12 Gestures that reveal feelings

Crossing your arms across your chest, avoiding your gaze, hugging or shaking hands very strongly, among non-verbal messages, are gestures that reveal our feelings. However, most of them we do unconsciously, although others are voluntary and intentional to show affection, aversion or other types of feelings.

In this Psychology-Online article we will give you the information you need to learn to identify the gestures that reveal feelings. However, it is important that you know in advance that each person is different and reacts differently to what who feels and experiences, so the meaning of the gestures depends on the communicative intention of each person.

Index

1. The smile
2. Frown
3. cross arms over chest
4. eye contact
5. Shrug
6. touch your face
7. the handshake
8. nod head
9. Put your hands on your hips in the form of a jar
10. Open stance (arms and legs apart)
11. swollen chest
12. Cover our mouths when we smile and scratch our ears

There is no more universal gesture that reveals feelings and mood than a smile. In fact, it is a modulation of the face that

Another of the gestures that betray feelings is frowning, which means that you are worried, confused or disagree with some situation

It occurs when the facial muscles are very tense and this tension is reflected on the individual's forehead.

When people cross their arms across their chest, it usually means they are experiencing impatience, anger or insecurity before a situation.

Actually, it is a non-verbal expression, which indicates that you are trying to create a barrier because something does not interest you or bothers you. Although on some occasions it is also a sign of low self-esteem or shyness before other people.

Several factors come into play in this gesture, since maintaining or avoiding eye contact have different meanings. When a person keeps the stare At a focal point, it means that your attention is 100% on that aspect and that you are not interested in anything that happens around you, only what you observe. Besides, Denotes interest, confidence and sincerity.

On the contrary, when we avoid our gaze or lower it, it means that we avoid closeness with the other person or until we are hiding something. Also, it is associated with shyness, discomfort or lack of confidence. In this article you will find information about Types of looks and their meaning.

Do you want to know what is another gesture that betrays feelings? Well, shrugging can show uncertainty, ignorance or indifference. Also, it indicates doubt, disbelief or lack of interest towards something specific.

This is a very common gesture that indicates some feelings without having to express a word. For example, can indicate nervousness, lying or discomfort and in very specific cases, it can even be a sign of flirting, especially if the part of your face that you touch is your lips.

The handshake is one of the universal gestures used to greet. But do you know how this gesture can reveal what we feel? Actually, the strength of the squeeze can reveal a lot about our feelings. A strong and firm handshake can show confidence and security, while a weak and loose one indicates lack of confidence or interest.

The duration of the squeeze can also be significant, because if someone holds your hand for too long, it can be a sign of flirting or a need for emotional support. On the other hand, if the squeeze is brief, it can mean a lack of interest or a more reserved personality. Even a gentle caress at the moment of squeezing the hand can be a sign of keen or emotional closeness.

Undoubtedly, this is a gesture that at some point all people do. Many times, nodding is a common gesture that we use to show agreement or understanding. However, it can also give away our feelings and emotions in other ways.

For example, you can be a sign of approval, empathy, boredom and impatience, and even submission in the most extreme cases.

It is a non-verbal expression in which we hold our hands on our hips as a sign of anger or that we are impatient in a situation.

On the other hand, it can mean that we are defensive when we are not sure about something and we want to hide that insecurity.

In this case, it is a signal that indicates trust, openness and availability. It is a gesture full of tranquility and relaxation that is taken when we are comfortable with something or someone.

Puffing out the chest is a demonstration of that we want to express more strength than we have at that moment. That is, it is a defensive signal against some type of aggression, danger or event in which we want to stand out.

For example, men tend to puff out their chests in the presence of someone they like, as it is a posture naturally caused to impress. Women even tend to raise their breasts a little to appear more interesting and attractive.

Although they are two different gestures, their signals are very clear. For example, when we smile and cover our mouths, it means that we feel shy and insecure. For its part, when we talk and scratch our ear, it can indicate that we are bored, and that we want to end that conversation as soon as possible.

In summary, our gestures can be a useful tool to understand the feelings and emotions of others. By paying attention to the gestures of others and reflecting on our own, we can improve our communication and our interpersonal relationships.

This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Gestures that reveal feelings, we recommend that you enter our category of Feelings.

• Argyle, M. (1994). The psychology of interpersonal behavior. Penguin Books.
• Givens, D. b. (2014). Your body language speaks for you: Decoding the messages of nonverbal communication. Hachette Books.