Today we will begin our summary of body language, mostly for beginners, different types, different meanings, etc. I’m going to start with a quick introduction on why it’s an important set of things to know and how reading what you see effectively can give you a very real insight to someone’s thoughts, and can give an upper hand in many cases.

Body language can vary from culture to culture, so be mindful of that. This will be mostly be based on American culture and body language, and I’m sure much of it will be relevant elsewhere as well.

The ability to read those around you can serve to be anywhere from a useful tool to judge how a conversation is going, all the way up to saving your life because you notice something “off” and avoid danger. Lying tends to have visible representation in body language as well, so you could end up being a human lie detector if you wanted.

Important generalization: Most body language will fall into the categories “open” or “closed.”

Open body language usually leaves the vulnerable areas on the body open and relaxed, meaning that the arms will be at ease, or making expansive gestures and so on.

Closed body language is protective, often the solar plexus/chest area will be blocked by crossed arms. Another common one is hunching forward while seated, showing uncertainty and lack of confidence, almost like hiding. Basically, if you see something but don’t know what it means, you can try to see how relaxed or protective somebody is to help guide you.

Don’t assume that you know what exactly is going on, just use it to make an an educated guess. I still recommend looking into it further after the fact, but in a pinch at least an educated guess is better than absolutely nothing.

We’ll be getting into more specifics very soon, follow along and stay tuned. You won’t regret it, trust me. Enjoy!