Two things here...
First of all, I'm not talking about broad cultural gestures that are taught and expressed... I'm referring to the micro expressions, the small facial reactions, these are very definitely universal, this is a known and scientific fact, these are involuntary gestures which all humans express... it requires some training to notice, but they are very definitely there and these expression cannot be controlled, these expression are not voluntary, they're controlled by the autonomic nervous system...
Secondly, there is no cookbook style publication that might be able to detail these micro gestures, but you might be able to find something at your local Barnes and Nobles that would give you an good introduction to body language...
All I know is even basic things like shaking your head side-to-side can mean "yes" or it can mean "no" depending on the culture.
This is true, and it's also true that this is all you know... there is a huge body of research and knowledge on this subject, I wouldn't dismiss it so quickly just because you're not familiar with it... for instance, the Rorscharch test is nothing but a standardized bunch of ten ink blots, but they tell you a wealth of information about the individual when the test is administered... even when people are just speaking in normal everyday conversation, they have no idea how much they reveal about themselves by what they say, especially when they gossip about other people...
GZ |
