Body Language: Definition, Examples, & Signs

By Charlie Huntington, M.A., Ph. D. Candidate
​Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
Our body language communicates essential information about our thoughts and feelings. This article covers the different types of body language and key examples of how body language reflects our inner workings.
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Many years ago, a romantic partner of mine pointed out that when we argued, I would cross my arms as the conversation grew more heated. (Even more observantly, she noted that my father seemed to have exactly the same behavioral pattern.) At first, I was even more defensive, but then I realized that yes, I did do that, and it was because I felt attacked and wanted to protect myself; my arms were a physical barrier I was putting up between myself and my partner’s criticism.​​
Over time, I came to realize that this behavior also signified that I was shutting down and withdrawing in a conversation. Since I wanted to stay in conversation with others, I worked hard to deliberately stop crossing my arms, and I do think it has helped me stay more open to the feedback other people are giving me.
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This anecdote from my life represents just one example of the many ways that our body language can offer a window into our inner workings. Let’s learn together about body language, including plenty of examples of what different types of body language can signify. 
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What Is Body Language? (A Definition)

Body language is sometimes referred to as kinesics, and it includes all the ways that we use our bodies (but not our voices) to communicate information (Phutela, 2015). Usually, the information we are conveying is related to our emotions, but it can also include more general cues about who we are. Broadly speaking, the categories of body language are the orientation of the body (such as toward the other person speaking), hand gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, and our posture (Phutela, 2015).

Body language can achieve at least four communicative goals (Phutela, 2015):

1)    Substituting for spoken language. Instead of using words to send a message, we can sometimes say everything we need to say simply through body language.

2)    Adding meaning to what you’ve said. Sometimes, body language can add more layers of meaning to what is being said out loud. For example, I might tell you that I have a lot of work to do this week, and you might deduce from my raised shoulders and furrowed brow that I am worried about getting it all done.

3)    Contradicting what you’ve said. Our body language can communicate something opposite to what we are saying out loud, such as when somebody says they are not nervous, but the smile that accompanies this statement is not a genuine one (Harrison & Taing, 1997).

4)    Emphasizing what you’ve said. When our body language and our spoken words are in agreement, they emphasize each other. Think of how a loving grandparent might smile, open their arms wide, and even beckon you forward as they say, “It’s so good to see you, sweetie.”
Neuroscience tells us that we interpret body language in two stages (de Gelder, 2006). First, we have an almost automatic, speedy reaction that is based in our gut understanding of what certain body language behaviors mean. Next, we think more deliberately about what the different aspects of body language we are observing mean in combination: for example, what does your posture mean, and what does it mean in the context of your facial expression and words?
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Interestingly, we seem to do better interpreting body language when it is unfolding in time – such as watching a person interact with somebody else – than we do when we just look at a photograph or see a person for only a moment (Atkinson et al., 2004). In fact, our brains show a lot more activation when we watch dynamic body language – bodies in motion – than when we view body language that is static (Kret et al., 2010).

Why Body Language Is Important

Body language is so fundamental to interpersonal communication that the first modern scientist to study it in depth and describe its importance is none other than Charles Darwin. In his early writings, Darwin began to trace how certain facial expressions and bodily behaviors were related to certain emotions, both in humans and in other animals (Darwin & Prodger, 1998). Darwin saw all of this behavior as being adaptive – we engage in body language because it is an effective way to communicate with other beings.
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Our body language communicates not just what we are feeling, but also what we might do next (de Gelder, 2006). For example, a person who is feeling fear may show it in their face, and that information is helpful to the people around them. But is the fearful person about to lash out, shut down, or run away? Other aspects of body language can provide that additional information.​

Understanding body language is also important because we seem to trust it more than other forms of information. For example, research studies have shown that when there is a mismatch between a person’s facial expression and what the rest of their body language is showing, we tend to trust the body language more (Meeren et al., 2005). To return to an earlier example, if a typically loving grandparent said, “It’s so great to see you,” and smiled, but showed reluctance in the rest of their body language, a grandchild might pick up on the discrepancy – although not necessarily consciously – and wonder what is wrong.

Without the ability to read other people in this way, and communicate with our own body language, we will have trouble adapting socially (Rose & Clarke, 2009). In other words, effective displays (and interpretation) of body language are basic social abilities.

Body Language Examples

Let’s look in more depth at some examples of body language.

Body Language: Posture
First, our body posture sends all kinds of clear information about our mood or our readiness to interact with others (Phutela, 2015). Science confirms that when people cross their arms, as I used to do, they are not interested in engaging with others or hearing new information. When we slump forward or back in our seats, we are sending the signal that we are low in energy or not interested in what is happening.

Conversely, a more rigid body posture suggests that we are on high alert. When people are in stressful situations or around people more powerful than them, they are more likely to maintain a rigid posture. At the same time, maintaining a casual posture in the face of what should be a stressful situation sends the message that one is not intimidated or concerned about what is at stake.

