March 8-14 (question 3)

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed this week, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

As I read through chapter 5 I came across the topic of body movement and gesture. I believe this is one of the most universal nonverbal codes that are bodies perform. Whether we lean in towards someone or move away, our body movements can display many types of emotions. Posture can signal interest or disinterest, willingness to get involved or desire to keep one’s distance, (115). We can all tell a lot about us just by our posture and body movements. The study of body movements and the example the book gave about how inmates analyzed regular people walking down the streets and classifying them as “muggable” or “not muggable” was also very interesting. I just think it’s fascinating how much our body movements and gestures lets others know so much about ourselves. Sometimes it can work against us, like the example of the prison inmates, and sometimes it can work for us when trying to give a nonverbal message to a friend across the room.