Facial Expressions
This is the use of facial muscle movements to communicate emotion without words.
What is a facial expression?
This refers to the distance at which a person feels comfortable standing near others.
What is personal space?
This is a movement of the body or limbs used to express ideas or feelings.
What is a gesture?
This is the act of looking directly into another person’s eyes during interaction.
What is eye contact?
This refers to the way a person holds or positions their body.
What is posture?
People in these cultures rely more on the eyes rather than the mouth to interpret emotions.
What are East Asian cultures?
These cultures, such as the US and UK, tend to prefer more personal space.
What are individualistic cultures?
This common positive hand gesture in the US can be offensive in some Middle Eastern cultures.
What is a thumbs up?
In Western cultures, eye contact is commonly associated with these two qualities.
What are confidence and honesty?
An upright posture is often associated with this trait in professional settings.
What is confidence?
In these cultures, individuals often hide negative emotions to maintain social harmony.
What are collectivistic cultures?
Participants from this country reported more discomfort with crowded office spaces compared to Korean participants.
What is the United Kingdom (or Britain)?
This hand sign means “OK” in the US, but can be considered vulgar in countries like Brazil.
What is the “OK” sign?
In many East Asian cultures, prolonged eye contact may be seen as this.
What is disrespectful or confrontational behavior?
In cultures such as Japan, posture often reflects this social concept.
What is hierarchy (or status)?
In this country, large, enthusiastic smiles are often valued in professional settings.
What is the United States?
These types of cultures, such as Latin American or Middle Eastern cultures, are known for closer interpersonal distances.
What are high-contact cultures?
In countries like Bulgaria, nodding your head may actually mean this.
What is “no”?
These rules influence how individuals use eye gaze depending on cultural expectations.
What are cultural display rules?
Leaning back casually may be seen as confident in the US, but as this in other cultures.
What is disrespect or disengagement?
In countries like Japan or Iran, doing this too much in a professional setting may make you seem unintelligent or unserious.
What is smiling excessively (or broadly)?
Standing too close to someone in the US may be interpreted as this type of behavior.
What is aggressive or intrusive behavior?
Gestures fall under this type of communication, meaning their meanings depend on cultural context.
What is culture-specific (or symbolic) communication?
In some cultures, avoiding eye contact while speaking may indicate this rather than dishonesty.
What is respect or deep thinking?
This behavior involves subtly copying another person’s posture to build rapport.
What is postural mirroring?