Body Language

Body language can truly speak louder than words. Different body parts – eyes, hands, arms,

legs – can be used in different gestures, with each one having several meanings. Body

language is indeed a very powerful method to communicate with other people. 

Talk By Using Body Language

Even without the use of words, you can effectively send your message to another person, and

that person to you. The capability to understand body language can help you identify one’s

moods, emotions, feelings, and desires.

The use of direct eye contact indicates interest, positive thinking, and sincerity. However,

it could mean otherwise: mistrust, doubt, and suspicion. Lateral eye movements may mean the

person is lying, or inspecting his surroundings making sure no one or everyone is listening.

If one would try to recall or imagine something, he would tend to look upward. Looking down

may indicate as a submission to an authority, guilt, or domination.

Your hand and arm gestures can also display different meanings. If you talk while facing

your palm upwards, you show sincerity.  You may detect anger or fury from a person with a

clenched fist. And if you encounter somebody who taps or drums his fingers on a surface, he

is showing feelings of nervousness or anxiety. Arms crossed across the chest is a display of

defense and protection from an outer source, or simply indicate a disagreement.

Signs Of Attraction, Romance, And Flirting

You can show someone that you like him or her, and likewise, you can determine if somebody

is attracted to you. The most basic and first sign of attraction is the smile; the wider the

smile, the more he or she is into you. But you can also prove one’s attraction by the eyes.

If you are in opposite corners of a room, you could send a sign of romantic invitation by

giving a lingering, soft look.

Giving a quick look and suddenly looking away, and then back to eye contact is a form of

flirting and sign of interest. Looking from the eyes down to the lips and back to the eyes

again also indicates romance. Other gestures can also be signs of attraction, such as if the

person is facing you directly or leaning towards you.

You can also read from another person’s actions if he or she is neither attracted nor

interested. A hard look or glare could state “back off” louder than mouthing the words.

Never taking a peek, looking away, keeping the mouth shut the entire time, turning the body

away, shuffling of feet, fiddling with things, staring at people other than you, a neutral

or passive expression, unfocused attention, crossing the arms, and moving away are just some

of the clues that he or she is not interested to have a romantic encounter with you.

Detect Lies

You do not need to investigate to determine if somebody is being dishonest to you. All you

need is knowledge in understanding body language to spot lies.  The simplest way to detect

lies is to simply look for signs of discomfort, anxiety, and nervousness. Inability to look

directly to the eyes, fidgeting with the fingers, shuffling of the feet, sudden crossing of

the arms or legs, glancing around the room, and forced smiles are the most common clues of

lying.

Be Careful And Observant

To give a proper impression to a lover, boss, co-worker, friend, or even a stranger, you

must know how and when to use your own body language. Be careful in making gestures; other

people may misinterpret them. And likewise, observe other people’s actions as well to know

how to correctly react to them.

Cliché as it is, the eyes are indeed the windows of the soul. The eye body language is one of the most powerful mediums of nonverbal communication. It can either support or betray whatever you are saying. Even the slightest movement of the eye can indicate the biggest meaning.

Eye Contact

During a conversation, it is normal to have eye contact. It means differently in specific situations. Looking at a person directly to the eye means that you are interested in what he is saying. But the inability to take the eyes of another person when he or she is talking may also indicate doubt, suspicion, or lack of trust.

Appropriate use of eye contact also includes when to break eye contact. A long eye contact has many interpretations. It may mean a focused attention or sign of attraction. But this can sometimes be uncomfortable, thus the trick is to just look at the bridge of the nose. Long eye contact may also indicate a sign of authority or domination if one can do it without much blinking. However, prolonged eye contact may also pose as a threat, so breaking it from now and then is essential. But breaking it may indicate other meanings as well, such as situations wherein one wants to end the conversation, has been insulted or found out, or is being threatened.

