Vary the firmness

Happiness - Raising and lowering of mouth corners, cheeks raised, and muscles around the eyes are tightened.

Sadness - lowering of mouth corners and raising inner portion of brows.

Surprise - Arching of eyebrows, eyelids pulled up and sclera exposed, mouth open.

Fear - Brows arched and pulled together, eyes wide open, mouth slightly open.

Disgust - Eyebrows lowered, upper lip raised, nose wrinkled, cheeks raised.

Anger - Brows lowered, eyes bulging, lips pressed firmly.

We use gestures as a way to emphasis points and illustrate what we are saying.

Hand gestures can mean very different things in different cultures; the ‘OK’ sign in Greece, Spain or Brazil means you are calling someone an a**hole. In Turkey, it’s meant to be an insult towards gay people.

Better identify cultural differences in body language with our immersive course. Click here to learn more.

A thumbs up in America and European cultures is an indicator of a job well done, however in Greece or the Middle East, it can mean ‘up yours’
Curling the index finger with the palm facing up is a common gesture that people in United States and parts of Europe use to beckon someone to come closer. However, it is considered rude in China, East Asia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and many other parts of the world. It’s also considered extremely impolite to use this gesture with people. It is used only to beckon dogs in many Asian countries - and using it in the Philippines can get you arrested.

On Inauguration Day 2005, President George W. Bush raised his fist, with the index and little finger extended, in the shape of the Texas Longhorn football team logo. Newspapers around the world expressed their astonishment at the use of such a gesture. In many Mediterranean and Latin countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, Italy and Portugal, to make this sign at someone is to tell them that their spouse is cheating on them.

In most western countries, eye contact is a sign of confidence and attentiveness. We tend to assume that if someone looks away while we are talking to them, they’re disinterested and looking for someone else to talk to.

In many Middle Eastern countries, same-gender eye contact tends to be more sustained and intense than the western standard. In some of these countries, eye contact beyond a brief glance between the sexes is deemed inappropriate.

In many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, however, this unbroken eye contact would be considered aggressive and confrontational. These cultures tend to be quite conscious of hierarchy, and avoiding eye contact is a sign of respect for bosses and elders.

In these parts of the world, children won’t look at an adult who is speaking to them, and nor will employees to their bosses.

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  Used a lot in regions such as the Middle East, Mediterranean cultures, Europeans and Latin Americans.
  
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  Used often in much of Northern Europe and North America
  
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  Used somewhat carefully in cultures in Africa, Middle East, Korea and Thailand
  
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  Used carefully in most of the Far East
  

In some parts of India, people tilt their head from side to side to confirm something and demonstrate that they are actively listening. The side to side head movement originates from British occupation, as the occupied Indian people were afraid to ever gesture ‘no’ to soldiers but wanted to show signs of understanding.A video decoding Indian headshakes went viral, attracting over a million hits in a week.Northern Europe and the Far East as classed as non-contact cultures. There is very little physical contact beyond a handshake with people we don’t know well. Even accidentally brushing someone’s arm on the street warrants an apology.

An innocent hug made headlines around the world in 2009 when America's first lady, Michelle Obama, broke royal protocol on a visit to Britain by hugging the Queen.

By comparison, in the high-contact cultures of the Middle East, Latin America, and southern Europe, physical touch is a big part of socialising.

In much of the Arab world, men hold hands and kiss each other in greeting, but would never do the same with a woman.

Better identify cultural differences in body language with our immersive course. Click here to learn more.

In Thailand and Laos, it is taboo to touch anyone’s head, even children. In South Korea, elders can touch younger people with force when trying to get through a crowd, but younger people can’t do the same.

Physical contact variation by culture:

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