I, myself, tend to be socially awkward in many social
situations which has led to being diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in my
later teen years and has haunted me into my adult life. Due to this I spend
more time “people watching” at social occasions then I do participating in
conversation. In my experience I have noticed that a lot of body language
depends on personality. Many times I have mistaken shy behaviors as negative
nonverbal communication. Such as when a person looks down a lot while speaking
can be construed as being untruthful, but too much direct eye contact can be construed
as a sign of aggression. I think it’s best to remember that nonverbal
communication is an extension of a person’s personality and as such should not
be taken at face value because it can be just as complex.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Body Language
Nonverbal communication can often be difficult to interpret.
As much as there are general guidelines or expected responses to give you clues
as to what a person’s body language may be conveying it can often be
misconstrued. I have found this to be the case more often in today’s society as
we have become increasingly reliant on technology because a smaller percentage
of our social interactions take place in person.
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I do the same at parties. I feel awkward around people I don't know and am a lot quieter than normal. Its funny how much of body language is based on our own experiences and personality. I remember a friend once telling me she felt that a girl hated her because she never made eye contact with her. I thought this was interesting because I have a had time maintaining eye contact with someone I barely now. I find it almost awkward. However, my friend was so social and used to talking to people. I never would have made the assumption that someone hated me because they didn't give eye contact.
ReplyDeleteHi Paige,
ReplyDeleteBeing the wall flower is not always a bad thing. I have a friend who loves to people watch, and she is the best person I know. When we were in our bar hopping years, I was the outgoing and loud one. She would sit on the edge of the dance floor, and watch. Some people would think she is snobbish, but really she is shy. Ironically she is a receptionist and spends most of her day on the phone with customers. When she is on the phone, a person would never know she is shy and humble. It just goes to show that people are not always as they appear.