Eye Movements

The eyes looking at different directions also have different meanings. When one looks up to the right, it means that he is imagining visual images.  Meanwhile, when he looks up to the left direction, it means that he is trying to recall a memory. However, there are still instances where it is in a reversed order, depending on the person. Try to test him first by asking him to recall a known memory and to picture out an event.

On the other hand, looking down may mean that one is talking to himself, but this is more evident if there is also movement of the lips. It is also a signal of guilt or submission. Looking down on another person means that he is control of the situation or is talking to someone who is under his superiority.

Lateral eye movements can also indicate signs of dishonesty, distraction, or simply checking out the surroundings. When looking from one eye to the other then going up to the forehead, it means that you are looking at somebody with superiority. When going down to the nose, you are talking to someone within the level of your status. And when looking from one eye to the other and down to the lips, it indicates a sign of attraction or romance.

Eyes Expressions

Different emotions and mood can be expressed through gazing, glancing, winking, squinting, closing, and staring. Gazing indicates interest or concentration. Glancing indicates desire. For example, one glances at food. It means that has a desire to eat. Winking indicates an agreement, and it could also be a means of flirtation. A person would squint his eyes if he is uncertain or trying to evaluate or verify truthfulness. Closing the eyes means that the person wants a moment to be away from the world, or simply trying to remember. And lastly, staring indicates a state of shock, surprise or disbelief.

Eyes of Romance and Flirtation

You can use your eyes to show affection to another person. Winking is one way to flirt. The process of looking at someone, quickly looking away, and then staring back is an obvious indication of attraction. A lingering, warm gaze is also an indicator of romance or desire.

If you know how to read and understand the eye body language, you will know what the person you are conversing with would want to tell you. And, if you know how to properly use it, you can take control of any situation or know when is the proper timing to use different eye movements or expressions.

Men are indeed much more difficult to read compared to women. It is because they are less

expressive and have reserved facial expressions. Fact is you cannot know a man well enough

without interaction for a period of time. But here are some tips on the interpretations on

the typical acts of male body language. By understanding men, you will know when he is

flirting and the normal male behavior; in the end, you may find men’s behavior less annoying

and less difficult to read.

Typical Acts Of Men

There are only a few signs of body language common among males, these include reserved

facial expression, head tilting, fidgeting, finger pointing, and direct confrontation.

Men are less expressive than women. It is rare that a man’s face will truly brighten. But

nonetheless, their eyes are never dull when they are interested on something or someone. A

man would also tend to tilt the head during a conversation. It does not mean anything

negative – it is just typically male. They usually also cannot stay still, thus they fidget

and move around more than women do.

Pointing a finger at someone has always been regarded as a rude act. But this gesture comes

naturally in men. They usually do this when they want to emphasize what they are saying. Men

also usually does not walk away from conflict or arguments. They would confront you directly

by facing you with an intense look in the eye, but there are times when they would simply

walk away.

Signs That He’s Attracted To Me

Men’s flirting actions are not that obvious compared to women. But when he is looking at you

with a certain brightness accompanied with a smile, he definitely is into you. Raising the

eyebrows are flirting signals as well, but observe if he raises his eyebrows at anyone or

only at you. Men also would love to close the distance between the woman he likes and

himself. He loves to lean forward and whisper in her ear just to be closer.

Bottom line is, when a man treats you differently than he usually treats other people, he is

attracted to you. Do not immediately interpret that a man’s tender actions towards you

already indicates flirtation. He may be the same with other people.

Masculinity: The Macho Pose

Men usually shows their prowess by doing the macho pose. They would try to stand or sit

tall, square their shoulder, and hook their thumbs into the belt. Stroking his tie and

putting the hands on the waist are also gestures indicating masculinity.

“I Am In Control.”

A typical male wants to show that he is the boss or he is in control in any situation.

Before a man closes a distance between himself and the other person involved, he would first

stand a little farther. This allows him to make observations about the situation, and when

he has gotten control of it, he would move closer. They also tend to lean back when

listening, except when the person is the woman he is attracted to.

