bird. When the bigger bird joins the smaller ones on the wire, they all decide to gang up on the bigger bird, and we see this in how the first two birds to get the idea of pecking the bigger one off of the wire look to the one next to it suggestively, as if saying “This is a great idea.” And this birds looked at the other ‘suggestively’ by dipping their chins a bit in agreement, smirking to one another, and even squinting their eyes in a mischievous way as if to specify with each other silently to confirm that they are on the same page. It’s interesting to see visual cues that people may use animated in such a way that makes us ask how or if we really do these little ticks. For example, when me and my sisters are younger, we would do the same sort of body language when we would find ways to stay up past our bedtime to play. We knew we had to be on the same page in order to attempt to trick our parents and would give each other certain looks. We were in elementary school, so these movements were definitely more exaggerated, but we still do similar ticks now and again. If my sister see someone she knows from her class while we’re at a store, she lean towards me a tip her head a bit so that she can tell me about them conspicuously. It’s also interesting to think that movements such as these can be so accurately portrayed in animation by people who draw every frame and study others in order to mimic our body language so that the movement seems as realistic as possible. In the second video, what really stood out to me was practiced body language that important figures use to attempt at appearing innocent or sincere because of how much we pick on in order to tell when a smile of the way they gesture with their hands or raise their voice in the wrong way raises a flag in our perception of them. They way body language can convey truths such as this one, even in situations we don’t even think about, such as telling a friend something emotional. And it’s these truths that animators must draw into the body language, and to think of this as a way we can tell stories is interesting because it teaches a lot about interacting with other people and expressing connection physically or in tone or voice pitch. Viewing the video about bowing in Japan and how the angle of the bow can vary in context also made me wonder how subtle body language actually is. It can certainly seem exaggerated if someone is not good at pretending to be innocent or is trying to a lie, but often times, I find myself doing movements that seems a bit exaggerated to me without me having to think about it, such as when I talk with my hands or run my hands through my hair in frustration. But there are also very subtle practiced movements of deception that can be used in performance, like with cardistry. In cardistry, there are tricks performed in such a way that require the audience to be distracted by the slight of hand they are doing, so they do multiple things at once or talk while performing the trick in order to distract the audience from what he is doing. However, there are also more subtle slights of hand, such as (and I may be spoiling card tricks for you if you’ve never looked into this, so proceed with caution) hiding the card in their hand somehow, even though their sleeves may be rolled up, either with a gimmicked suit or certain hand movement that conceals the card in their hand. They also talk in such a suggestive tone of voice or in a joking manner in order to draw attention away from their trick. Body language and tone of voice can be and is utilized in a variety of ways and it’s very interesting to dissect how and why we use body language and tone of voice in the way we do!
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I think the point about cardistry is really interesting. Cardists and magicians have to rely heavily on body language in order to make their illusions work. I think that they would have a much better understanding of body language and even psychology than the average person. Not only are they communicating non verbally but they have to convey the message without the audience realizing it and catching on to the trick. You could say that it’s a form of manipulation, although it’s primary purpose is to delight and entertain. Con artists and unscrupulous politicians can use body language to manipulate their audiences for more sinister ends.
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I really like how you point out and explain what you think the body language of the birds mean in words, which I strongly agree with your opinion that in this animation video the productor did a really good job of showing how much body language play role even without a single word involved through out the whole video.
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I thought it was very interesting how you brought up card tricks and how they related to body language, and how the performers deliberately use body language against the audience. When I was a kid, I was really interested in magic tricks, and one of the first things I learned was how important it was to use misdirection with your voice and your body language, like what you mentioned with slight of hand. If you wanted your audience to assume that you had something in your right hand, while it was instead in your left, you should look at your right hand, and the audience may subconsiously trust that the object is in that hand. I thought it was also interesting how you mentioned that trying too hard to elicit an emotion could seem suspicious, as I relate to that when I am trying to socialize. I often have a hard time expressing feelings outwardly, so it may feel forced when I show appreciation or apologize, even though I am being genuine with my feelings.
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Body language plays an important role in our daily communication, and its impact on interpersonal relationships and communication cannot be ignored. And body language not only affects interpersonal communication, but can even be related to cultural differences. Let’s talk about interpersonal relationships first. My habitual body language is that when I feel close to a person, I will naturally enter a close distance with him or even have physical contact. However, for strangers or people I meet for the first time, I will Get used to maintaining a social distance. I once judged through body language that a person I met for the first time either liked me very much, or that person kept facing the opposite direction to me when talking to me, and did not look at me. The body language of animals is also different. It’s easy to understand. For example, a male peacock will choose to open his tail to the person he likes when courting. I once watched a Hong Kong criminal investigation drama broadcast in 2011. It was introduced that when a person lies, their His eyes will wander, and his hands may keep touching his neck. This is a kind of self-soothing body language. The fourth video that has the deepest impact on me is the fourth video, How to bow in Japan. The impression that foreigners have about Japan is that Japanese people are very polite, because they like to bow to each other no matter how big or small they do. As I came to Japan, I became accustomed to bowing. According to the information, I learned about bowing. It is an etiquette introduced to Japan from ancient China, but modern Chinese people rarely bow and generally use handshakes instead. I think it is very meaningful to understand the spread and evolution of culture through the body language of bowing.
