Nonverbal Communication
everything we do to communicate often than the words themselves
Early in Relationships vs More established Relationships
- nonverbal plays a more important role early in relationships, helps us form impressions
- after norms are established, we give less power to these isolated behaviors.
My nonoverbal cues vs YOUR nonverbal cues
- we are mmoe aware of our verbal messages, than nonverbal
- we tend to think of nonverbal as natural, but perceive other nonverbal as more meaningful & intentional.
Forms of Nonverbal Messages
- Physical Appearance
- Kinesics
- Oculesics
- Facial Expressions
- Paralanguage (vocalic)
- Proxemics’ (space)
- chronemics
Physical Appearance
Impact: it’s the first message we send/receive
-we may not initiate interaction w/someone we find unattractive
Physical Aspects that communicate: dress, clothing, hair color. They communicate status, intelligence, fashion..etc
Advantages of Physical Attractiveness
- viewed as more intelligent
- less like to be arrested, serve full term
- perceived as socially skilled
Disadvantages of Physical Attractiveness
- perceived as brainless
- not taken seriously
- incompetent
- intimidating
Kinesics
study of body movement
Illustrators
- nonverbal symbols that add meaning to the verbal messages
- ex) a child holds up 2 fingers to say they are 2
Regulators
help w/conversational interaction
ex)raise your hand
Affect Displays
behaviors that shows ones emotional state
Ex)crying, smiling
Adaptors
usually unconscious movements done under times of stress, anxiety, or boredom.
Ex)tap pencils, shake legs
Courtship Readiness
cues we use when we are trying to make a love connection.
Ex)suck in stomach, stand up straight
Oculesics
Eye Movement:-defines the nature of the relationship
- direct eye contact is perceived positively.
- shifting(avoiding) eye contact is perceived negatively.
Facial Expressions: Facial Management Techniques:
-used to control expressions so they will be appropriate for certain circumstances
Intensify
exaggerate your facial expressions, make it seem stronger
Ex)talking to a baby
DE intensify
downplay the emotion you are feeling
Ex)angry with roommate
Neutralize
eliminate all emotions
Ex)poker face
Mask
hold back the emotion you are really feeling and replace it with a more socially desirable
Ex)birthday gift you hate
Paralanguage (vocalics)
- the use of characteristics of the human voice
- everything about our voice except the actual words you say
Ex)pitch, intonation, volume, rate
Proxemics (Space) & Haptics (touch)
-the use of proxemics and haptics to communicate are strongly related because in order to touch someone we have to allow them into our space
Personal Space
- the invisible bubble around us
- when unexpectedly invaded, we feel violated
Status-
person rank in hierarchy
-individuals who are higher in status tend to initiate touch more so than lower status individuals.
Liking
we show that we like another by touching them
