Pursed lips meaning. Nonverbal communication: interpretation of facial expressions into feelings and emotions

Is yours especially silent, and on every date you try to guess his thoughts and predict his actions? Do you think he could be a little more open, talkative and decisive? It turns out that his silence is a sign that he is not so stupid. Appreciate it! After all, only through gestures and facial expressions can we convey the subtleties of our mood. You just need to learn to recognize gestures and facial expressions, be able to notice the signs in time and interpret them correctly. At the same time, it’s worth learning a couple of simple gestures yourself so that he can understand you.

If he looks at you with his head bowed

You notice that the man is looking at you sideways, his head slightly tilted to his shoulder. What does his pose mean? Irony? Doubt? A pity? You start to get nervous, worry and think that the date is a failure. And in vain. It turns out that you have nothing to worry about - such a pose involuntarily reveals a seducer in the male interlocutor. Exactly interested man gives signals to someone who attracts him. However, this is only if the person in front of you is not a shy young man. In his case, a sideways glance and a bowed head will tell you about his insecurity and that he is hesitant to take the next step in the relationship. So the timid gentleman wants to hint to you that you are eager for the “white dance”. Believe me, he is clearly interested in you, open and really wants to continue. And if throughout the evening you have not progressed beyond conversations and are still waiting for a kiss from young man who just silently looks at you with his head bowed, then don’t hesitate and try to kiss him on the cheek yourself. And if you don’t even know each other and just exchange glances with a handsome young man in a nightclub, then this is a clear sign that it’s time for you to take the first step.

If he's marking time

If the man next to you shifts from foot to foot like a bear and turns his feet inward, then this is a clear sign that he feels insecure and nervous in front of you. Moreover, his nervousness is caused only by sympathy for you and the desire to be alone with you. He needs your help - let him know that you like him too. Use the well-known gypsy technique to position a person - copy his pose, repeat his gestures, and then take a more comfortable position.

If you see that a man has begun to shift from foot to foot while talking to you, then he clearly wants to start a serious conversation. Don't rush him, give him time to gather his courage. If the outcome does not come, do not rush him, pretend that nothing is happening and continue the conversation as if nothing happened. He needs to calm down and express his plans.

If he slouches

You are having a great time, you are having fun and time flies. Suddenly, after another funny joke, you notice that your companion holds a long look at you, as in stupid women's novels, and then sharply raises his shoulders and slouches. Do you think this is another sign of his uncertainty and indecisiveness? Not at all! On the contrary, your man turned out to be a hero and protector! He likes you so much, he is so fascinated by you that he involuntarily tries to hug you. And even if he hasn’t had time to do this yet, since you are separated by a “pioneer distance,” then his pose shows that mentally he has long given you the strongest “hugs” of the evening. Let the thought warm you up that if a man in front of you slouches his shoulders, then you are driving him crazy. All you have to do is check what exactly caused such a reaction in him and carefully try to do it again to consolidate the result. If this is your first date, then such a reaction to communication with you is a sign that this is an amorous hero who has managed to become emotionally attached to you in a few hours. Whether you need such a man is up to you to decide, but he is definitely ready to follow you to the ends of the earth.

If his gestures are directed towards you

If your hero is not Italian and you do not spend your holidays in noisy Naples, where everyone becomes a little southerner, but at the same time he actively gesticulates and almost pokes his fingers in your face, then this does not mean that his parents raised him poorly. In this case, your companion wants to be in front and choose where you will spend the upcoming evening. Your task in such a situation is to make him understand that he is important to you, and also to find out what made him doubt your attention to him.

If you are hoping for a romance with a cute colleague from the next department, and all he has to say about Italian is his shoes and the upcoming pasta for lunch, then you are a true workaholic. When discussing with you the signing of an agreement, all his gestures are directed only towards papers, but not in your direction? Alas, he is only occupied with work. All you can do in such a situation is wait for the right moment and try to switch the serious conversation to an informal conversation. To do this, you can try a simple signal that even animals in nature use - look at it point-blank for a long time. This sexy look will help make the conversation less formal.