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I agree with this opinion. Body language plays an important role in everyday communication. Body language is particularly influential in human relationships and interpersonal communication. For example, appropriate body language is important for building rapport and trust. Body language also promotes understanding and helps avoid misunderstandings when communicating with people from different cultures and backgrounds. It’s also really important to understand the differences in body language in different cultures and countries.
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I had already learned that body language is a form of communication. However, I was surprised that “93% of daily communication is non-verbal communication. In fact, we communicate with gestures and changing facial expressions when we interact with others in our daily lives. we have many ways to express our body language, as mentioned in the third video. For example, in Japan, a circle with the index finger means money or ok, or we put our hand in front of our head when we go through a crowd and move forward. I am Japanese, but I do not make this gesture consciously. In other words, Japanese culture makes me do it naturally. However, gestures and other body language are very effective in communicating with others without having to speak up.
My thought on the first video is that it shows that calamity will come back to you one day. The smaller birds were teasing the larger ones who looked different from them. Then the smaller birds were teased back by the larger birds because they had an accident. The fact that we can understand most of the content or what the author wants to convey without text or words proves that most human communication is nonverbal communication.
I was most interested in the sixth video, about first impressions of the work. The researchers conclude that eye contact and posture are effective for first impressions. She psychologically stated that eye contact makes a good impression when the person is speaking about important points, and the tone and pitch of voice indicate a person’s seriousness. I found her statement is quite credible because when I attended meetings at my father’s company, I found them to have a low tone of voice and eye contact directed at the speaker.
I have one dog at home, and he often uses body language to communicate with me. I try to communicate with him utilizing all communication styles language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and gestures. On the other hand, my dog communicates with me entirely through body language. For example, he rarely barks and tries to get my attention by scratching the walls and creating sounds. Then, he communicates that desire to me by looking toward where the food is. This is a behavior that I think everyone can understand, not just me.
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Hi, PONKOTARO! Your idea is cool! I understand your feeling and situation.
I will talk about the main three topics you mentioned.
First, in different cultures and societies, gestures and facial expressions may have different meanings. For example, the Japanese index finger circle gesture means money or OK, but may have different meanings in other cultures.
I believe that understanding body language is very important in learning foreign languages and cross-cultural communication. By intentionally observing the body language of others and responding appropriately, you can build smooth communication.
It is also important to be aware of body language habits and customs in your culture and environment. Through self-analysis, you can consciously control your body language to avoid misinterpreting others.
Understanding Communication with Animals:.
Second I think that communication with pets is an important part of the bond between owner and pet. Understanding your pet’s behavior and facial expressions can help you read their needs and emotions.
Pets’ body language is often used as a means by which they communicate their desires. For example, a dog may perform certain behaviors to get the owner’s attention. Understanding these behaviors and responding appropriately can help you better communicate with your pet.
Improve Self-Expression and Communication Skills:.
Finally, I want to say that to improve self-expression and communication skills, one must consciously address one’s own body language and nonverbal communication.
Nonverbal elements such as eye contact and posture can greatly affect first impressions and the effectiveness of communication. It is important to consciously adjust these elements to make a good impression on others.
Continuous training and acceptance of feedback are necessary to improve communication skills. By increasing your awareness of self-expression and body language, you will be able to communicate more effectively with others.
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In my culture, body language makes up almost 0 percent of daily communication, and verbal language has more influence than it does. Body language does depend on different cultures. For example, in some cultures direct eye contact is seen as a sign of respect and trust, while in others it may be seen as provocative or rude. However, I believe that body language can help us to better understand the intentions, and emotions of others, and that unexpected results can be achieved by learning body language. For example, body language plays a role in psychology, as interrogators will observe a suspect’s body language to determine if he is telling the truth (from the movies, of course). Misunderstanding or creating conflict because of body language is unavoidable. For example, I was once in a classroom meeting when the other person raised their thumb, which I mistook for an affirmative, only to realize later that in the other culture, raising the thumb is a sign of dissatisfaction or negativity. Since I got my dog, I realized that not only humans but animals have the ability to communicate using body language, and my dog would welcome me home with a frantic wagging of his tail. These body languages play an important role in socializing between animals and even with humans.
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Jackzhu! I like your anecdotes. I think the difference in body language between cultures is very interesting. I feel like its hard to pinpoint specific actions that are okay in specific cultures vs actions that are not. Because we don’t verbally say that eye contact is good or bad. So how do we even know whats rude or not in our own culture ( and i think i am specifically speaking from an American perspective as theres not many things I can think of that is “rude” per say. Sometimes eye contact is necessary and at other times its not. But I do agree that body language is super important in translating a message. Or even tone of voice which i think its also unconsious when we are communicating. Sometimes I accidentally say things in a tone of voice that might come across rude however I feel like your mood might influence that as well. Maybe you don’t directly want to hurt the person but jsut your mood of the day or what went on during your day influences your body language and tone of voice which is such an important part of communciation.
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0% – I think you forgot to type a number here!
