Female-Male Nonverbal Communication

1. Female-Male Nonverbal Communication Chapter Eleven

2. Definitions • Sex is the biological and genetic difference between girls and boys, men and women • Gender is the psychological, social, and cultural manifestations of what people perceive to be the appropriate behaviors of females and males

3. Three Theoretical Explanations • Genetics • Modeling of older males and females • Conditioning or reinforcement

4. Genetics • Males and females inherit different bone structures and body types • They determine our walk, gestures, and posture can influence other nonverbal behaviors such as our smiles • Females have larger breasts, men have wider shoulders

5. Modeling • We learn many of our behaviors by observing others and imitating their behavior

6. Reinforcement or Conditioning • Behavior that is reinforced or conditioned will increase

7. Appearance and Attractiveness • Culturally, females may have to meet higher standards of attractiveness • Attractive people are perceived as more socialable, more likeable, more outgoing, more intelligent and happier

8. Gesture and Movement • As early as preschool, girls and boys exhibit body movements and gestures of their biological sex • Greater display of dominant gestures from males and a greater display of acquiescing gestures by females

9. Face and Eye Behavior • Men tend to mask or hide their emotions more than women • Men smile primarily when amused or happy, females smile even when sending negative messages • Women look more at the other person in a conversation than men do • Females hold eye contact longer • Females gaze, men stare

10. Vocal Behavior • If we like the sound of a person’s voice we are more attentive, more open to listening, and more likely to engage in an extended conversations with that person

11. Space • The older we get, the more space we give • Women require less space than men • Females are expected to yield space to a man • Men command the bulk of the available space

12. Touch • Touch diminishes from infancy on • Women seem to be more concerned about the type of touch they give or receive than men are • In male-female interaction, it is the male which frequently initiates touch

13. Courtship Rituals • Quasi-courtship cues – courtship-readiness, preening behavior, positional cues, and actions of appeal or invitation

14. Courtship-Readiness Cues • Includes such as reduced eye bagginess, higher muscle tone, reduced jowl sag, little slouching, no shoulder hunching, and decreased belly sag

15. Preening Behavior • Stroking one’s hair • Fixing makeup • Fixing clothes • Looking in a mirror • Leaving buttons open on shirts or blouses • Adjusting suit coats • Pulling up socks • Adjusting a tie

16. Positional Cues • Reflected in seating arrangements • How do we position our bodies – open or closed?

17. Actions of Appeal or Invitation • Cues such as rolling the pelvis, casting flirtatious glances, holding another’s gaze, crossing a leg to expose one’s thigh, showing one’s wrist or palm, and flexing muscles

18. Page 226 • Steps to Intimacy

19. Advantages of Immediacy • Males and females who appear to be more immediate are perceived as more pleasant and friendly than those who are nonimmediate • More immediate people receive more communication • People approach and want to communicate more with people who give off cues that say they are more approachable

20. Disadvantages of Immediacy • Immediacy leads to more verbal and nonverbal communication • Immediacy can lead to misperception • Immediate behavior can lead to negative perceptions for both males and females

21. Androgyny • Andros – Greek meaning man • Gyne – Greek meaning woman • One who can associate with both masculine and feminine characteristics