Nonverbal Communication

Some widely held misconceptions about nonverbal communication exists, and it is important to clear those up to be competent intercultural communicator. These misconceptions are so ingrained in our minds that you may have trouble believing that they are not true.

People Can Read Nonverbal Communication

Popular culture is filled with references to "body language" and promises that you can read your boss/lover/parent/friend like a book by the end of the article/tweet/video. Because nonverbal communication is ambiguous, has fewer rules, and co-creates meaning with verbal communication, it would be impossible to teach a universal shorthand for interpreting how individuals express attitudes and emotions through their bodies. There is not a universal code used that could be considered as a "language of the body".

Yes, people do assign meaning to nonverbal communication as they do verbal communication, but nonverbal does not involve language, and cannot be read.  The so-called experts who claim to "read people like a book" are usually not any better at assigning meaning to nonverbal communication than anyone else.

Deception Can Be Accurately Detected Through Nonverbal Communication

As with the idea that nonverbal communication can be accurately understood, people tend to believe that they can "spot the lie". If this belief were true, no poker player would be able to bluff, politicians would always tell the truth, teens wouldn't lie to parents about where they have been, and romantic partners would feel no need to lie about your weight gain.

The truth is that no nonverbal behavior (eye movement, facial expression, vocal cues, or anything else) consistently reveals deception. Decades of reliable studies reinforce the fact that there is as good of a chance at guessing as there is trying to detect liars through nonverbals.