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Its really interesting to hear how different body language and non verbal communication is perceived in different cultures. This post reminded me of how I learned that while making the peace sign with your fingers in many places is a symbol for piece but in the U.K is an offensive gesture. makes me realize how much I need to educate myself on other cultures before visiting somewhere to make sure Im respectful of different gestures.
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I have always been fascinated with psychology and the impact/importance of body language. It is such an integral part of communicating with people and something you really need to be mindful of, especially as people who live in a country that may not be where you grew up. For instance, growing up in America, you greet people with a hug or shaking one another’s hands, but in Japan that is fairly frowned upon, and greetings consist of bowing or nodding towards each other. Culture impacts how people choose to display their emotions which has always been something that interests me, along with how similar yet different body language can be between men and women. An example of that would be the difference in tone and facial expression while talking. Generally, not always, women have a wider variety of tones and expressions when they speak and are more animated when speaking while men tend to show fewer facial expressions and tend to keep a deeper voice while talking to people around them. The way you express yourself and display your body language is a key part in making an impression and maintaining relationships. People are more drawn to positive attitudes, and the more open your body language is and the more you are able to smile towards people, the friendlier you seem and are able to positively impact the people around you. For me, I feel more at ease when I am around people who are more expressive, as someone who gets anxious and overwhelmed around people, I appreciate people who are able to give me a genuine smile and hug, assuring me that they are happy to see me and are comfortable with me to share a hug. Even though that may seem little, you can communicate so much with just those two methods of body language and can impact how people feel about and view you.
I also find it fascinating how animals, specifically dogs, are able to communicate with you through their body language. Besides the fact that they are fluffy and cute, they are able to connect with people through their personality. I have a chihuahua who is more reserved but will show you that he is happy to be around you by wagging his tail and lying next to you, while my husky is sassier and will vocalize her excitement by barking and jumping onto you. They are also able to communicate their needs like scratching at the door to go outside, whining next to the dog bowl for food, you can tell their moods through their ears; if they are upright they are alert, while if they are pinned back it may be that they are scared or anxious. Animals or humans, expression through body language is so crucial to understand one another, and I find that fascinating.
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I agree with the fascination and importance of body language. It’s an important part of communication, especially when managing cultural differences. The cultural standards have a big influence on how people express themselves. This is most clearly demonstrated by bowing in Japan as opposed to handshakes or hugs in the United States. You also highlight how important body language is in influencing how people perceive things. Smiles, open body language, and positive attitudes contribute to a more friendly and welcoming impression, which affects how other people feel and react to you. Using your own experience as a lovely example, you show how a simple smile and embrace may reduce fear and create connection. You also highlight the interesting point that animals, such as dogs, can communicate through body language. Whether it’s a wagging tail, excited jumps, or subtle ear positions, these facial expressions provide important information about their emotions and needs.
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Something I found interesting about the video regarding the secrets of body language is that the little hand help made by Bush gave them an indication of someone in charge and helping others. I also find it crazy that this is not only very accurate but something I subconsciously thought but never realized until they put into words and explained to me. It also very interesting that such subtle movements can represent something much bigger so it would be a good idea to pay attention to my body language and movements in the future so people can get a better understanding of my true intentions. Something else that sparked my interest was the mention of Brittany Spears and her use of dark sunglasses as they black out her eyes. When she was younger, she seemed more used to the spotlight and her body language was very welcoming with smiles wide eyes and exaggerated expressions that mimicked happiness and excitement but the older she gotten it seems she doesn’t have good control of her body language or expressions which could be a result from the fame and always having paparazzi in her face and this affected her mental state. Now older she uses sunglasses to cover her eyes no matter the time of day, daytime or nighttime. By the use of dark sunglasses, she’s able to block out whatever expression her eyes give off to the public making it harder to read her body language and harder to figure out her emotions and intentions. The 7 universal facial expressions are very surprising to me because you can come from any part of the world have any sort of background yet still have the same facial expressions as someone born and raised hundreds of miles away from you. Even if you born and raised on a remote island as a tribal member with no access whatsoever to the internet you would still have similar facial expressions compared to someone in my position, a university student. After viewing the How to Bow in Japan video I have multiple things to talk about. First of all, I didn’t know there were multiple types of bows that had a different representation behind them and think it is awesome how Japan culture has been built from so much polite habits and manners and coming here was really an eye opener for me. Where I come from a simple thank you is all you need and that is also not as common as you would think since some people could be rude due to maybe a hard day or a hard time in their life, I never hold it against them but that is beside the point. When I first came to Japan, I did not know bowing was so common and it was something that I had adapt to and slowly learn as my time went on here. Eventually I figured I would have to bow back to people and be polite but for the first 2 or 3 weeks of being in Japan I didn’t know what a polite greeting would be, thanking, etc. I also did not know it was so normal to greet your neighbors in Japan so moving into my apartment taught me many things at first, I would get scared when I turned a corner and my neighbor would greet me and took me some time to get used to. There was even an instance where my neighbor felt so bad for scaring me multiple times in one week, she gave me chocolates and a note greeting me and giving me a warm welcome to Japan which was greatly appreciated at the time and was a sigh of relief somebody was so welcoming especially in my apartment complex. Now whenever I am outside my apartment, I greet my neighbors an hold the gate for them so they understand I don’t mean any harm especially as a foreigner.
