body-language
Posture and gestures
Body language is the wordless communication conveyed through posture, gestures, facial expressions, and physical movements.
Reading someone's body language means interpreting what their physical presence reveals about their thoughts or feelings: Her body language said she wasn't interested.
The term usually implies unconscious signals rather than deliberate ones.
Expressive body movements
- postureBody position, alignment
- nonverbalNot using speech
- signalsConveyed indications
- cuesSignals prompting action
stance · movement · microexpressions · tone · mannerisms · demeanor · bearing · carriage
Playfully showing romantic interest
- attractionPull toward something
- touchingEvoking gentle emotion
- mirroringReproducing an image identically
- preeningGrooming with vanity
proximity · chemistry · tension · playful · coy · inviting · suggestive · advances
Stating known falsehoods
- fidgetingRestless minor movements
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- tellsConveys information verbally
- shiftySeeming dishonest or evasive
concealment · microexpressions · baseline · interrogation · bluffing · giveaway · unconscious · leakage
Emotionally unreachable, reserved
- guardedWary and restrained
- withdrawnEmotionally distant, disengaged
- barrierObstruction preventing passage
- hunchedBent at spine
distancing · discomfort · resistance · blocking · shielding · tension · rigidity · avoidance
Mutual palm-gripping gesture
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- presentationFormal display to viewers
- interviewFormal questioning session
- assertivenessConfident self-expression quality
dominance · submission · territorial · boardroom · negotiation · authority · credibility · rapport
gestures
Expressive body movements
cues · stance · movement · microexpressions · tone · mannerisms · demeanor · bearing · carriage · deportment
flirting
Playfully showing romantic interest
- attractionPull toward something
- touchingEvoking gentle emotion
- mirroringReproducing an image identically
preening · proximity · chemistry · tension · playful · coy · inviting · suggestive · advances · come-hither
lying
Stating known falsehoods
- fidgetingRestless minor movements
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- tellsConveys information verbally
shifty · concealment · microexpressions · baseline · interrogation · bluffing · giveaway · unconscious · leakage · self-soothing
closed-off
Emotionally unreachable, reserved
- guardedWary and restrained
- withdrawnEmotionally distant, disengaged
- barrierObstruction preventing passage
hunched · distancing · discomfort · resistance · blocking · shielding · tension · rigidity · avoidance · retreating
handshake
Mutual palm-gripping gesture
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- presentationFormal display to viewers
- interviewFormal questioning session
assertiveness · dominance · submission · territorial · boardroom · negotiation · authority · credibility · rapport · leadership
body-languageverbal communication
Exchange through spoken language
spoken language · speech · words · verbal expression · written language
body, language, bodies, bodied, bodily, embody, embodies, embodied, embodying