Women usually get annoyed with how bland or unsatisfying men’s methods are in treating them.

But it is indeed a fact that most men are alike in terms of body language. Male body

language is difficult to analyze if you only have literal means of reading them. One way to

truly understand a man is to interact with them and explore their

Consciously or unconsciously, humans can send and receive messages through body language. It

is a form of nonverbal communication, which mainly involves gestures using the different

parts of the body. It would truly be an advantage if you know how to read and interpret

another person’s body language for the very reason that you can determine his or her mood,

expressions, and desires.

There are several gestures that a person uses in different specific situations – at work, in

a job interview, dinner date, or even in a casual conversation. The eyes, arms, and hands

are the body parts frequently used to communicate, even unconsciously.

Eye Language

Eye contact is the most powerful language using the eyes. It have different meanings. It can

indicate mistrust from another person when he cannot take his eyes off the speaker, or it

may mean that the person has a positive outlook or interest on what the speaker is saying.

In instances that a person would look from one eye to another then another area, there are

different interpretations as well.

Movement from one eye to another then to the forehead indicates that the person is looking

at authoritative figure. Another instance is when the person would look from one eye to the

other then to the nose, this means that there are no level of superiority in either party. 

The last case indicates a sign of romance or attraction when the person would look from one

eye to another then down to the lips.

However, the eyes can be misleading, especially if there are other gestures accompanying it.

Despite direct eye contact, when the person you are speaking to is still fiddling something

with his hands, it means that is mind is elsewhere but you. If he is looking at you but with

the arms crossed, it indicates signs of bother or defense from you. Another case is when

there is eye contact but the head is slightly tilted. This indicates boredom. Lies can be

spotted as well when there is excessive blinking and no eye contact.

Crossed Arms

Arms crossed across the chest is one of the most powerful and basic gestures used by anyone.

One can form a barrier between himself and another person by crossing his arms, or it may

simply mean that he feels cold. It can also indicate as a protection or defense in nervous

or anxious situations. 

When you are talking to someone and he would cross his arms, it means that he opposes,

suspects, or doubts what you are saying. But if he is talking with his arms crossed, it

means that he may be nervous, lying, or hiding something from you.

Hand Movements

The pockets are never the right place to put your hands into. A person with his hands in the

pocket may indicate that he is nervous, uncomfortable, bored, or uninterested. This gesture

indicates also that he may be hiding something from you or he doesn’t want to engage in a

specific activity or task.

An open palm means sincerity or honesty. A clenched fist is a very clear indication of

frustration, anger, resistance, and defense. But there are times wherein it indicates

confidence in one’s idea or opinion. Nervousness or anxiousness is seen in someone who is

tapping or twitching his fingers. Rubbing of hands, meanwhile, may indicate extreme

excitement or cold feeling.

Read another person by reading his body language. One’s actions definitely have more honesty

compared to the words coming out from his mouth.

A job interview is very essential for both the employer and applicant for the very reason

that it will be the basis of rejecting or accepting the applicant for the vacant job. Thus,

as an applicant, it is relevant that he or she must be fully prepared for the job interview.

You must remember that your employer or interviewer does not only consider the way you

dress, your credentials, or even your answers to his questions. Your body language is also

being well-observed. 

Your body language can tell another person what kind of person you are, your emotions, and

state of mind. An employer would be looking for a confident and competent employee. Thus,

you should know and learn the posture to maintain, movements to impress, and gestures to

avoid during the interview.

Postures You Must Maintain

Never slouch! Either in sitting or standing, slouching would give the impression of laziness

or lack of confidence. Do not sit at the edge of the chair, this would mean that you are too

nervous or tense. Simply relax into your chair, and place your hands on your lap. Crossing

the legs is not really advisable, but nonetheless it is fine, as long as the direction of

your body is towards the interviewer.