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Hi, CHEESETOMATODOUGH!
Absolutely can agree with your sentiment! I was also interested in how the video pinpointed the significance of small gestures like Bush’s hand, that signaled authority and support. It’s also really cool how these little actions can convey so many feelings, a lot of the time without us even realizing it. The analysis of Britney Spears’ body language changes, especially her using her sunglasses in a way that shields her emotions, really struck a chord with me. It was a reminder to me of how our body language speaks volumes about our inside feelings, whether we mean for it to or not.
As for the Apology bowing video ,it was suuuper viral in the past and I have many memories of seeing it go trending every year or two. It’s a really funny way to understand how Japan can use bows (though pretty entertaining, not 100% accurate). And the How to Bow video helps someone to learn how to adapt to Japanese customs. I can relate since getting used to things like that was initially challenging for me too. However, experiences like receiving a very happy reaction from a random Japanese person who I asked for help in Japanese, helped me understand the importance of cultural sensitivity. It’s really amazing how small gestures can make cultural gaps close up and create a sense of belonging, even in unfamiliar places.
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Hii CHEESETOMATODOUGH!!
I also knew they were doing these actions, but it wasn’t until after this lecture that I truly understood what they meant. Moreover, this class has changed my body language significantly. For example, when I want to make friends, I use more body language to express myself, whereas when I’m working, I might reduce my body language to avoid revealing my thoughts too easily. Additionally, you mentioned Brittany Spears, who used to heavily rely on her body language until she started wearing sunglasses, making it difficult for people to guess her thoughts. This example shows that even accessories like sunglasses are part of body language because we often use our eyes to judge a person’s emotions or thoughts.
Furthermore, I’m glad you’re getting more accustomed to life in Japan and have good neighbors. Since Japanese culture is different from other countries, naturally, body language also differs. I hope you continue to expand your life in Japan and enjoy the different cultural backgrounds!
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The video that I found the most impactful was the second video, which focused on the importance of body language. Firstly, I found the notion that body language made up 93% of communication to be really surprising, as I often put a lot of thought into the words that are spoken. After watching the video though, I realized that the ways the words were spoken is also a significant part of body language. This applies to me personally, as I put a lot of thought into how I come across when socializing. Looking back and watching videos of myself, I notice that I often talk quickly or frantically, which could signify nervousness or a lack of confidence. Connecting that with how I often cross my arms when speaking and how I have trouble with eye contact, I feel like (and the videos support this) I may come off as reserved or even suspicious at times, when in reality I don’t intend to seem that way. I do not know all of the aspects of communication that the experts in the video evaluate, of course, but I would argue that you cannot always rely on people’s body language to understand what they are trying to say, and sometimes you have to take their words as they are. This could be true for other shy people, and I know it is true for me, as people I talk to are occasionally put off by how my body language doesn’t match what I say. For example, when I say that I am doing well or show appreciation for something like a gift, my friends and family often question me or double check to make sure I am really doing well or if I genuinely enjoyed the gifts they give. In addition, when I compliment someone or give a gift in a very nonchalant way, people again double check to make sure I am telling the truth or being genuine. Additionally, I thought the significance of body language was interesting when it comes to neurodivergent people, such as someone on the autism spectrum. I have heard that it may be difficult for them to come off the way they intend to, or misunderstand others, because of a miscommunication in body language or the way of speaking. Things like subtle sarcasm or inattentive body language may not be detected, and therefore cause issues in encoding and decoding messages. Body language is a very complex and subtle method of communication that can cause people to interpret messages in a variety of ways, with some leading to confusion and misinterpretation.
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I agree with the complexity and importance of body language. Your own experience is a good example. Even if you are paying close attention to what you say, your body language may accidentally be communicating a different message. Even if it’s not your objective, your fast talking, crossed arms, and limited eye contact could be taken as signs of anxiety or insecurity. Recognizing that body language isn’t always an accurate indicator is crucial. As you mentioned, some people like autistic spectrum people might find it difficult to express their actual emotions through their body language. Misunderstandings and misinterpretations may result from this. So, even if body language matters a lot, we still need to treat it carefully and sensitively. I think one of the effective ways to communicate is to combine nonverbal communication with context and take potential misunderstandings into account. Sometimes it’s best to take someone at their word, especially when it conflicts with their nonverbal communication, in order to avoid forming judgments too quickly.
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Hi, SANGENJAYA3KI!!!
I understand you! I used to think that body language accounted for only about 40% of communication, maybe a bit more, like 50%. But I never realized it’s actually 93%! That surprised me. Also, I understand what you said about sometimes speaking quickly and energetically might be because of feeling unsure. After hearing this lecture, I’ve been reflecting on how I communicate and my body language. I tend to unintentionally stare at people, which often leads to misunderstandings. I’m just shy, but I end up seeming intimidating because of self-defense (even though I don’t mean to). Sometimes, to appear more friendly, I exaggerate my body language to be funny and easy-going. But I’ve realized these behaviors stem from lacking confidence. I’m thankful for the opportunity to attend this class and watch the lecture because it has made me examine myself. Lastly, I agree with you that body language is a subtle form of communication that can cause misunderstandings. In addition, I’ve noticed many people writing about their initial struggles to adapt after coming to Japan due to differences in cultural backgrounds, with body language being a part of the issue and reason. Although I didn’t find it difficult to integrate or cause misunderstandings due to my mixed cultural background, I often mix up the body language used in Taiwan and Japan, leading to misunderstandings. Fortunately, people understand that I’m mixed, so they forgive me or don’t mind my mistakes.