Body Language: Gesturing
In the category of gesturing, expressing ourselves with our palms up or facing the other person – unless our fingers are pointing up – communicates openness and a desire to connect (Linehan, 2014). A very interesting study found that we gesture more with our dominant hand when we are discussing positive things and more with our non-dominant hand when discussing a negative topic (Casasanto & Jasmin, 2010). A pointed finger is almost always taken to be accusatory, while widespread arms are seen as inviting, and raising both arms toward the sky is an almost universal sign of joy or triumph.

Body Language Intrepretation
As an interesting side note, men and women seem to interpret body language differently. Men seem more effective in recognizing happiness in body language, while women seem to be more effective in recognizing anger, as well as a lack of emotional expression (Sokolov et al., 2011). This seems to align with research that shows that women are more sensitive to body language than men generally speaking, and particularly with regard to facial expressions (Farris et al., 2008; Montagne et al., 2005). Taken together, these findings may explain why men are more likely than women to misinterpret body language as indicating attraction or interest.

Body Language for Confidence

The body language of someone who is feeling self-confident generally reflects their willingness to take up space in the world and meet the world head-on. Confidence is expressed through upright posture, directly facing others, making sustained eye contact, and a smiling or neutral expression (Kleinsmith & Bianchi-Berthouze, 2012).

Body Language of Attraction

When one person feels attracted to another, their body language may show it through some of the following: 
  • facing the person head-on
  • having an open posture
  • touching their face
    generally trying to manage their appearance
  • blushing (Kleinsmith & Bianchi-Berthouze, 2012)

Negative Body Language

Since negative emotions in others can be threatening, we are particularly effective as a species at noticing negative body language (Martinez et al., 2016). Here are some telltale negative body language markers (Kleinsmith & Bianchi-Berthouze, 2012):  
 
  • Anger: Anger is characterized by raised arms or fists, bent elbows or knees, tilting one’s head forward, shoulders moving back, stepping backward, and making jerky or sudden movements. Think of a boxer dropping into their fighting stance. An angry face features a furrowed brow and tightening of the lips and skin around the eyes.
  • Fear: Fear is characterized by an upright or slightly backward-tiled head; arms held close to the body with forearms sticking forward; and tension throughout the body. A fearful face features raised eyebrows and stretched out lips, with more of the whites of the eyes exposed.
  • Sadness: A person who is feeling sad leans forward and bends their head forward, keeps their arms straight and by their side, avoids eye contact, and makes minimal movements. A sad face features the sides of the lips being pulled down (in the opposite of a smile) and the outsides of the eyebrows being lifted up.

Body Language Signs

A lot of the body language signs that psychologists have identified make intuitive sense, as they are reflected in other visual spaces. Here’s a concrete example of what I mean: in general, body postures and orientations where our bodies make angles are perceived as threatening, while more rounded postures are understand as warm, or at least non-threatening (Kleinsmith & Bianchi-Berthouze, 2012). I think this is mirrored in other settings, such as how we find things are round or have few hard points to be “cuter” or “cozier”; in fact, one study found that many famous artworks increase the roundness and curvature of human postures and body parts (Costa & Corazza, 2006).

Body Language Mirroring

You might have noticed that when people are especially engaged with each other in conversation, they tend to end up assuming similar postures. This mirroring of body language can be explained by the “motor theory of empathy”, which suggests that we are better able to understand other people when we imitate them physically (Iacoboni, 2009).

Body Language Signs of Lying

I bet you’re excited to know how to spot a liar. Unfortunately, because cues of lying can be hard to detect, and most people are not aware of them, people in general are not good at detecting when they are being deceived (Bond & DePaulo, 2006). For example, it is commonly thought that liars avoid eye contact, but use more body language (Stromwall et al., 2004), but in fact people who are lying make as much eye contact and those telling the truth, and they actually make fewer bodily movements while talking (DePaulo et al., 2003).
 
One true sign of being deceptive is more frequent and complex movements in the upper face, which may reflect the greater conscious effort involved in lying than in telling the truth and trying to manage one’s emotional expressions (Duran et al., 2013). When lying, we also provide more details than might be necessary, repeat details more often, blink and pause more often, and actually have a better grasp on the chronology of events than when we are telling the truth (Porter & ten Brinke, 2010).

For more interesting information on body language and deception, I recommend watching this video from an expert in decoding body language:

Video: Former FBI Agent Explains How to Read Body Language

Articles Related to Body Language

Want to learn more? Here are some related articles that might be helpful.

Books Related to Body Language

To keep learning, here are some books to explore:​​

Final Thoughts on Body Language

Our body language reveals so much about us. Whether or not you’re fully aware of it, you are probably tracking other people’s body language all the time. Especially if you know somebody well, you probably have an intuitive sense of when their body language has changed from what you usually see. Whether you are a therapist, a detective, or just want to be more aware of your own and others’ feelings, I hope this information has given you a sense of how to read body language for important cues as to what’s happening in the world around you.

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