Movements To Impress

You can show your interest and confidence through handshakes, and you can give a good first

impression as well. However, there are times wherein initiating the handshake would make you

appear overconfident. When you shake hands, make sure you make eye contact, but not longer

than three seconds. Your palm should be able to touch the palm of your interviewer. Extend

your arm and point your hand downwards. 

Eye contact is important in a job interview. This shows that you are honest, sincere, and

confident. The lack of eye contact may mean that you are lying or being uncomfortable.

When responding, make use of your hands. Showing your palm when explaining something

indicates that you are being relaxed, honest, and confident. The interviewer will think that

you know what you are talking about. If you want to emphasize something, you can do it with

a clenched fist; but this is not an advisable gesture during an interview.

You can show interest and that you are listening attentively to your interviewer through

head movements. Nodding is a reinforcement that you understood or agreed to what he or she

said. Even though there are ideas that you would like to oppose to, nodding is still

preferable rather than arguing. The latter might be the reason why you cannot get the job.

Gestures You Must Avoid

Avoid putting your hands into your pockets. This can emphasize your nervousness, or can give

your interviewer that you may be hiding something from him, or you are uninterested to get

the job. You can use hand movements when talking, however do not use them frequently. Excess

movements can distract your interviewer from listening to your responses.

Another gesture you must avoid is frequent eye movement. Avoiding the interviewer’s eyes

will make him think that you are not listening or getting bored and uninterested. This may

also give the impression that you are the type of person who is easily distracted, a

weakness that could make you unqualified for the job.

Better Safe Than Sorry

Body language does not necessarily show what you intend to convey or really feel. But it is

an advantage that you know the gestures you must use or avoid during a job interview to give

a good impression for the words that you long to hear: “Congratulations. You are hired!”

Body language is a form of nonverbal communication wherein one can send or receive messages

through body movements, gestures, facial expression, and the like. There are general acts of

body language that almost everyone does in his or her daily life. However, do you know how

to speak this language? Can you understand other people by just reading their body language?

The importance of knowing how to speak through body language is that you can have the

ability to control any situation with anybody in any place and time.

Personal Space

Everyone of us has his own personal space. It is somewhat like a comfort zone. It is an

invisible region that surrounds you, and if someone tries to invade it, you will feel

uncomfortable or threatened. But one’s personal space is dependent on certain situations. A

person who grew up in the city with crowded streets has a smaller personal space compared to

one who lives in the rural area. Learning how to respect one’s personal space is one method

to make communication through body language more effective between two or more people. There

are body movements and gestures better appreciated and understood when there is an

appropriate distance.

Body Gestures And Movements

Various body parts are used in the body language – the hands, arms, legs, head, and body

posture. Hands can make several gestures, each with a difference in meaning; and you can

express well through them. If you want to let another person know you are interested in him

or in the conversation, the hands can emphasize it for you. Do not try to hide your hands

from him, like putting them into your pockets. This gesture means that you are hiding

something from him or you are already getting bored. Showing your palm upward or outward

shows that you are comfortable and interested in your situation. Leaning your body or

directing it towards that person is also a signal that you are indeed listening to him.

You can still give a good impression even in the most tense situations, like in a job

interview. You simply have to avoid gestures that are giving signals that you are nervous,

uncomfortable, or anxious. Never slouch, fidget, drum your fingers, shuffle your feet, or

tremble. These actions takes the word “confidence” away from you.

You can also speak through handshakes. A firm one with the palm pointing downwards and arm

slightly extended indicates confidence or power. Meanwhile, a weak handshake pointing upward

is an indication of tension or shyness.

You must also be aware of the message you are trying to convey whenever you cross your arms.

This is one of the actions that you must avoid. This will tell another person that you might

be hiding something, lying, or being impatient.

Make Your Eyes Talk

Your eyes can clearly express what you feel or desire. Eye contact is the most important eye

body language since it could mean interest, confidence, eagerness to listen, and sincerity.