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When I reflect on how I communicate to other people usually, I use body language a lot without conciseness. I was really surprised when I heard that part of communication by the actual words is only 7 percent and 93 percent is by non-verbal communication like body language, but I was satisfied when I heard that. This is because human communication relies heavily on observing facial expressions, eye contact, and body language. Even subtle movements like eye contact play a crucial role. Additionally, attitude is conveyed through body language; for instance, individuals might cross their legs or display discomfort when discussing serious topics. This is a negative example but let’s see a positive example of non-verbal communication. Proximity is a positive non-verbal communication in most cases. Adjusting your proximity based on cultural norms and personal comfort is a sign of intimacy, trust, and respect. It also affects the dynamics of the conversation. In this way, for better or for worse, humans receive more information from nonverbal communication, and they not only receive information, but are also moved by emotions. So I agree with the statement that 93 percent of people communicate nonverbally. Either way, we can see that nonverbals play a very important role in communication.
However, I feel that there are obstacles to non-verbal communication in recent communication methods. This is due to the development of digital media. As technology advances, movement will unfortunately be ignored even if it is very important in communication. It is true that face-to-face and online communication have both advantages and disadvantages, but it is true that nonverbal communication is hindered at the same time. Therefore, the proportion of actual verbal communication will increase significantly, so it will feel quite different from normal communication. In my experience, online and face-to-face communication can be completely different even with the same person. Specifically, when I was in Academic English Program of TUJ, at that time, the coronavirus was prevalent, so the class was initially held online, but halfway through the class was switched to face-to-face classes with the same teacher. I thought the teacher was scary online, but when I met her in person, she was very kind, and I did not feel she was scared. Now that I think about it, I think the reason is that there is an overwhelming amount of information available through face-to-face communication compared to online. In this way, due to the decrease in the amount of information online, it may be difficult to understand the true nature of people.
As technology develops, nonverbal communication becomes difficult to understand, so perhaps it’s time to think about new digital media and the development of a mixture of technology and communication.
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I also believe that nonverbal communication are extremely important in our conversations. I didn’t notice that 93% of our life is using nonverbal, but it makes sense when you consider how much we communicate through our body language, our facial expressions, and even our physical. These nonverbal communication are important for figuring out attitudes, and emotions. agree that nonverbal communication is under threat from the emergence of digital communication, due to the limitations of online platforms, it may be challenging to identify tiny indications correctly, which could result in miscommunications and incorrect interpretations. In the example with your teacher, you were able to obtain more subtle information about your teacher through body language and facial expressions when you switched from online to in-person communication. This shows how crucial it is to the innovation of communication in the digital world. Maybe we could look into how nonverbal communication may be included into digital platforms so that our online interactions can be understood more accurately and comprehensively.
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Hii COMET彗星☄ !!! (1.5)
I agree with your thoughts! Firstly, I was also shocked by the fact that non-verbal communication accounts for 93%! Furthermore, you pointed out that although non-verbal communication has both advantages and disadvantages, due to the technological age, we often encounter misunderstandings. In addition to what you mentioned about online communication, especially during the years when COVID-19 was prevalent, we conducted online classes. After today’s lecture, we now know that the dominance of non-verbal communication accounted for 93%, and this is probably why people led to misunderstandings among some teachers. Additionally, I encountered a situation where a teacher misunderstood me deeply because we could only communicate through screens in class during the pandemic. I mostly used my tablet and computer for classes, with the tablet for note-taking and the computer for video calls. However, the teacher misunderstood that I wasn’t paying attention in class and was against me. I still remember feeling particularly upset at that time. Lastly, I strongly agree with what you said about the need to consider new developments in digital media, technology, and communication.
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I also do lots of body language without conciseness, for example: covering my mouth while laughing really hard, shaking my legs while thinking about something, leaning my head to a specific side of my body when I did not catch what others ask me. I often got stopped shaking my legs by my mother because she thought it was annoying, but then I also realized that she used lots of hand gestures while yelling to the employees, or either frown while her work does not go well.
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Body language holds a ton of meaning and is a major part of our daily interactions. It’s silent, but incredibly important in verbal expression, especially in conveying emotions and attitudes. It is just more efficient than speech alone. It is very interesting how body language shapes our daily communication, as well as how it varies across cultures and how important of a role it plays in growing better relationships with others.
Things like, handshakes, hugs, even a small tilt of the head are all very small, but they mean a lot! These non-verbal cues litter our interactions, and they add layers of meaning and depth. A simple smile can make a conversation go much better, or crossed arms could signal defensiveness. We rely on these cues, often without consciously thinking of it, to gauge each others feelings and intentions.
