"The Body Language of Love" is an article detailing the pivotal role that body language plays in communication, and suggesting ways that men can use body language to send the right signals and improve their interactions with women. Smiling, holding the woman's gaze without staring, and taking a wide stance are examples of the various body gestures the article describes as "good when it comes to the opposite sex".
This article does have scientific foundation. Mirroring of postures, gestures while communicating, for example, is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when someone copies your movements. You are more likely to consider that person to be agreeable and to want to get to know them better. Another closely related concept is "rapport", defined by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, as "a relation marked by harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity", is a possible result, which occurs in part due to mirroring. Studies have also shown that, from an outside perspective looking in on a conversation, posture mirroring is indicative of positive connection and communication in the setting of psychotherapy, doctor patient relationship.
Furthermore, I feel that advice columns of this kind are rarely applicable in all situations, and the reader must always question their validity to an extent. Although the boy language detailed in the article most likely correlates positively with a male-female connection during communication, it would be an over simplification to take this combination of gestures as a recipe for the perfect relationship. A great example of this can be found in an episode of "The Office", in which Michael, the eccentric boss of the office, wishes to use a Wikipedia article's advice on body language to convey his power during a meeting with one of his subordinates. Not surprisingly, he fails miserably.
This article compels me to ask to what extent "self help" articles like this can have application. I searched online but there was very little research, it seemed, on the efficacy of these types of articles. It would be interesting to look into this area of psychology.
The Body Language of Love:
http://blogs.smh.com.au/lifestyle/allmenareliars/archives/2007/11/the_body_language_of_love.html
Introduction to Psychology text book
NBC's The Office:
http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I agree that "self-help" advice is a sticky subject. In my opinion, it is entertaining at the very most. It is possible that some advice is loosely based on scientific evidence, like what you addressed in your post, but it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to create standards that should be applicable to all situations. To say the least, romantic situations should be approached on an individual basis. :)
Nice assessment of the merely "apparent" scientific basis of self-help material and advice columns. the question remains, however, why are advice columns and self-help books so popular? why does the same pseudoscience sell over and over again? what might this tell us about how people think about these issues?
I agree that body language it too variable to generalize. It definitely depends with the situation that you are in, who you are talking to, and the history of the relationship. I think people turn to self-help books because they want a specific answer for everything, when in reality there really isn't one. But to people who buy these things, it can be comforting to think you are taking the "right steps". Very interesting post :)
Great post! I agree that there are some very interesting questions to this topic and would like to play the devil's advocate a little bit. Why is it that some body language seems universal? For example, it is generally agreed that a man like Bill Clinton was able to give a specific appearance that suggests authority, empathy, and understanding. Why is this? Also, what about micro-expressions? Have you done any research into this topic?
Post a Comment