Body language

• Body language

  • The way in which attitudes and feelings are communicated to each other through unspoken movements and gestures
• Open and closed posture

  • Posture - the way someone positions their body during a social interaction
  • Open posture is relaxed. Shows Approval
  • Closed posture shows rejection
  • McGinley found that using an open posture when discussing means people are more likely to agree with you
• Postural echo

  • When you copy or mirror someone's body position while talking
  • Tanner and Chartrand found that using a postural echo means others are likely to experience positive feelings towards you
• Touch

  • Used to flirt, express friendship and show dominance
  • Shown through shaking hands, high fiving, slapping etc.
  • Fisher found that touch can affect our attitudes towards others
• Evaluation of body language (1)

  • Weakness
  • Research often conducted without participant's consent
  • Breaks ethical guidelines
• Evaluation of body language (2)

  • Weakness
  • Research makes generalisations about how we use it in everyday life
  • Not everybody uses body language in the same way due to individual differences
  • Someone could like being touched while others don't