How to Read Different Types of Body Language

What Is Body Language?

Body language is the process of communicating nonverbally. Most body language is unconscious. Try to stop your hands from gesturing while you speak and you’ll see how hard-wired these nonverbal movements are! 

Most of us learn appropriate body language when we are young from observing how others act. We pick it up naturally and emulate it in our interactions. Some mental illnesses or neurodivergence make it difficult to understand body language or will change your body language. For example, “flat affect” is a common symptom of depression, in which someone speaks in a toneless, flat voice. This can make it more difficult for people to understand them since they no longer can take the cue of tone from their interaction with them. 

Also, people of different cultures can have different nonverbal communication. A smile isn’t actually the same in every language, as cultural norms often dictate when and how much smiling, eye contact, hand gestures, and other nonverbal communication are used. 

Types of Nonverbal Communication and What They Mean

This guide will focus on the nonverbal communication common in the U.S., but it’s worth noting that even within the country nonverbal communication norms vary based on region. Use this guide to begin to understand how to read body language. 

There are many different types of body language expression. Some of them include:

Facial Expressions

Facial expressions most frequently communicate emotion. Sadness, anger, and joy all show up on our faces. Although some people may be more or less expressive with their facial expressions, most people are able to understand a wide variety of facial expressions. 

There are at least 7 universal facial expressions shared across cultures: 

• Anger
• Contempt
• Disgust
• Fear
• Happiness
• Sadness
• Surprise

Although some research suggests around 16 universal expressions. 

All parts of our face make up facial expressions, but specifically:

• Eyebrows can be very expressive, including: 
  • Raised or arched eyebrows signify surprise
  • Lowered eyebrows signify anger, sadness, or fear
• The Mouth can do more than smile or frown, such as:
  • Dropped jaw (surprise)
  • Open mouth (fear)
  • Slanted mouth (contempt or disgust)
  • Lip biting (anxiety)

It’s worth noting that our perception of nonverbal communication like facial expressions is not always accurate. For example, research shows that we are more likely to view narrow faces with prominent noses as intelligent, even though face structure has nothing to do with intelligence. 

Gestures

Many people use their hands to talk, but what do all those gestures mean? Some meanings include:

• Clenched fist: anger or solidarity
• Hands up: openness and vulnerability
• Hands in pockets: dominance

Handshakes also convey a lot. People tend to perceive a weak handshake as a weak person and a strong handshake as a strong, albeit sometimes aggressive if too strong, person. 

When we talk, most people prefer someone who uses hand gestures that aren’t too wild or out there (think jazz hands or gestures). Not using any hand gestures comes across as stiff, however. 

Body Movement and Posture

Body posture can tell us a lot about how someone is feeling, such as:

• Crossed arms: defensive, self protective, or closed off
• Hands on hips: aggressive or on the defensive
• Crossing legs away from conversation partner: dislike or disinterest
• Fidgeting: anxious, bored, or frustrated

In general, when you cross parts of your body or turn away from someone, you’re signifying that you are not interested in the conversation. This could be because you’re uncomfortable, anxious, bored, or mad. 

The speed on which we move our body also conveys. Erratic, choppy, and quick movements tend to convey unreliability or anxiousness, whereas very slow, languid movements may convey disinterest or dismissal.

Eye Contact

Eye contact is one of the most telling body language and the most difficult to master. When you’re looking for eye contact, take note of:

• How frequently they look away: Prolonged eye contact demonstrates interest, but too much and you may come across as threatening. On the other hand, glancing away frequently conveys disinterest, discomfort, or even lying.  
• Rapid blinking: distressed or uncomfortable 
• Infrequent blinking: may be trying to hide something
• Dilated pupils: interested, excited, or attracted

Space

How much space do you take up when you talk to someone? How close do you stand to people? These are all important aspects of nonverbal communication. 

• Standing too close can be considered a breach of personal space and intimidating or aggressive
• Standing too far away conveys discomfort

People tend to stand closer to those they feel comfortable with. So standing further away from a close friend may signify to them something is wrong, but getting up and personal with a stranger is likely to make them uncomfortable. 

Tone

The tone of our voice isn’t necessarily nonverbal communication, but it is still a vital part of communication that doesn’t rely on words. There are four areas of tone:

• Pich: People associate deeper voices with dominance and higher voices with neuroticism and nervousness. 
• Volume: Talking too loudly can convey aggression whereas too quietly can convey shyness or timidness. 
• Pace: How quickly you talk. This can vary and people have different preferences, but certain paces may come across as frantic, anxious, or nonsensical, whereas a slow, drawn out pace may convey exhaustion, depression, or distraction. 
• Inflection: A complicated part of voice, but essentially where and how you stress your words. Stressing different words can spin different meanings into the same sentence. 

Using Body Language to Communicate Effectively

You may have noticed that many of the perceptions we have about body language aren't always accurate. For example, people with a deeper voice aren’t automatically more dominant, yet people with a higher-pitched voice will still struggle to be taken seriously when matched with someone with a deeper voice. 

The meanings attributed to nonverbal communication here are not meant to be an accurate reflection of who you are; in fact sometimes they convey something untrue. It is important, however, to understand the impact your nonverbal communication has on people. If you are a naturally fidgety person, you will likely come across as anxious, even if you aren’t! Understanding this knowledge will help you take control of your narrative when you need to. 

Also, don’t underestimate the power of words. Body language is important, but so is communicating what you are thinking and feeling. 

If you want to work on your communication skills, talking to a therapist can help. A licensed therapist or life coach can help you build your body language and nonverbal communication skills, so you can be accurately understood. 

Find Your Therapist