If he purses his lips

Surely you yourself can guess what mood the man in front of you is in if, when answering a question or during a normal conversation, he answers for a long time and purses his lips. He clearly doesn’t want to tell you the truth, and by pausing, he’s just stalling for time and trying to compose an answer. You must be prepared for the fact that no matter what you talk about, you will not hear the truth.

If you are on a first date and you see that your new acquaintance is pursing his lips, then in this case he may not be lying. Perhaps he just wants to show off in front of you, embellish himself and show off better light. You need to be careful if a man tries to take you to a place unfamiliar to you, pauses and tries to convince you of something.

If he looks away

Your new man fell silent and looked away, and you are trying to guess his thoughts? Do you think he could be a little more open and talkative? Unfortunately, in this case, your companion is clearly not in the mood to communicate. There is nothing wrong if during a conversation a man sometimes turns away, listening to sharp sounds or looking for a waiter in a cafe. But if he practically does not look at you and in front of you you see only his profile, then there is nothing comforting in this. The easiest way to remove anything that irritates you from your sight is to look away. Of course, it is not necessary that it is you who annoy him. Maybe he is bored, not interested in the topic of conversation, you ask him too many questions, or even offended him by remembering a bad joke. In order not to aggravate the situation, try to find another topic for conversation, invite the man to move to another place or move to where you can see each other better.

Sometimes sign language can not only provide interesting information about the people you need, but also to help in a difficult situation or even avoid unforeseen problems.

Learn the basic secrets of body language that reveal what the people you interact with or encounter in life are really thinking.

It is very easy to understand any person by his involuntary gestures, such as pursing his lips, crossing his legs and raising his eyebrows, so knowing what this all means, you can easily understand who you are communicating with, and what exactly they want or expect from you - agree, this healthy:

The gaze slides upward (first photo)

Do not trust someone who, when talking to you, looks past you or rolls his eyes upward, as if calling to heaven. They say that Prince Charles, when he swore an oath of love and fidelity to Diana at the wedding ceremony, he looked up, as if asking for help from God

Accelerated blinking

Rapid blinking indicates increased brain activity. This is a clear sign that your interlocutor is worried, too worried about something, excited or even lying, which is why he blinks rapidly.

When a person tells a lie, he instinctively wants to close his mouth, but the brain understands that this will be too obvious, so the person only scratches his nose.

Pursing or biting lips

Angry people often purse their lips or even bite their lips - this helps them avoid saying something they may later regret. Frequent lip biting indicates anxiety.

Evil people often purse their lips, because it prevents them from saying anything they might regret. If you have something to hide, holding your mouth shut prevents you from speaking – you involuntarily thought: “No, I’d better not say anything.

When both a girl and a man tilt their heads slightly when talking, it means that they are simply flirting. Women who subconsciously believe that they look more attractive this way are especially fond of flirting.

When a person is worried or worried, he touches his earlobe, involuntarily comforting himself. Again, this is a merit of the subconscious, since there are a lot of nerve endings in the lobe, so by massaging it, we not only calm ourselves, but also give ourselves pleasant sensations.

Shaking or twisting hair

This is a bright sexual gesture that is made by women solely to attract the attention of men.

Raising eyebrows

Raising the eyebrows indicates that the person is interested or intrigued by something, but if at the same time the eyes widen, it means that your interlocutor is very shocked.

Crossed legs show that their owner does not want to be here, he is uncomfortable, or that he will stand his ground to the last, since he does not agree with the point of view of others.

Open and vice versa hidden hands

When a person is in a friendly mood, his hands are open to the interlocutor, but when he hides his hands in his pockets or behind his back, he not only finds the conversation unpleasant, but also wants to hide something.

