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To properly identify and understand negative body language, we need to define the meaning of body language. Simply put, body language is used to refer to the unspoken component of communication.
Body language is used to express our real feelings and different emotions. Emotions can clearly be expressed through different gestures, postures, and even facial expressions.
When we are able to decipher different body signals, we can use all of these signs to our advantage. Once you can read different body signs, you can easily understand the message that someone is trying to bring across. Additionally, by simply observing an individual’s body language, you can find out how an individual think of us.
If you are failing to take your own body language seriously, you could be emitting the wrong signals to those around you. You could also be interfering with your own progress in life.
A number of us hardly concentrate on working on our own body language. Instead, we place focus on producing a product instead of working on our own personal presentation. A ton of people is of the belief that if we build a product that is amazing, the other details will be swept under the rug.
Each and every person communicates with their body at all times, and our body language is a very important communication aspect. Sometimes though, a number of us get lost in thought and forget all about this censorious communication feature.
These very small body motions and non-verbal cues are a great form of communication. They let the world know a number of things about our own selves.
Negative body language signals
Continuously Touching Your Nose
Rubbing your nose or repeatedly touching it could actually be a response from the allergies or irritations that you are facing. Sometimes your blood pressure could rise and a rise in blood pressure could cause blood to rush to your skin, your mast cells and expand the cells in your body. This could probably make you rub your nose continuously.
However, if you are not sick or irritated in any kind of way, then this repeated action could be a sign of negative body language. Rubbing your nose removes the attention from your image or your presentation.
Additionally, the people around you may find it hard to trust you or the message that you are trying to put across. Such an action can even be considered deceitful as it is common with a lot of liars.
Therefore, it is important that you prevent your hands from constantly touching your face unless completely necessary.
Constantly Touching Your Hair
Just like the point mentioned above, this section is still about touching areas around your face as well as your hair, especially if you are working on grooming yourself.
Touching your hair in a way to fix it more than once sends a strong signal showing that you are not confident with yourself, maybe you are not sure of what to say or do or simply you were not prepared for your presentation.
In many different commercials, movie scenes or music videos, there is a popular hair flip that is used to show attractiveness or confidence.
However, when done in real life, it either looks like bad acting or it reveals that you were not prepared. Whatever kind of grooming that you need to do to your face or your hair, you should simply take care of it privately, far away from the individuals you are speaking with.
Biting on Your Lips
The topic of biting your nails is quite obvious. That is a really bad habit that everyone should work on avoiding. However, so many people bite their lips even without realizing it. There are speakers who even bite their lips while standing on the podium and this action mostly lasts for just one second.
A few individual’s go-ahead to chew their lips right in front of others. There are some who chew their lips in the privacy of their homes or their vehicles, and it could be because they are piling up stress about an action that they have done or something that they are just about to do.
Biting or chewing your lips just once in front of your peers or employers could prove that you are not confident with yourself or you’re not sure of your next actions. Those around you could even go ahead and lose interest in you.
Keeping Your Mouth Covered
Covering your mouth is such an unconscious action that it could happen when you are seated in a meeting or even during an interview. This action makes you look like you are buried deep in thought and you are not fully present in the actions happening all around you.
Covering your mouth is also an action that is associated with deceitfulness as seasoned liars often cover their mouths. In addition, this action also shows that you may not have any confidence in yourself or you are worried about something.
If this is an action that you do when you are overthinking, you may possibly be adding to your dilemma. If you want to exude a confident look, it is important that you avoid any look that could show that you are fidgeting or you have been caught off guard.
Scratching Your Skin
Continuously scratching yourself is an action that does not seem deliberate, however, even if you perform this action once, it could show that you are simply unsure of yourself.
We all scratch different parts of our bodies for the same reason we touch our noses. When the blood pressure in our bodies begins to rise, the mast cells slowly release histamine. Histamine may make your skin feel itchy causing you to repeatedly scratch your skin.
It is important to note when you are right in front of your peers, avoid scratching your skin completely. This action should be avoided especially if you are in a situation where trust and confidence matter. Continuously scratching your skin sends out the wrong message and you could easily lose a lot of interest and stock.
Rubbing your Earlobes
Holding your ears or rubbing your earlobes is actually a very surprising negative body gesture. Some people falsely interpret this gesture thinking that one was simply deep in thought, however, rubbing your earlobes is an action that is also practiced by deceitful people
Crossing your Arms and Ankles
The action of crossing your arms and your legs could make you come off as closed off. It looks like a defensive action and it is not attractive in any kind of way.
When you are on a date or an important meeting crossing your arms and ankles is such a negative look. Even if you thought you are just trying to get a comfortable position, this action is unadvisable.
If you are presenting a project as you stand or you are seated in a meeting, crossing your arms and ankles could make those around you think you’re nervous, or there is something that you are hiding.
If you are trying to lure individuals into investing in you or your projects, then it is so much better not to cross your ankles, your legs or even your arms.
Conclusion
All of the subjects covered in this review are amazing tips that will allow you to understand body language. It is important to realize that all of these tips will not necessarily apply to everyone you meet, especially if an individual has been raised with a cultural background that is not similar to yours.
It is important that you avoid any kind of generalized presumptions. If you are receiving mixed signals from an individual, you could try and get to know the person better.
The ability to interpret body language comes in quite handy when you are listening to someone or getting to know the person.