The inability to hold long eye contact indicates dishonesty or discomfort.

Culture: A Very Important Consideration

In conversing with another person, it is a great advantage that you know their culture.

Prolonged eye contact, act of raising voice volume, and touching may be rude to other

countries, especially in Asia. Also, there are a number of gestures that mean differently in

other cultures.

Learn how to speak using your body. Body language is indeed much more convincing than words

and is very useful in giving impressions in certain situations. But the only trick in

learning how to speak and understand body language is that what books or research say may

not necessarily be the intentions or real message of one person.

It is possible that you can detect lies even by merely looking at the body language. There

are many signs delivered by the body, head to toe, wherein you could determine the person is

lying. Catch your husband cheating, your friend hiding a secret from you, or a person being

dishonest by knowing the signals of lying and dishonesty.

The Typical Signs of Lying

The signs that obviously shows that a person is lying are sings of nervousness, tension, and

anxiousness. You could observe these emotions by the way his eyes are moving, how he moves

around, and how he reacts to your verbal attacks.

Eyes: The Clearest Indicator

The eyes are very strong indicators of every emotion, including dishonesty. When the person

cannot look straight at you or he is unable to prolong the eye contact, there is a big

possibility that he is lying. Notice also the rate of his blinking. Do not literally count

how many times he blinks, you can easily spot it. Frequent movements of the eyes, like

looking at other objects other that you, and pupil dilatation are also indicators of lying.

Observe The Hands

Some people have practiced prolonging eye contact when lying, so the next best sign you

should be observing are the hand gestures. A person lying would usually have trembling hands

during anxious moments. He also would tend to show excessive use of hand gestures while

talking. When defensive from a verbal attack or when hiding something, the person would

usually put his hands into his pockets or cross his arms over his chest. He will also tend

to fidget with something with his hands or tap them.

Note How He Speaks

Observing a person’s way of delivering his speech is somewhat tricky. You may have to know

first how he normally speaks before judging his sincerity or honesty. But if you already

know the speech habits of the person, then it would be less difficult to detect lying. The

volume of the voice would be softer than usual, but during a defensive state of mind, he

would usually raise his voice. Then there would be some speech errors, such as

mispronunciation, stuttering, or stammering. The pacing of the way he talks would also be

faster.

Other Signs Of Lying

Another sign of lying is when the person would tend to touch himself when he delivers his

lies. Self touching gestures include rubbing the nose, scratching the forehead, and touching

the nape, elbow, or other parts of the body. Self touching is a strong indication of

discomfort and guilt.

Observe also the rest of the body. Note if the person is trembling, fidgeting, or shaking.

But these actions are usually found during extreme nervousness. A stiff posture with the

elbows pulled to the sides and tightened muscles is a posture which reflects lying as well.

The meanings and interpretations of the different acts and signals of body posture are not

always true and definitive. This is one of the risks in reading other people’s body

language. You may be too quick to judge their honesty and even their whole personality.

Thus, be careful in interpreting other’s gestures and body movements.

The last thing you would want to happen is a conflict due to miscommunication and

misinterpretation.

The flirting body language is complicated to understand and oftentimes misinterpreted. Men

gives signs of flirtation in different ways compared to women. So how can you tell if

someone is already flirting with you? Does she like me? Is he interested in me? This article

discusses facts and tips on determining flirting signals.

Men’s Flirting Signals

There are five standard body signals that a man is flirting: eye contact, raising the

eyebrows, giving the masculine impression, touching self, and leaning towards you.

The first sign of attraction a man would give you is catching your eye. But if he passes on

to another person and doesn’t look back at you, it means that he is not interested. However,

if he glimpses at you, looks away, and then back at you again, it is a very clear indication

that he is attracted to you. Sometimes, eye contact would not mean anything. But if it lasts

longer, it means something indeed is running in his mind and you are involved. The second

signal, raising the eyebrow is not a very strong indication and is most of the time done

unconsciously. It often means that he finds you interesting or sexy.

