Nonverbal communication forms a social language that is in many ways richer and more fundamental than our words.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Scientists attach great importance to the human capacity for spoken language. But we also have a parallel track of nonverbal communication, which may reveal more than our carefully chosen words, and sometimes be at odds with them.
One of the most surprising forms of nonverbal communication is the way we automatically adjust the amount of time we spend looking into another's eyes as a function of our relative social position.
We routinely participate in elaborate nonverbal exchanges even when we are not consciously aware of doing so.
Body language is a very powerful tool. We had body language before we had speech, and apparently, 80% of what you understand in a conversation is read through the body, not the words.
When you have a nonverbal conversation with a total stranger, then he can't cover himself with words, he can't create a wall.
Language is a more recent technology. Your body language, your eyes, your energy will come through to your audience before you even start speaking.
But behavior in the human being is sometimes a defense, a way of concealing motives and thoughts, as language can be a way of hiding your thoughts and preventing communication.
The social brain is in its natural habitat when we're talking with someone face-to-face in real time.
There is a world of communication which is not dependent on words.
Verbal and nonverbal activity is a unified whole, and theory and methodology should be organized or created to treat it as such.