Body Language
The term ‘body language’ speaks for itself. It conveys the following meaning: your body can speak without words. In fact, it is a kind of non-verbal communication, which sometimes tells more than words. That is why it is important to learn body language, in order to understand it and to know how to apply this knowledge in practice.
Psychologists unanimously agree that emotions can be understood with the help of face expressions. The Facial Expression Program is aimed at making emotions easier to understand (Russell and Fernández Dols 3-4). It is composed of assumptions, methods and theories. The key assumptions of the Facial Expression Program are as follows: there are several basic emotions; basic emotions are universal; there are basic emotions and their subcategories; there are voluntary facial expressions that are conditioned by culture; all people easily recognize basic emotions irrespective of their culture (Russell and Fernández Dols 11-13).
Emotion of facial expression is a universal one. There exist three interrelated propositions, which say that the pattern of facial expression is the same for all human groups; people in different societies share the same emotions as universal patterns; those facial patterns are manifestations of the emotions in different human societies (Russell and Fernández Dols 14).
Posture and Gesture
The results of the posture and gesture research is not as generally accepted as, for example, the research of facial expressions. Clinical literature neglects the body and gesture study. However, according to Scheflen, posture can convey some information on social relationships (Bull 15).
Charny divided postures into two categories. They are congruent postures and non-congruent ones. He also introduces the notion of mirror image congruent postures. This occurs when “one person’s left side is equivalent to the other’s right” (Bull 17-18). Another notion is identical postures, which describes the state when person’s right side matches the other person’s right side and vice versa: when person’s left side matches the other person’s left side.
Body Language in Job Interviews
The knowledge of body language is useful in every aspect of life. During the interview, a candidate’s body speaks more than words. Fleischmann states that the candidate’s level of comfort depends on the distance from the interviewer (161). Eighteen inches and four feet distance is considered a perfect one for most people. Culture contributes greatly to the comfort level of the candidates. Closer distances create comfort for people from Arab nations, the Mediterranean countries and Latin America, while the British and northern Europeans feel more comfortable at a more considerable distance of two to three feet (Fleischmann 162).
When the interviewer asks the candidate some questions, referring to his experience and skills the candidate acts in a different way. For the interviewer it is important to note and evaluate the candidate’s reactions to the questions. The candidate will probably display anxiety, and the interviewer’s job is to define the reason for that emotion. It is beyond the doubt that those candidates whose body language is consistent with his/her statements are more likely to get the job (Fleischmann 162).
The interviewer, as a rule, pays attention to the candidate’s breathing patterns, the head and face, the head and arm movements as well as the torso movement and position. Shortened and shallow breathes characterize frustration and nervousness. Heavy sign accompanies discussing undesirable questions. If the person tilts his/her head to one side it shows that he/she is interested in the topic. Nodding the head means approval, and narrowing the eyes means disapproval. Crossed arms can convey different emotions such as anger, aggressiveness, defensiveness and also disapproval (Fleischmann 162-164).
Liespotting
Pamela Meyer, the author of the book titled Liespotting, says that it is necessary to have scientific knowledge in order to spot the liar. Lie, to her mind, is a cooperative act, because people agree to believe it. However, it is not always so. On a day, you may be lied to from 10 to 200 times, studies show. Another study shows that strangers lie more often than acquaintances. Strangers lie 3 times within the first 10 minutes of the conversation (TEDGlobal n.p.).
There is a myths that liars do not look you in the eye, but in fact, they look you in the eye too long, in order to conceal the lie. Speaking about smiles, they can be sincere and fake. People who smile insincerely will contract purposely the muscles in their cheeks. Meanwhile, a sincere smile can be seen in the eyes, since the crow’s feet of the eyes cannot be purposely contracted. Another thing that spots the liar is his ability to retell a story backwards. The liar can rehearse his/her words, but cannot rehearse his/her gestures. When people say ‘yes’ and shake their heads ‘no’, they are lying. When people tell convincing stories and shrug their shoulders, they are lying. When people commit crimes and smile with a delight, because they are proven innocent, they have been lying (TEDGlobal n.p.).
Lessons on Body Language
Borg offers 7 lessons on body language. They are language of the mind and body, looking, listening, limbs, lying, likeability and leakage. These lessons say that body language has the importance of words. Since people communicate body language subconsciously, it is said to carry even more importance than words. The research shows that body language has 55% of meaning, non-verbal elements of speech have 38% of meaning and words have only 7% of meaning (Borg 17). Eye contact and eye behavior also play an important role in body language, as eyes convey more communication than any other body part. In average conversation speakers look away, as a rule, more often than listeners (Borg 38)
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be said that the study of body language consists of different aspects, such as facial expressions, looking, posture and gestures and many others. All psychologists agree as to the importance of body language in the everyday life, as well as in different fields of study, for example in criminal justice system, education and business.
During the interview, the interviewer always pays attention to the candidate’s reaction to various questions, as well as to his body language. It is the interview’s job to understand body language and to be able to interpret it correctly. Such emotion as the anxiety can be caused by different reasons, and the interviewer has to determine the reason for that emotion, in order to assess the candidate.
On an average day, people may be lied to from 10 to 200 times. That is why it is important to be able to spot the lie. This can be done with the help of psychological knowledge. Studies proved that liars do not look away, but they are looking people in the eye longer than usual. Having psychological knowledge, it is also possible to differentiate between a sincere and a fake smile. One more interesting thing about lying is that liars can rehearse their words, but cannot rehearse their gestures.
Works Cited
Borg, James. Body Language. Harlow, England: Pearson Prentice Hall Life, 2008. Print.
Bull, Peter. Posture and Gesture. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1987. Print.
Fleischmann, Scott T. "The Messages of Body Language in Job Interviews". Empl. Rel. Today 18.2 (1991): 161-166. Web.
Russell, James A and José Miguel Fernández Dols. The Psychology of Facial Expression. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Print.
TEDGlobal,. How to Spot a Liar. 2011. Web. 2 June 2016.