The third flirting sign is that men would square his shoulders and try to stand tall and

straight. When sitting, his feet and legs will be apart. A man would also tend to hook his

thumbs over his belt. These actions would show and emphasize his masculinity, with hopes

that he would acquire that admiration from you.

Lastly, a man attracted to you would try to get closer to you or lean his body towards you.

This act can be done intentionally or unconsciously.

Women’s Flirting Signals

Research shows that women gives body language messages five to six times more than men. They

can give many signs that she is flirting with you and they are easy to spot. The most common

action is preening. A woman would tend to play, stroke or comb her hair and sometimes toss

it over her shoulder. A strong flirting preening action is when a woman would involve her

lips. Licking the lips, eating slowly, drinking with poise while having eye contact, and

putting on lipstick can easily seduce a man.

Slowly crossing or stroking the legs is also a clear intentional flirting action by women.

She would also tend too adjust her clothes to expose more skin. Playing with an object, like

a glass, is a sign that she likes you. But make sure she is looking at you while doing it,

otherwise it would mean that she is not interested.

“Yes, I like You”

The general signs saying that he or she is indeed interested with you include smiling,

longer eye contact, preening, licking the lips, raising the eyebrows, playing with the hair,

looking away and then back again, leaning towards you, head slightly tilted, mirroring your

actions, good posture, frequent nodding, laughing, and many more. If you spot these signs,

then it would be a great time to move a step further.

“No, I’m Really Not Interested”

How would you know if that quick glance did not mean anything and a connection is not

happening? Watch out for these body language signals: looking away and not looking back,

looking at other people, slouching, sighing loudly, passive expression, playing an object

with her fingers without looking at you while you talk, dull eyes, crossing the arms, and

the like.

Body language is truly a strong reinforcement of messages especially during flirting,

seduction, and dating. Each one may have different ways to express their desires, but most

of these actions have general meanings that are easy to decipher and learn.

All of us have experienced lying, and many of us may even think they are already good at it.

But how would you know if your partner, friend, sibling, lover, co-staff, acquaintance, or

even a stranger is lying to you? What are the different clues to detect lying? The solution

is simple: read and interpret his or her body language.

Signs To Look For

The most common signs of lying that you should look for are signs of nervousness, stress,

anxiety, tension, defense, and discomfort. These will be evidenced by different gestures,

facial expressions, actions, or mannerisms. And among them are self-touching, speech errors,

speech hesitations, different eye movements, discrepancies in the body and posture, and many

more.

Touching Self

Self touches are also known as adaptors. Liars would tend to touch or rub their nose,

scratch their forehead, play with the hair, wring or twist their fingers, cover the mouth,

and the like. The urge of frequent self touching indicates extreme nervousness and

increasing tension. However, there are some people that have already trained themselves to

avoid using these adaptors. Thus, detecting other clues is relevant.

Speech Errors And Hesitations

People who lie, especially those caught in the act, stumble over their speech, stutter, or

even mispronounce. Voice pitch will somehow ascend and pacing is faster. However, clues in

the speech is tricky. A person may already have speech defects at birth or it may be normal

for that person to speak in a fast pace. These are only helpful if you are already familiar

with how the person speaks.

Eye Movements

The eyes are the loudest channel of honesty and lies. Eye movements that may indicate lying

include lateral movement, squinting, frequent blinking, and looking away. Pupil dilation

also occurs during a state of tension, but this is not easy to observe. For ages, it was

believed that the inability to hold one’s gaze for a long time indicates lying. However,

many people are already aware of this and practice over time how to lie even with eye

contact.

