Globalisation and the spread of English in the modern world

Traditions,body language,taboos in different cultures

Did you know that, in some cultures, making the “thumbs up” gesture that Facebook is so famous for can get you “unfriended” really fast?

Gestures that mean one thing in your part of the world can mean the exact opposite somewhere else. As a result, it’s quite possible to offend someone without even opening your mouth, and out of no ill will on your part!
In this post, we’ll look at how body language in different cultures is used to communicate meaning, and then check out 10 examples of body lingo from around the world.
Various Aspects of Body Language
Body language is the act of communicating using anything other than your words. Let’s break down the different components of body language:
1. Facial Expressions, Head Movements and Eye Contact
The six generally accepted emotions—happiness, surprise, fear, disgust, anger and sadness—were once considered universal. You might think that everyone knows what “disgust” looks like!
Further studies, however, suggest that everything may not be so clear cut. Researchers have found meaningful cultural differences in the expressions.
For example, while a computer algorithm was quite adept at deciphering the six emotions in Western (Caucasian) faces, the same algorithm applied to Asian faces comes somewhat short.
Faces around the world, it turns out, express emotions through different levels of intensity and by engaging different facial muscles. In the specific study noted above, Asian faces display lower emotional intensity than Western faces and much overlap when registering surprise, fear, disgust and anger—which may make it hard for someone of Western origin to tell when someone of Asian origin is mad or scared (for example).
Head movements can also have different meanings in different cultures, so nodding to say “yes” might not always get you the reaction you expect!
2. Finger, Hand and Arm Gestures
No matter where you’re from, the default human being has 10 fingers split evenly between two hands. But cultures can use them in very different ways!
For instance, there are some signs that you make with your fingers in the West, that mean very specific things: thumbs up (one thumb up, expressing support or “OK”), the peace sign (the pointer and middle finger up, expressing peace and love) and “flipping the bird” (middle finger up, expressing insult to the recipient), to name just a few. These symbols can (and often do) mean something entirely different elsewhere in the world!
Even a gesture as seemingly universal as pointing at something with your finger turns out to be, well, not universal after all. Some cultures, it turns out, prefer to gesture at what they’re pointing out with their heads or noses. Other cultures use their thumb, an open hand or even their lips to point (as opposed to the aptly named “pointer finger”).
It’s safe to say that for every positive action or gesture that you know, there are places in the world where it’s considered crude, rude or gross. Whether you’re a businessman or a person who flies all over the world or just planning a trip abroad, it’s best to know what these gestures might be.
3. Proximity, Orientation and Physical Contact
The amount of physical contact you share with another person is highly dependent on one’s culture. Some cultures have an easy grace toward men cheek kissing other men, while other cultures would make do with a fist bump and a manly cough. Both of these are perfectly fine, and are just different ways of expression, much like apples are manzanas in Spanish and pommes in French.
A “Touchability Index” that ranks Europeans on their appetites for being touched ranks Fins as the most welcoming to physical contact. Meanwhile, the British languish at the bottom of the rankings.
The size of your “personal space” bubble is culturally determined. One study has discovered, for example, that South American countries generally require less personal space than most Asian countries.
The study of body language, much like the study of language itself, is a rich field!
We’ve selected 10 country-specific gestures to highlight below. This is just a small sample of the big pool of body language. You’ll find many variations of the gestures below, sometimes even within the same country. We hope you enjoy this brief encounter with the wonders of non-verbal communication!
Bowing is important in many East Asian cultures, including Japan, China and Korea (among others). While Western countries reserve the bow at the end of a (hopefully) great stage performance, bowing in these East Asian countries is part of basic etiquette to show respect and gratitude.
In Korea, you bow when initially meeting a person, to say “Hello,” to bid “Goodbye” and to say “Thank you” and “I’m sorry.”
Generally, the lower you bow, the more respect and deference you show the other person. And the longer you keep your head bowed also signifies your seriousness.
Depending on where you go, the rules and etiquette for bowing may be a little different and even vary between generations.
You probably use your fingers to count things, like signaling how many mugs of beer you want on a Tuesday night. In Germany, if you’re not careful, you might get drunk a little bit quicker. Not just because they have humongous beer mugs, but because they have a different way of finger counting.
In the U.S., the number “one” is signified by the pointer finger. In Germany—and a few other European countries like France and Italy—they start counting with the thumb. This slots the pointer finger at “two.” If you show the waiter a pointer finger, he might think that you’re saying “two” and bring you a pair of those huge mugs.
In the WWII movie “Inglorious Basterds,” an American undercover officer gives himself away when he asks for “three” glasses while signaling the waiter with his three middle fingers (pointer-middle-ring fingers). “Three,” in the German way of counting things, should have been thumb-pointer-middle fingers.
In Western cultures, when we say “Yes,” we nod our heads up and down. When we say “No,” we swing the head from left to right. These gestures aren’t universal. Are you beginning to see a pattern here?
The extent of the differences between cultures can be seen in the way people from India and other South Asian countries use their heads to express so much more than just a simple “Yes” or “No.” In India, “Yes” is expressed by tilting the head from side-to-side—that is, towards the shoulders. And the faster the shake, the more certain the “Yes” is.
This head shake gesture can also be used during a conversation to indicate that the listener is paying attention and being agreeable. Likewise, it can be a sign of courtesy and respect. It can mean many things. It’s pretty incredible how much you can express without using any words, isn’t it?