Key Takeaways
- Body language and facial expressions can offer clues about what someone is feeling, but they should always be interpreted in context rather than as definitive signs.
- Paying attention to patterns—such as posture, eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions—can help you better understand what others may be thinking or feeling.
- Improving your awareness of nonverbal cues can strengthen communication and help you respond more thoughtfully in social interactions.
Understanding body language and facial expressions begins with looking at patterns of nonverbal signals rather than focusing on a single gesture. Posture, eye contact, facial movements, and tone of voice can all reveal a lot about how someone feels, but these cues only make sense when you consider them together and within the context of the situation.
Paying attention to clusters of signals and noticing when nonverbal behavior conflicts with what someone says can give you a clearer picture of what someone is actually trying to say.
What Is Body Language?
Body language refers to the nonverbal signals that we use to communicate. These nonverbal signals make up a huge part of daily communication.
Estimates suggest that body language may account for as much as 80% of all communication.
Examples of body language include facial expressions, eye gaze, gestures, posture, and body movements. In many cases, what we don’t say can convey volumes of information.
So, why is body language important? Body language can help us understand others and ourselves. It provides information about how people may feel in a given situation. We can also use body language to express emotions or intentions.
Click Play to Learn How To Read Body Language
Reading nonverbal communication often starts by paying attention to a few key types of body language and facial cues. Facial expressions, eye contact, and mouth movements can reveal emotional reactions, while gestures, body posture, and personal space often signal comfort, interest, or tension.
Focusing on these core areas can make it easier to recognize patterns and better understand what someone’s nonverbal behavior might be communicating.
Facial Expressions
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Think for a moment about how much a person can convey with just a facial expression. A smile can indicate approval or happiness. A frown can signal disapproval or unhappiness.
In some cases, our facial expressions may reveal our true feelings about a particular situation. While you say that you are feeling fine, the look on your face may tell people otherwise.
Just a few examples of emotions that can be expressed via facial expressions include:
- Happiness
- Sadness
- Anger
- Surprise
- Disgust
- Fear
- Confusion
- Excitement
- Desire
- Contempt
The expression on a person’s face can even help determine if we trust or believe what the individual is saying.
Facial expressions are also among the most universal forms of body language. The expressions used to convey fear, anger, sadness, and happiness are similar throughout the world.
Research suggests that people make judgments about other people’s personalities based on their facial expressions.
The Eyes
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The eyes are often called the “windows to the soul” because they reveal a great deal about what a person is feeling or thinking. As you engage in conversation with another person, taking note of eye movements is a natural and important part of the communication process.
Some common things you may notice include whether people are making direct eye contact or averting their gaze, how much they blink, and whether their pupils are dilated.
The best way to read someone’s body language is to pay attention. Look out for any of the following eye signals.
Eye Gaze
When a person looks directly into your eyes while speaking, it indicates they are interested and paying attention. However, prolonged eye contact can feel threatening.
On the other hand, breaking eye contact and frequently looking away might indicate that the person is distracted, uncomfortable, or trying to conceal their true feelings.
Researchers suggest that eye contact can also increase prosocial behavior by heightening self-awareness. It may also make people feel greater embarrassment when they violate social norms, making them more likely to adhere to socially acceptable behavior.
Blinking
Blinking is natural, but you should also pay attention to whether a person is blinking too much or too little.
People often blink more rapidly when they are feeling distressed or uncomfortable. Infrequent blinking may indicate that a person is intentionally controlling their eye movements.
For example, a poker player might blink less frequently because he is purposely trying to appear unexcited about the hand he was dealt.
Pupil Size
Pupil size can be a very subtle nonverbal communication signal. While light levels in the environment control pupil dilation, sometimes emotions can also cause small changes in pupil size.
For example, you may have heard the phrase “bedroom eyes” used to describe the look someone gives when they are attracted to another person. Highly dilated eyes, for example, can indicate that a person is interested or even aroused.
The Mouth
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Mouth expressions and movements can also be essential in reading body language. For example, a person might chew on their bottom lip when they are feeling worried, anxious, or insecure.