For example, eye contact and staring is incredibly common in Europe and if you were to come from the United States you may find that very rude, strange, or may even feel unsafe and on edge! I have seen many TikToks of American tourists in places like Germany and France and they just seem to be baffled by the strange stares they seem to attract while doing seemingly mundane, or just touristy things. In these instances, I always see Europeans duetting their videos to explain that the staring isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just very normalized and common.
Another difference would be the gender differences in body language, like how assertiveness is common in men versus how nurturing gestures are way more commonly seen in women. These thighs can influence how people are perceived and how their messages are taken by others.
Understanding body language nuances can, and do, significantly enhance our ability to navigate social interactions and build rapport with others. By using non-verbal cues along with our verbal words, we can convey sincerity and empathy, and other emotions more effectively. Simple changes, like having good posture and copying the body language of others, can create trust, and make relationships stronger and overall better.
Despite its benefits though, body language has some faults that come along with it. Misinterpretations happen all of the time and little things can lead to confusion or conflict. Sometimes someone’s body language contradicts their words, and this can make you or someone else feel unsure about their true intentions or real feelings. This can make doubt appear or lead someone to stop trusting someone.
The significance of body language is not just limited to human interactions alone though. Animals also heavily use non-verbal cues to communicate with each other and also with humans. Like dogs wagging their tail, or a cat flattening their ears when you try to pet them, animals also commonly use body language to express their emotions, to establish dominance, and share feelings of safety or danger. If you closely pay attention to animals and how they react and behave to you, others, and other environments you can gain a lot of valuable insight into their specific usea of non-verbal communication.
Recently, I have noticed quite a couple of Youtubers who are psychologists or doctors of some kind and they make a lot of videos relating to body language in the news and in trending videos on X and TikTok. Their titles will be something like “Body Language Expert Reacts to [insert celebrity] Interviews!” And they will thoroughly go through and explain the most tiny movements and reactions that celebrities, media stars, or just normal people have and tell their audiences exactly what they mean and how any tiny inflections affect the message they are trying to convey.
In conclusion, body language plays a massive role in our daily communication, with it influencing how we perceive the world and how we interact with others. It’s got some cultural and gendered nuances that change the meanings within cross-cultural interactions. By understanding the power of body language, we can make our relationships better, navigate social interactions more effectively, and convey our messages with much more clarity.
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I agree body language can be extremely efficient especially when I’m feeling a bit non verbal (in a mental mood where I don’t want to talk) I usually rely on body language to express what I need to express. Particularly when I’m agitated or angry my body language will also completely shift and I’ll be disinterested in having conversation.
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I agree I feel like we underestimate the importance of body language and how it can be used an is interpreted everywhere. You can even have entire conversations with just body language. I know I have with my family its usually pretty simple but entire conversations no word spoken. It gets to a point with people on YouTube who analyse body language it almost seems they can know every little thing from whether are lying about a statement hiding or excited about it etc. Just from body language its very interesting. I wonder if there are people who experts in different countries body languages.
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It is true that body language can differ significantly between cultures. For example, is eye contact, which is considered natural in certain cultures but rude or aggressive in others. This emphasizes how crucial it is to be sensitive to cultural differences when reading body language to prevent miscommunication. Our social relationships can be greatly improved by being aware of the details of body language. We can more successfully communicate emotions like honesty and empathy when we combine non-verbal clues with words. Relationships can be strengthened, and trust built by making even small changes, like keeping proper posture. On the other hand, I agree that body language leads to confusion. Misunderstandings can happen, particularly when there is an inconsistency between a person’s words and body language. Confusion and even conflict may result from this. In addition, animals also rely on nonverbal signals to express emotions and indicate safety or danger. Observing animal behavior can provide important insights into their world.
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Hello, POCHACCOLOVER!!!
I also think that non-verbal communication has its advantages and disadvantages. Besides what you mentioned about non-verbal communication being able to play a role in establishing better connections with others in the context of different cultures, I believe it can also become another barrier due to cultural differences, leading to misunderstandings. However, I never thought about your point regarding animals also heavily using non-verbal communication to interact with humans. Looking back now, even though we cannot understand what animals are saying, we can understand their emotions and what they want to express through their body language. However, when communicating with animals, we can only speculate about the meaning of their nonverbal communication because there is no evidence to support it. Similarly, when communicating with people who do not speak the same language, many people can only guess what the other person is thinking by their nonverbal communication, which can lead to further misunderstandings. To summarize, I believe that nonverbal communication has many benefits when viewed positively, but it also has many disadvantages.
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I am aware that body language is a form of communication but knowing the fact that only 3% of communication is spoken, and the rest of the 97% is non-verbal blew me away. But upon thinking about it, it really is true. From personal experience, I have encountered non-verbal communication in terms of body language. One thing I could share is how people here in Tokyo — or in Japan in general, bows as a pay of respect and gratitude. That may be a simple movement but speaks a lot of words.
Talking about body language, I don’t really know if this example would be very much connected but when a person tends to be excited, they have this kind of aura that radiates and shares the positivity, that you can really notice how happy a person is with the way they project themselves. I think that also is a form of non-verbal communication.
Moving forward, it really is true that not only human, but also animals have body communication, in their case, this is only their medium of communicating with a person. For instance, a dog wiggling its tail and running in circles may indicate that they are very much happy with the person around them.
