body language

Meaning: Body language is the nonverbal part of communication. It includes posture, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, touch, and proxemics (the distance people keep from one another). It can repeat, strengthen, contradict, or replace what is said. Darwin proposed that emotional expressions are inherited, and Ekman's cross-cultural work found that expressions of basic emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, disgust) are recognized in many cultures. Display rules are learned, culture-specific norms about when and how to show emotion, and they shape what people actually show.

On the MCAT: A typical passage describes participants from different cultures labeling photographs of faces or interpreting gestures. Predict high agreement for basic facial expressions and lower agreement for gestures, eye-contact norms, and personal-space distances. Other items ask you to spot nonverbal cues in a social interaction, or to explain a misunderstanding between people from different cultures. It also appears with impression management and with emotion, where facial feedback and expression are discussed.

Common confusion: Students assume all body language is universal, or that it reliably reveals what someone is thinking. Only the facial expression of basic emotions shows strong cross-cultural recognition. Gestures and display rules are learned and differ between cultures. Nonverbal cues are also ambiguous, so they need context to interpret.