NATIONAL BODY LANGUAGE DAY

(Last Updated On: November 8, 2022)

During the first Friday in October, National Body Language Day recognizes the significance of nonverbal communication in your life. These are the silent messages you don’t realize you’re sending in your interactions with others. From a smile to a shoulder shrug, your body is revealing your emotions and thoughts.

#NationalBodyLanguageDay

In 1872, Charles Darwin detailed his observations of nonverbal behavior in his book, “The Expression Of Emotion In Man and Animals.” He noticed both people and humans use body language to communicate.

Long before Charles Darwin, primitive people relied on body language – hand motions and gestures, facial expressions, and paralanguage (grunts and sounds) to communicate their needs, wants, and concerns. Depending on the signals, trust or distrust was developed based on body language signs.

Forms of Expression and Communication

Body language is a form of survival when you can’t use words. Your minute movements reveal your unspoken thoughts.

To overcome language barriers, you use body language to talk to and to understand people when you don’t speak the same language.

Couples use body language as a silent communication to express their emotions for their partner.

Parents use body language with their infants and young children until they can speak. Using facial expressions, gestures, movements, and speech sounds, babies communicate their wants and needs. In the same way, they also read their parents’ emotions to know when they’re happy, sad, mad.

Many people use body language to read other people so they can understand what they’re feeling. People who suffer strokes or have partial paralysis and other medical conditions where speech is difficult, use body language to communicate. They use eye movements such as blinking or looking at an object to communicate needs and wants.

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL BODY LANGUAGE DAY

On National Body Language Day, take a look at the ways others are talking to you through their body language. And pay attention to your own body language. See if what’s said matches what’s shown in body language. Look at movements, glances and muscle tension, gestures from head to toe. Identify what caused the body language to change. Think about the conversation and what happened right before you noticed the change. What are you seeing? Describe the feelings different body language show. Try using body language to emphasize your message or complement your words.

Use #NationalBodyLanguageDay to share on social media.