Watching the six videos provided, the one that had an impact on me the most is the “Body Language That Gets The Job’’. In this video, I saw how non-verbal communication can be as much as powerful with verbal communication. This just shows that in this world we’re living in, it’s not just about how you talk, but also how you project yourself.
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Body language is an integral aspect of communication between human beings and operates as an important way to express contextual and emotional information between people. With that being said, body language is also extremely ambiguous and can be widely hard to interpret based on the cultural and gender influences that affect the interpretation of body language. Body language can be a way to determine intent, danger, admiration, respect, and a plethora of other forms of expression that can be vital to determine and assess how people think and feel and what their future actions may be. It can also be used as a way to say or imply things that you actually don’t want to say or communicate. Many cultures prioritize attempting to be seen as “not rude” and use body language as a way to gesture or refer to things without being too blunt and honest and avoid a potentially embarrassing after affect. Body language, like most language, is prone to evolve and change based on the cultural norms of the times. Though some gestures, like rolling ones eyes, are fairly old and have retained their meaning of being exasperated or annoyed with a person for time memorial, other gestures like the head nod used and popularized by African Americans are fairly recently.
In most cultures body language is an extremely gendered form of communication that denotes that women take less dominant and aggressive stances in an attempt to make them seem more feminine. Women are often told to cross their legs to seem more reserved which certainly stems from purity culture and how women are told to maintain their virginity. While that may seem like a stretch this is just one of many examples on how culture greatly affects and influences the maintenance of body language. While women may be enforced to maintain a certain poise, men however, are allowed to assert themselves more freely which can be exampled by the act of “man spreading” which is essentially the opposite of crossing ones legs. Given that the patriarchy gives more space to men in a literal and metaphorical sense, men are often given the allowance to position themselves in ways that are most comfortable for themselves even at the discomfort of others.
Typically I use body language as a way to emphasize that I am a safe person to be around when around friends or people in general. I also use body language as a way to tell a man i’m not interested in his advances without actually saying it. Body language has an infinite ways it can be used and definitely makes communicating non verbally effective
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I agree that body language is a fascinating and complex part of communication between people. Because of gender and cultural influences, it might be difficult to interpret even though it is essential for communicating context and feelings. As you point out, a person’s intentions, emotions, and even future behaviors may all be inferred from their body language. It can be used to avoid being too direct or to gently convey desires indirectly. The perception of body language can get more complex, though, as cultural conventions surrounding it can change and diverge greatly. Furthermore, the attention to the gender prejudice that frequently exists in expectations for body language. Societal pressures can lead to unequal expectations, with women sometimes expected to take less powerful positions than men. Men and women can both illustrate this idea with examples such as manspreading and crossed legs. I agree with your statement about capturing the spirit and complexity of body language.
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One experience I continue to have in Japan is endless people of different ethnicities, but particularly East Asian people, approaching me to compliment my hair, which is flattering, right up until they try to grab, yank, tug, or play with it. This is when my body language seizes up but I have to remind myself I am a Black American in a country to criminalizes physicality to a very high degree. Even to simply enforce my personal boundaries I fear any form of aggression could be seen as “too aggressive” so I chose to appear very nice and tell them “no they cant touch it” and grab their hand away from my body. Hair is literally attached to the body so it is insane to me how people think it is ok to touch it unprompted, and this certainly isn’t behavior exclusive to Eastern Asian ethnic groups rather I experience it from people who have internalized anti-black sentiments that are allowing themself not to see the humanity and dignity of black people. Saying that I understand may might begin to get defensive and say that it is simply a sign of curiosity and respect but keep in mind these are ABSOLUTE STRANGERS who know nothing about me. I am a person who loves platonic intimacy whether it be cuddling or hand holding or hair rubbing, but being touched by strangers who have no regard for how I may feel about their behavior is always unacceptable to me. I have no doubt if I were to randomly start touching other peoples hair it would be seen as an act of aggression or violation, especially if it were a woman’s. As a trans woman I am often not seen as someone who is deserving of boundaries or safety so this behavior isn’t new to me and as a black person I am well aware how people will perceive me as more aggressive or violent which forces me to relax my body language and appear super friendly nice and approachable to even be given respect.
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When it came to body language I always thought I was someone who did not really pay attention or notice it but after watching the videos I realise it is very noticeable and has significant impact on how the other person perceives you and how you perceive them. I even do this with my pet cat I can tell what he will let me do or wont let me do by his body language and know when I can pet pick him up etc. Like wise you can do the same thing while talking to people you can tell by body language if someone is about to try to fight you and in less threatening things. You can tell so much about how invested and the beings of the person from it. I also thought it was important to realise that body language isn’t universal since different cultures have different actions to show things and different body language from where they are from. I wonder if this means body language is nurtured and not natured.
