Can we influence body language?

[ExpandingKnowledge]

Lately I have been wondering if body language is something we have no control over whatsoever or if we can manipulate it. Not only in ourselves, but in other people. Can we interfere in something that's done subconsciously? This is an unexplored subject... Exciting, isn't it?body language, for people

My hypothesis is that we can. Let's start off by defining body language, for people who are new to it. As a vague definition we could say that it is the sum of the gestures, face expressions, or tone of voice someone uses. Body language is a very interesting topic since we can figure out a lot of stuff just by looking at someone. If you want to know more about it, I'd recommend you "The dictionary of body language" by Joe Navarro. You can buy it using this link: url removed

Anyways, returning to my hypothesis, since body language is closely related to emotions, we'll have to find something that is also related to emotions which we can manipulate, for example, biological factors. If you are only here because you like psychology, don't freak out, I'll make it easy. Simple factors like how many hours someone has slept or how long ago they've eaten will influence their mood, influencing, at the same time their body language. 

This way, if we see someone rubbing their eyes it might mean that they are looking for dopamine, just like moving your eyes laterally can decrease anxiety. This information is useful to apply on oneself or to observe on others. But, can we really influence others' body language? We don't choose their biological or genetic components. Perhaps, we can make someone open their body language by asking well-thought questions, which is obvious, but we can also affect them the other way around. We can force someone into a closed body language by making them nervous or uncomfortable. I see that a lot when students expose a project to the class. 

But, why is this even important? Well, being aware of how to influence other people's body language might make you aware of your own, which is a really important skill for social interactions, even if it may seem irrelevant. This is why I'm going to run an experiment on some teenagers. I will look for every factor that influences body language, and then I'll try to apply it on myself. Of course, I will share the results in future posts.

That's all, I will be planning the project more in detail.

[swansont]

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