Body and Posture Discrepancies

A person may cover up lies through confident facial expressions and voice pitch and volume,

however their body can reveal dishonesty. Fidgeting, shakiness, trembling of the hands, body

stiffness, shuffling of the feet, and jitters are typical indicators of lying, but they are

not that definitive or reliable. Gestures showing the palm indicates sincerity. But in

lying, the palms are rarely seen and are usually inside their pockets. As a defensive

posture and protection, one would tend to cross his arms across his chest. Liars are also

prone to sweating, increasing heart rate, breathing deeper, and being pale.

Other Clues Of Lying

Aside from those stated above, there are several more indicators of lying. However, they are

less reliable in detection of dishonesty. Among them are forced smiles, slight tightening of

the forehead between the eyebrows, lip biting, hand shrugs, movement of the Adam’s apple,

delay of answers or response, flaring of nostrils, tighter lips, elbows pulled to the sides,

tilting head movements, inability to concentrate on other things, and other unnatural

gestures.

This is the art of understanding body language. Even though sometimes unreliable, several

different gestures can tell you how sincere and honest a person is to you. Simply look for

the typical signs of lying and detect dishonesty instantly.

Research on body language usually just entail the general meanings and indications of the

most common gestures and body movements that most people us in their daily lives. However,

these signals of communication may mean differently in other countries and cultures. These

are cultures that use a certain gesture as a positive sign, but there are other cultures,

specially in Asian countries, that may see it as a rude act.

This article would discuss the accepted gestures of touch, forms of greeting, and signals of

summoning in different Asian countries, specifically China, Japan, Korea, and Philippines.

China

China is one of the most conservative countries in Asia, thus touching is rare. You can

rarely see public display of affection. Holding hands is alright, but only as a sign of

friendship. Chinese have small personal spaces, thus unintended slight bumping or shoving

does not need an apology.

Chinese usually greet themselves with a bow or nod of the head. Handshakes are also being

used. They rarely use hugging or kissing during greeting. Greeting cards are also exchanged,

but it must be handed with both hands. In terms of beckoning or summoning, they face their

palms downwards and move the fingers back and forth. They believe that summoning with the

palms facing upwards is rude and is only used to animals.

Posture is also very important in China. One must not slouch or put feet on stools or

tables. They also try to prevent saying “no” to other people. They simply simply opposition

by tilting the head back and sucking in air loudly through the teeth.

Japan

Japan, just like China, is not a touch-oriented country. Thus avoid public display of

affection, especially prolonged touching. Japan is famous for their graceful bows as a form

of greeting. Handshakes are also accepted, but bowing is a better sign of showing respect to

another person.

The lower and longer the bow, the stringer you are showing respect, humility, or gratitude.

H In greeting Japanese people, avoid kissing, hugging, or staring at them. Prolonged eye

contact can be intimidating for them, thus they consider it as rude, as well as putting your

hands in front of the pocket when greeting.

Summoning gestures in Japan are similar with that of China – palm facing down. Acts of body

language that one must avoid in the public in Japan is spitting or blowing of the nose,

opening the mouth, such as in yawning and laughing.

Korea

Bowing is the traditional way of greeting and departing in Korea. For men, they usually

shake hands, bu for women, they just give a slight nod of the head. Korea is a conservative

country, thus hugging and kissing is not acceptable when done in public. They beckon people

with the palm facing downwards as well. They also rise when an elder person enters the room

as a sign of respect.  Knocking before entering and good posture is important as well in

Korea.

Philippines

Unlike in other countries in Asia, Philippines is a touch-oriented country. Public display

of affection is accepted, but with minimal limit as a consideration. When greeting, they do

handshakes or simply raise their eyebrows quickly. In beckoning a specific object, Filipinos

tend to point it with their mouth. Respect to the elderly is always shown, usually by

placing their forehead onto the back of the hand of the elderly.

When interacting with Asian people or visiting the said countries, it is essential for you

to be sensitive to their culture and acceptable body language. You may think that what you

are doing is all right since it is accepted in your country, but Asian people may think you

are being rude.