Covering the mouth may be an effort to be polite when the person is yawning or coughing, but it may also be an attempt to hide a frown of disapproval.
Smiling is perhaps one of the greatest body language signals, but smiles can also be interpreted in many ways.
A smile may be genuine, or it may be used to express false happiness, sarcasm, or even cynicism.
When evaluating body language, pay attention to the following mouth and lip signals:
- Pursed lips: Tightening the lips might indicate distaste, disapproval, or distrust.
- Lip biting: People sometimes bite their lips when they are worried, anxious, or stressed.
- Covering the mouth: When people want to hide an emotional reaction, they might cover their mouths to avoid showing a smile or a smirk.
- Turned up or down: Slight changes in the mouth can also be subtle indicators of a person’s mood. When the mouth is slightly turned up, it might mean that the person is feeling happy or optimistic. On the other hand, a slightly downturned mouth can indicate sadness, disapproval, or even an outright grimace.
Gestures
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Gestures are often the most direct and obvious body language signals. Waving, pointing, and using the fingers to indicate numerical amounts are common and easy-to-understand gestures.
Some gestures may be cultural, however, so giving a thumbs-up or a peace sign in another country might have a completely different meaning than it does in the United States.
The following examples are just a few common gestures and their possible meanings:
- A clenched fist can indicate anger in some situations or solidarity in others.
- Thumbs up and thumbs down are often used as gestures of approval and disapproval.
- The “okay” gesture, made by touching the thumb and index finger together in a circle while extending the other three fingers, can mean “okay” or “all right.” In some parts of Europe, however, the same signal is used to imply you are nothing. In some South American countries, the symbol is actually a vulgar gesture. In recent years, it’s also gained notoriety for its use by alt-right trolls.
- The V sign, created by lifting the index and middle fingers and spreading them into a V-shape, means peace or victory in some countries. In the United Kingdom and Australia, the symbol takes on an offensive meaning when the back of the hand faces outward.
The Arms and Legs
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The arms and legs can also convey nonverbal information. Crossing the arms can indicate defensiveness. Crossing legs away from another person may indicate dislike or discomfort with that individual.
Other subtle signals, such as expanding the arms widely, may be an attempt to seem larger or more commanding, while keeping the arms close to the body may be an effort to minimize oneself or withdraw from attention.
When you are evaluating body language, pay attention to some of the following signals that the arms and legs may convey:
- Crossed arms might indicate a person feeling defensive, self-protective, or closed off.
- Standing with hands placed on the hips can indicate that a person is ready and in control, or it can also be a sign of aggressiveness.
- Clasping the hands behind the back might indicate a person feeling bored, anxious, or even angry.
- Rapidly tapping fingers or fidgeting can indicate that a person is bored, impatient, or frustrated.
- Crossed legs can indicate that a person is feeling closed off or in need of privacy.
Posture
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How we hold our bodies can also serve as an important part of body language.
The term posture refers to how we hold our bodies as well as the overall physical form of an individual.
Posture can convey a wealth of information about how a person is feeling and hints at personality characteristics, such as whether a person is confident, open, or submissive.
Sitting up straight, for example, may indicate that a person is focused and paying attention to what’s going on. Sitting with the body hunched forward, on the other hand, can imply that the person is bored or indifferent.
When you are trying to read body language, notice some of the signals a person’s posture can send.
- Open posture involves keeping the trunk of the body open and exposed. This type of posture indicates friendliness, openness, and willingness.
- Closed posture involves hiding the trunk of the body, often by hunching forward and crossing the arms and legs. This type of posture can be an indicator of hostility, unfriendliness, and anxiety.
Personal Space
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Have you ever heard someone refer to their need for personal space? Have you ever felt uncomfortable when someone stands just a little too close to you?
The term proxemics, coined by anthropologist Edward T. Hall, refers to the distance between people in their interactions. Just as body movements and facial expressions can communicate a great deal of nonverbal information, so can the physical space between individuals.
Hall described four levels of social distance that occur in different situations.