Psychologists say that lips can tell even more about a person than eyes. The slightest change in mood is reflected in them. How to interpret these signs correctly?

Many methods for recognizing emotions from lips are used today by psychologists, FBI agents and journalists who often have to conduct interviews. Nonverbal signals in communication can tell a lot about the interlocutor if you carefully observe him. So your opponent...

... touches lips

Any touch to the lips - with a palm, a finger, a pencil - reveals a liar in a person. This happens involuntarily, because it is difficult to control yourself. Be careful not to develop this habit during an interview or public speaking it will negatively affect the impression of you.

Some people scratch, stroke, or pinch their lips, which is also a variation of touching. The gesture when covering your mouth with your hand is especially eloquent. This is an involuntary signal that a person considers his own words to be a lie or that they came out of him involuntarily. On a subconscious level, he seems to be putting up a barrier so as not to say too much. If such an action appears in response to your words, then they clearly do not trust you.

...bites his lips

A clear sign of indecision and anxiety. Most likely, the person has a great desire to speak out, but he does not dare to do so. Help him: give him the floor, ask him to take part in the discussion. The interlocutor will be surprised by your insight. If the discussion is public, you will strengthen the person’s self-confidence, because many are embarrassed to take the floor on their own.

In some cases, biting your lips means you are wary. For some reason, a person cannot relax next to you. Show friendliness and readiness for dialogue - you will help him to relax.

Yawns

Overt yawning is often mistaken for a sign of boredom. In fact, according to psychologists, this is how a person avoids a painful conversation or an unpleasant topic. At the moment of yawning, he seems to move away from real world, fences himself off from dialogue with you.

Do not rush to take offense at your yawning interlocutor. It is possible that he is stressed, he does not know how to change the subject, so he finds the only possible way not answer you. Involuntary yawning during a conversation will tell you
when you need to support your interlocutor and set him up for a positive wave.

Purses his lips

Pursed lips signal dissatisfaction and disagreement with your words. Most likely, in a minute you will hear objections or refusal of the request. Having noticed this sign in time, you need to bring new arguments in the dispute or additionally motivate your interlocutor so that he does not refuse you. Moreover, it is important to have time to react before they object to you. After an open dispute, it will be much more difficult to convince a person: few people like to give up their own words.

Licking lips

Noticing this gesture, you may be flattered: on a subconscious level, they want to please you. In communication with the opposite sex, it means flirting, interest in you as a sexual object.

Licking your lips also indicates extreme excitement. A person’s mouth is dry from emotions, so he moisturizes his lips to look attractive and natural.

...smiles

A smile can be different: open, nervous, poisonous. It all depends on the direction of the corners of the lips. With a friendly smile, they are always evenly raised, and it’s good if the teeth are slightly visible: this is a sign of a special disposition and trust in you. But when the corners of your lips are at different levels when you smile, you really should be wary: most likely, you are not taken seriously. A crooked grin not only signifies hidden hostility, but also signals that your words are not given much importance.

grins

An unnatural smile should alert you under any circumstances. Especially if they look straight into your eyes: this is a sign of aggression and a brewing conflict. But remember, sometimes a person grins when he is nervous and does not know how to react to your words. For example, a kind of grin may appear on the interlocutor’s face when hearing sad news. No, they are not laughing at you and do not want to offend you: you just discouraged the person.

What we say does not always correspond to what we demonstrate to our interlocutor with our postures and body movements. How to decipher them?

Psychology of gestures and facial expressions

Gait

It can tell a lot about us to an attentive person. If you want to create the impression that you are very busy, you rush forward quickly. Do you have a spring in your step when walking? You will definitely be mistaken for an optimist and a creative person. The gait of a confident person is easy to recognize - he steps on his heel and rolls his foot onto his toe.

Sitting style

A business meeting. In front of you stranger, who spread his papers all over the table. This means he feels like a very important person. Wide-spaced legs reinforce this impression.

