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MYTHS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

MYTHS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION. Why this class will not make you an all-knowing, infallible judge of others’ nonverbal cues. Myth 1: You can read a person like a book. The reality. Nonverbal cues can be perceived and interpreted, but not “read.” The term body “language” is misleading.

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MYTHS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

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  1. MYTHS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Why this class will not make you an all-knowing, infallible judge of others’ nonverbal cues

  2. Myth 1: You can read a person like a book

  3. The reality • Nonverbal cues can be perceived and interpreted, but not “read.” • The term body “language” is misleading. • Nonverbal communication is not a language. • Nonverbal communication has no grammar, no syntax. • If you could read a person like a book: • No one could successfully lie to another person. • Poker players couldn’t bluff. • Undercover cops would be exposed. • Relationships would be damaged. • There is no one-to-one correspondence between a specific nonverbal cue and its meaning. • direct eye contact could signal attraction or hostility. • Nonverbal behavior is highly idiosyncratic • It varies greatly from person to person.

  4. What do these smiles mean?

  5. Myth 2: 95% of the meaning is carried via the nonverbal channel • 93% of the meaning or impact is communicated nonverbally (Mehrabian & Ferris, 1967; Mehrabian & Weiner, 1967) • “No more than 30 to 35 percent of the social meaning of a conversation or interaction is carried by words” (Birdwhistle, 1970, p. 158) • Mehrabian (1972, 1981) the face conveys 55% of the emotional meaning of a message, vocal cues convey 38%, as little as 7% is communicated verbally.

  6. The reality • The exact percentage is an unknowable statistic. • If you watched a film in a foreign language would you understand 93% of it? • If police were investigating a crime, and the only witness were a mime, would they obtain 93% of the information they needed? • If you watched a stand-up comedian while wearing earplugs, would she/he be just as funny?

  7. Myth 3: Nonverbal behavior is genuine, natural, spontaneous • We can’t hide our true feelings. • Nonverbal communication is reflexive. • People can’t help but leak nonverbal cues. • People give off “natural signs” about what they are thinking and feeling. • Nonverbal communication is more trustworthy, believable.

  8. The reality • Nonverbal communication is a powerful medium. • The majority of the emotional or affective meaning is carried via the nonverbal channel. • When there is a contradiction between verbal and nonverbal cues, people tend to assign more weight to the nonverbal message. • Nonverbal cues convey generalized feelings and mood states. • mad, angry, upset, frustrated • Words provide more subtle, nuanced expressions of feeling. • furious, peeved, irate, livid, outraged, riled up, in a huff, pissed off, ticked off, infuriated, miffed

  9. The reality • Nonverbal communication often operates at a low level of awareness • Or even unconsciously • Nonverbal behavior can also be highly conscious and strategic • fake laughter • feigning interest • crocodile tears • fake orgasm • Most people consider themselves good judges of emotion. • Self-serving bias • Confirmation bias • A person’s expressive repertoire can be used deceptively.

  10. Myth 4: Nonverbal cues are culturally universal • People may assume that nonverbal behavior is instinctive or part of “human nature.” • Biologically innate • Evolutionarily adaptive • Charles Darwin, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals • Universality of basic emotional expressions • Anger • Disgust • Fear • Happiness • Sadness • Surprise • Contempt

  11. The 7 “universal” emotions • Cross-cultural similarities do exist.

  12. Happiness is a cultural universal

  13. The reality • There are some cultural universals, however… • Fear and disgust are easily confused • Blended facial expressions are more culture-bound • Sarcastic smile, smirk, smug look • Cultural displays rules moderate emotional displays • Example: When people sit, where should their legs and feet go? • Gender differences • Cultural differences

  14. Name that emotion • Slight sadness • Disgust • Slight enjoyment • Slight or highly controlled anger • Slight or highly controlled fear • Masked anger • Fear or surprise • Contempt, smug, or disdainful • Worry, apprehension, controlled fear

  15. Myth 5: You can spot a liar based on his/her nonverbal cues • Movies and TV shows perpetuate this myth • Lie To Me • Casino Royale • Cops vastly overestimate their deception detection skills • Jurors overestimate their deception detection skills • Laypersons believe liars leak cues to deception via: • Gaze avoidance • Postural shifting • Response latency

  16. The reality • On average, people are about 54% accurate in detecting deception. • Cops fare no better than college students • The three most common “signs” are false correlates of deception. • Liars do not necessarily look up and to the left • NLP is unreliable

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