They say a picture paints a thousand words – and the same can certainly be said for gestures. We all subconsciously give away hints as to our true feelings, through our movements and gestures. This is a list of 25 examples of body language.
Gestures 1 – 5
Gesture: Brisk, erect walk
Meaning: Confidence
Gesture: Standing with hands on hips
Meaning: Readiness, aggression
Gesture: Sitting with legs crossed, foot kicking slightly
Meaning: Boredom
Gesture: Sitting, legs apart
Meaning: Open, relaxed
Gesture: Arms crossed on chest
Meaning: Defensiveness
Gestures 6 – 10
Gesture: Walking with hands in pockets, shoulders hunched
Meaning: Dejection
Gesture: Hand to cheek
Meaning: Evaluation, thinking
Gesture: Touching, slightly rubbing nose
Meaning: Rejection, doubt, lying
Gesture: Rubbing the eye
Meaning: Doubt, disbelief
Gesture: Hands clasped behind back
Meaning: Anger, frustration, apprehension
Gestures 11 – 15
Gesture: Locked ankles
Meaning: Apprehension
Gesture: Head resting in hand, eyes downcast
Meaning: Boredom
Gesture: Rubbing hands
Meaning: Anticipation
Gesture: Sitting with hands clasped behind head, legs crossed
Meaning: Confidence, superiority
Gesture: Open palm
Meaning: Sincerity, openness, innocence
Gestures 16 – 20
Gesture: Pinching bridge of nose, eyes closed
Meaning: Negative evaluation
Gesture: Tapping or drumming fingers
Meaning: Impatience
Gesture: Steepling fingers
Meaning: Authoritative
Gesture: Patting/fondling hair
Meaning: Lack of self-confidence; insecurity
Gesture: Quickly tilted head
Meaning: Interest
Gestures 21 – 25
Gesture: Stroking chin
Meaning: Trying to make a decision
Gesture: Looking down, face turned away
Meaning: Disbelief
Gesture: Biting nails
Meaning: Insecurity, nervousness
Gesture: Pulling or tugging at ear
Meaning: Indecision
Gesture: Prolonged tilted head
Meaning: Boredom
Source: SPARC
I’ve heard it said that only 5% of communication is verbal, the rest is body language. how you present yourself says ALOT
Next list, Top 10 ways to beat a lie detecter?
This list is going to have a few people paying more attention to what there doing.
This list kind of sucks…I was hoping for a more in depth, comprehensive look at body language. Most of this is just BS you see in the movies to convey an emotion.
for better information go to. http://www.businessballs.com/body-language.htm#body-lang... it is an extreamly long list it is very in depth hope it helps
for better information go to. http://www.businessballs.com/body-language.htm#body-lang... it is an extreamly long list it is very in depth hope it helps
great list, i study body language quite a bit, helps me at the poker tables.
Lesi, true enough, but you’d be surprised how often these “movie” type actions are done by people all the time.
For exampe the lightly itching the nose one is one I see all the time while playing poker. If I have decent hand and someone bets and does that, its usually a sign theyre are either weak or purely bluffing so ill often call or even raise in that spot.
Gesture: Standing with knees together, hopping from one foot to the other.
Meaning: Need to pee.
gesture: one finger in nostril
meaning: booger in nose
ahahaha
evan: thanks for the poker tip! might help me actually win a game for once
Evan, try looking at the position of their elbow height relative to the table they were resting it on when they’re betting is another good tell. The nose is a common one, I’m crap at poker but i know a few tells, checking the flop and bettin the turn is another sign of a bluff
Juggz: great idea – thanks – oh – and done
haha, so i see
JMurf is right about checking the flop. As soon as I read that I realized that I do it every time I bluff. Maybe now I’ll do it when I have a really good hand, too…
often that is the case but difinately not always the case. Often people with 1. monster hands (people with pocket or cards or low trips, etc), 2. draws, 3. medicore hands, or just 4. weak players will check the flop.
and on the turn..
1. Generally bets if the flop wasnt bet by anyone to get some money into the pot, or may check-raise someone if they bet on the turn.
2. possibly made their draw on the turn, fairly easy to spot if the turn card would possibly make some kind of a draw.
3. Say the have top pair but a weak kicker, they may check the flop to see how strong the other players appear, then bet the turn if they think they now have the best hand.
4. Some people just dont get or dont realize how to play so they may be cautious and not bet the flop, but then bet on the turn.
but yes often people will try to buy the pot on the turn, esecially if it a shorthanded game.
Several of these I use when I’m teaching to decide whether or not the kids are yanking my chain. As a substitute, every day is ‘trick the sub’ day with long stories about what the teacher lets them do and stuff.
Some of the kids get angry because I catch them more often than not.
When I rub my hands together, it is not in anticipation. It is generally because I am cold and trying to warm up.
Pinching bridge of nose and eyes closed usually means an impending sinus headache for me lol. Body language is cool.
Holla People,
ë divertido, alguns desses gestos me identificam…é uma forma do organismo ou a pessoa se comunicar. Linguagem Corporal é mui COOL!
