HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -
Everyday we express some form of emotion whether it be happiness, sadness or excitement. But could people be sending out the wrong signals when it matters most, like during a job interview or on a date?
Researchers said how one portrays body language could make all the difference.
Have you ever crossed your arms during a conversation, or locked your hands together and fiddled your thumbs during an interview. Zane Slocumb, a counselor at Alabama Psychological Services said body language can be a conscious and unconscious reaction to something.
"It involves posture of body, the distance between people and objects, how they touch themselves and other people and how they touch other objects," said Slocumb.
He said you can tell a lot about a person by the way they're holding something like a pen or a cigarette or how they position themselves when they're talking to you. Slocumb said you should give a firm handshake and have direct eye contact with your potential boss. Crossing your arms may show a sign of discomfort, but crossing your legs could mean you're relaxed.
Slocumb said, "For instance if your standing and they're sitting, then that's body language and they may feel intimidated because your not sitting at an even plane with them and vise versa."
Researchers looked at six universal signals to determine body language: happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, anger and surprise. The same rules applied to dating. Slocumb said the eyes are number one when scooping someone.
"Probably the most important body language piece though is the eyes, and it doesn't matter what part of the world you're from, the eyes tell us the most about the other person," said Slocumb.
Researchers said body language has evolved, and we should be careful not to take signals out of context. Never rely on just non-verbal cues to know what someone is saying, that's why we use words.
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