- Intimate Distance: 6 to 18 inches: This level of physical distance often indicates a closer relationship or greater comfort between individuals. It usually occurs during intimate contact such as hugging, whispering, or touching.
- Personal Distance: 1.5 to 4 feet: Physical distance at this level usually occurs between family members or close friends. The closer the people can comfortably stand while interacting can be an indicator of the level of intimacy in their relationship.
- Social Distance: 4 to 12 feet: This level of physical distance is often used with acquaintances. With someone you know fairly well, such as a co-worker you see several times a week, you might feel more comfortable interacting at a closer distance. In cases where you do not know the other person well, such as a postal delivery driver you only see once a month, a distance of 10 to 12 feet may feel more comfortable.
- Public Distance: 12 to 25 feet: Physical distance at this level is often used in public speaking situations. Talking in front of a class full of students or giving a presentation at work are good examples of such situations.
It is also important to note that the level of personal distance that individuals need to feel comfortable can vary from culture to culture.
One oft-cited example is the difference between people from Latin and Asian cultures and those from North America. People from Latin and Asian countries tend to feel more comfortable standing closer to one another when interacting, while those from North America need more personal space.
Roles of Nonverbal Communication
Body language plays many roles in social interactions. It can help facilitate the following:
- Earning trust: Engaging in eye contact, nodding your head while listening, and even unconsciously mirroring another person’s body language are all signals that you and someone else are bonding.
- Emphasizing a point: The tone of voice you use and the way you engage listeners with your hand and arm gestures, or by how you take up space, are all ways that affect how your message comes across.
- Revealing truths: When someone’s body language doesn’t match what they’re saying, we might intuitively pick up that they are withholding information or perhaps not being honest about how they feel.
- Tuning in to your own needs: Our own body language can reveal a lot about how we’re feeling. For instance, are you in a slumped posture, clenching your jaw, and/or pursing your lips? This may be a signal that the environment you’re currently in is triggering you in some way. Your body might be telling you that you’re feeling unsafe, stressed, or any number of emotions.
Remember, though, that your assumptions about what someone else’s body language means may not always be accurate.
What does body language tell you about a person?
Body language can tell you when someone feels anxious, angry, excited, or any emotion. It may also suggest personality traits (i.e., whether someone is shy or outgoing). But body language can be misleading. It is subject to a person’s mood, energy level, and circumstances.
While in some cases a lack of eye contact indicates untrustworthiness, it doesn’t mean you automatically can’t trust someone who isn’t looking you in the eye. It could be that they are distracted and thinking about something else. Or, again, it could be a cultural difference at play.
How to Improve Your Nonverbal Communication
Improving your body language starts with paying attention to how you communicate nonverbally. Noticing your posture, facial expressions, and physical habits can help you identify signals that might unintentionally convey tension, discomfort, or disinterest. By intentionally making small changes, you can project confidence and openness more effectively when communicating with others.
- Maintain an upright and open posture: Sit or stand straight with your shoulders relaxed and avoid crossing your arms tightly, which can sometimes convey defensiveness or discomfort.
- Make appropriate eye contact: Looking at the person speaking shows attention and interest, but keep it natural rather than staring continuously.
- Use facial expressions that match the conversation: Smiling, raising your eyebrows slightly, or showing concern when appropriate can help show professionalism at work and in other formal settings.
- Show you are listening: Nod occasionally and lean slightly forward to show that you are listening and paying attention to what they are saying.
- Be mindful of personal space: Match your personal space to the setting. Standing too close can make others feel uncomfortable, while standing too far away can convey discomfort.
- Develop emotional intelligence: The more in touch you are with how you feel, the easier it often is to sense how others are receiving you. You’ll be able to tell when someone is open and receptive, or, on the other hand, if they are closed-off and need some space.
- Match your body language to the mood: If we want to feel a certain way, we can use our body language to our advantage. Research has found that a slumped posture can make it more difficult to recover from a negative mood.
Most importantly, remember that body language works alongside spoken communication as well as the context. There isn’t a single perfect set of nonverbal cues for every single situation. The key is to stay aware, respectful, and responsive so that you can communicate more effectively.