Be Alone, hasta la vista
oh come on…no middle finger???!!! its revolutionised the way we express anger….it says so much more than “hands clasped behind back” does….neways i guess it becoz of the whole “its a family site” thing….great list though
Shabab: for a “family site” we have a lot of not very family friendly lists
I have never promoted it as a family friendly site. Having said that, there is no *****. I left the finger off just because it is so commonly known 
The guy under 11-15 is about to make hand fart noises. Seriously, that’s precisely the way you hold your hands together to do it.
Haha, so rp maybe it should read:
Gesture: Hands clasped in front, wiggling motion resulting in fart noises
Meaning: This person is feeling silly
oh hey i think you missed:
gesture: tilting the head sideways
meaning: the person is clueless or just stupid
rp-
lmao so true
thanks for the information about gestures!! it really helped me! i’m writing a presentation about body language
nuka: you are welcome – I am pleased it was useful to you!
what about if a female looks at you and she rubs her vagina? that means she’s horny
luckyaz – obviously something you got off a ***** flic, eh? considering you’d never seen that in real life.
i used to bounce at a strip club, i have seen it many times
HELP!!!
I was talking to a girl, and she had her left hand on her right shoulder and her right hand on left shoulder.
What does this mean??
sounds like she had no top on & was covering her boobs lol
Innerchild: I think she wanted to do the hokey-pokey. . . that’s what it’s all about. . . or maybe the Macarena???
Thanks Angelina!!!
Seriously though, you’re a woman, cross your arms and place your hands on the opposite shoulder (making an ‘X’ shape with your arms on your chest).
What is that communicating?
Innerchild: Dude, I’m sorry! No touchie the boobies!
Or maybe she didn’t shave her underarms and was self-concious?? Maybe???
25 more reasons why I should master the art of contortionism.
I have the problem of walking around with my hands cupped over my genitals.
I dont know the meaning, but it suits me.
but still
Contort you damn fool! I say.
Things are really not like that. The man who convey this article is not aware with the actualities of life. Bye n thanks
Could you give more details on open palm, thank you.
this list is so good.thanks for having it up here!
Cheers, helped me on my workplace assessment of body language.
its good
thanks guys. this really helped me out on an assessment i had about body language and some of those comments made me chuckle!
I work with a woman who CONSTANTLY tucks her hair behind her ears when she is in an uncomfortable situation. It makes me bloody crazy!!
Really good…
Good job…
it really helped me for my presentations on body language
Excellent! it is very good. i wondering !
i become a hero among my friends
This is the biggest crap ever! Have you ever rubbed your hands? Otherwise but to keep them warm?? Nobody does those things it’s like one of those stereotypes (villan rubbing his hands and grinning, evily!)
xdr, these gestures are done without the person conciously aware of doing them.
jfrater, thank you for this list. I’m also writing a college paper on gestures.
Gesture: Tapping or drumming fingers
Meaning: Impatience.
While that may be true, I knew a two drummers who CONTSTANTLY did this. Or maybe they were both really impatient…
hi.i’m from iran i like your site.i can learn many thing thanks
Wow, I noticed I do a lot of these things and I actualy see that they are true, now I’m noticing other people. I actualy like this site. YAY!
I am dismayed to find no reference to how disability can affect body language and its interpretation. If you have a physical impairment for example many of the body language types above may not be able to be performed. A disabled person may not display the same emotions by way of body language in the same way as non-disabled people. For example a visually impaired person may not pick up on body language at all or a person on the autistic spectrum will display what may be interpreted as a certain type of behaviour within the ‘rules’ stated above when that is not the message being portrayed (for example many people on the spectrum are uncomfortable with eye contact but it need not be interpreted as being evasive).
Body language is not an exact science and how disability might affect body language or how we might react to the body language of disabled people is often completely forgotten.
This list does not define body language as a defined rule. There are exceptions and anomalies. Beyond what this list says there are more that apply to every one. If a disability prevents one it is still possible to show others. With a background knowledge of the subject other models of body language may apply.
well, it is not all that bad.but it is a kind of what i have been looking for.
i’d just like to point out that body language sometimes differs to people who are psychologically different from the normal human psyche.
Great list though!
Shabab i totally agree with you, the middle finger should’ve been in this!
thank god my mother doesn’t know what it means or i would’ve been yelled at a few times cause me and my sister and brother always flip off each other
Good One!!
I realised as I was reading this that I was sitting with my legs crossed and kicking my foot slightly. Which according to the list means Im bored. LOL
I noticed I play with my ears when im nervous, is this just me?
these things are very helpfull
gesture:slight look of discomfort,tilting slowly
meaning:needing to fart
HAHAHAHAH good one uptowngal
It is very nice and useful also.
I read somewhere that when a man readjusts or simply messes with the waistline of his pants (like a belt buckle) that he is thinking about *****. Is this true?
Also, I read that when a woman sits crossed legged while dangling her shoe off her heel she is flirting. I do this all the time I noticed, but I’m usually just bored. It’s fun (well…more fun than just sitting there) to try to put your shoe back on without using your hand. Am I just weird or is it really a “bored” gesture?
Gesture: Hand to cheek
Meaning: Evaluation, thinking
Gesture: Rubbing hands
Meaning: Anticipation
Gesture: Biting nails
Meaning: Insecurity, nervousness
seriously, WTF???? did u REALLY need dat?
Gesture:Eye Rubb with one finger
Meaning:Doesnt like what s/he sees
also means all of the above