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I think the video about how to present yourself for a job interview via body language was the most impactful for me since it made me think of all the times I’ve had to present my self in the best way and how I never thought about how my body language telling the audience how I felt nor making sure to thinking to keep things in order during a job interview. I’m sure my body language came of as very nervous or disorganised and probably hurt me in the long run. I will have to keep in my mind from now on in all situations not just what I’m saying and my eye contact have a impact on their perception but how my body is from the tenseness to my posture to simple what my hands are doing. I wonder if its possible to force certain body language and portray a body language different from what is actually happening or if it is all subconscious and we have to try to feel that way to portray the appropriate body language. As well I thought about how this could be unfair to neuroatypical people who may struggle to communicate in a standard way with eye contact and keeping a solid posture If we focus on this too much when it comes to leaving good impressions or looking for candidates I wonder if we end up discriminating against those who may be different.
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Since my other class is now talking about different types of music videos and after watching a few videos provided by the professor, I found out that if we take out the audio, we can still understand what the music video is trying to express because the actors were able to express the song just by their body languages. For example, the actor could be yelling, screaming, throwing things in the household, or showing how despair they are by their eyes, all these elements allow us to know that the song is sad or depressed.
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Which I guess this is the magic of body language.
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Adding on to my last blog I want to talk more about how body language differs between cultures. When I came back to my hometown after living in the states for a few years I didn’t realize that people take very offensively to staring. In all honesty i wasn’t staring i was just blind, and refused to wear my glasses and one day I was looking a little too hard at someone because I thought it was my friend and that person ended up wanting to fight me and I was scared out of my mind. Based off my body language and what they assumed or decoded from what I was doing communicated a threat to them and to me I thought was a friend. This reminds me also of people saying when they go to Berlin or Germany that they’ve often experienced the Germany stare, which is when German people we’ll stare at you harshly, obnoxiously, and loudly without even saying anything, I’m pretty sure if I was in Germany and experienced the German stare I also would feel judged. Unlike humans when animals use body language it has less nuances, humans are complicated and tend to make things complicated it’s just their nature but when it comes to animals in the world or other animals in the world because as humans are also animals it’s very straightforward and to the point and there’s not much for interpretation or anything up in the air for interpretation, unlike humans animals have no reason to lie or very few and usually they don’t lie but humans do lie and try to deceive others with their communication as well as their body language. Animals are social creatures but they’re social for survival not saying that us humans aren’t social for survival as well, we are but in a different sense. For example I’m reading a book right now named Sapiens and it speaks about how researchers found that monkeys have certain screams or cries to signal a predator or foe, when these researchers played the same sound the monkeys looked up in the sky expecting to see prey but was confused when there was none, this is because animals have no reason to lie unlike humans a human may lie and say that there is a predator or on the corner just so they can get away for their own game, they are lying. I’m trying to realize that this does more have to do with actual verbal communication than body language but this person who’s lying about a predator being around the corner can be caught in the lie if someone reads their body language so it’s kind of intermixed.
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The term body language also brings to mind the “help-me sign,” which has recently become a trending topic on the social media. I am not 100% sure what this sign is called in English. This sign is used in situations where you can shout “Help me! or for children with disabilities who have difficulty communicating. “Help me sign” was originally developed by the Canadian Women’s Foundation to protect women from domestic violence. It is effective in circumstances where it is difficult to ask for help in words, and can be used by anyone, anytime, anywhere. Body language will also play a major role in our lives in emergencies such as this. I think you have focused on a very good point by creating a sign that can be used in situations like this where it is not possible to speak up.
I also think that body language played an important role in old movies. This is because I had the opportunity to watch old American movies in my race and ethnicity class. These films often conveyed stories and emotions through body language, such as character expressions, movements, and poses, rather than relying on words and dialogue. For example, during the silent film era, actors and actresses performed without words to convey stories and emotions to their audiences. Stars like Charlie Chaplin used body language skillfully to elicit laughter and emotion. Expressive faces and gestures helped the audience understand the emotions and movements of the characters. Moreover, in classic films, a character’s body language was an important means of indicating his or her character and position. For example, a character with power might exhibit an imposing posture and self-confident movements, while a weak character might hunch over or assume an anxious pose. One reason body language played such an important role in old movies was due to the technology and constraints of the time. In the era of silent films, there were no subtitles or sound, so information had to be conveyed through visual means. This made body language an essential element in the development of stories and characters.
I also think that there is a big difference in body language between men and women. There is a big difference between Japan and other countries, and I am curious about it. In Japan, physical contact and expressions are typically reserved. Especially in public places, hand holding and embracing tend to be rare. On the other hand, as far as I know, in foreign cultures, physical contact such as hand holding and hugging is more common to show signs of intimacy with friends and family. I noticed this on my last trip to Korea. I had always been familiar with Korean culture because I had watched many Korean dramas, but I was surprised when I actually went to Korea. As I mentioned earlier, in general, Japanese people are more reserved in public contact and expression, but in Korea, most people, whether couples or groups of girl friends, were holding hands or holding each other’s arms. They are very open and I thought it was a very good relationship. This by no means means means that Japan is bad.
Also, in Japan, eye contact during conversation is considered important, but the degree of eye contact depends on the relationship with the other person and the situation. On the other hand, overseas, I believe that eye contact is more important. Growing up in high school in Japan, I never had the opportunity to give presentations in front of others in the classroom, but since coming to this university, I have had many opportunities to give presentations, and I remember being surprised to find that one of the items in the evaluation was how much eye contact I was able to maintain.
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