Body rotation

If several people take part in a conversation, we turn to the interlocutor who is more attractive to us. Or to the leader - as a sign of respect. This simple psychology human gestures.

Let's move closer

We try to get closer to those who are truly pleasant to us.

PSYCHOLOGY OF FAMILY - FACE

	Raised eyebrows This is evidence that a person is sincerely interested, he is curious about what is happening. If he frowns, it means he is experiencing fear and embarrassment. The eyebrows are motionless if there is no interest in what is happening now. Closed eyes If the interlocutor in a conversation suddenly begins to rub his eyes, covers them with his hand or lowers his eyelids, it means that he is trying to protect himself from unpleasant or dangerous information that he has received.
	Attention - on the face Have you noticed that your interlocutor often straightens his hair, moving it away from his face? Maybe he's a little nervous. Another interpretation: he is trying to attract your attention to his face and neck by flirting.
	Lip biting It is not difficult to determine when a person is in stressful situation: the interlocutor begins to bite or lick his lips. He does this to relieve tension and calm down a little.
	Sincere smile Do they smile at you only with their lips for 5-6 seconds? This is a reason to doubt that the person is sincere with you now. After all, a real smile implies that it involves not only the lips, but also the eyes! If you want to be known as a thorough person at work, smile less. Employees who smile excessively do not seem too serious to management.

Head tilt

Do you want to make it clear that your interlocutor’s words are interesting to you and that you are listening to him carefully? Tilt your head slightly towards him, showing that you don’t want to miss a single word.

Eyes

If your counterpart blinks more than 6-8 times per minute, it means the person is in this moment very worried.

Nose

A person who is telling a lie really has an itchy nose - it’s just at this moment that adrenaline is released, which causes the capillaries to dilate and the nose begins to itch.

Sight

By looking at us, we can determine whether the interlocutor is lying to us or whether he is interested in someone present. If your interlocutor looks too closely into your eyes without looking away, this may mean that he is deceiving you. But, realizing this, he tries to seem sincere, without taking his eyes off your face.

A quick exchange of glances occurs between people who like each other. If a man casts quick interested glances at you and immediately looks away, he likes you, but he is not sure of reciprocal feelings. A quick glance is one of the signs of a defensive reaction: a person is afraid of rejection.

Nods

If you nod your head, and do it more than once, you show your interlocutor that you are interested. If you nod three times at once, the person's response will be about three times longer. This means don’t nod more than once if you want to quickly end a boring conversation.

Looking from the bottom up

A person who tilts his head slightly and looks up at his interlocutor needs support and protection. This is how young children often look, and there are plenty of photographs of Princess Diana in this position.

Pursed lips

When the other person's lips stretch out thin line, there is no doubt that the person is simply furious. The fact is that in a calm state, few people can purse their lips in this way.

Look up

Do you want to know what your interlocutor is thinking about? Notice how his eyes move. When a person remembers what he saw before, he looks up, as if trying to imagine the picture. When a person remembers what he heard, he looks towards one of his ears. And the deepest experiences are accompanied by a gaze that seems to be directed inward and does not react to what is happening around.

Forehead and ear massage

Does your interlocutor touch his forehead or stroke his earlobes? He feels vulnerable and defenseless and tries to relieve tension. For example, a person may react this way when a boss looks around at his subordinates, trying to decide who to entrust an unpleasant job to. By touching the forehead, earlobes, rubbing our knees, we massage the nerve endings, and this helps reduce blood pressure and pulse.

By the way, the psychology of human gestures speaks louder than words. Scientists have found that with their help we receive up to 90% of information. Whereas words give us no more than 7%.

BODY


Feet shoulder width apart This position speaks of self-confidence and a tendency to dominate. During an argument, a person in this position will firmly stand his ground. If you want to intensify the impression, place your hands on your hips - this is a traditional position that shows strength.	Crossed arms It may seem that the person crossing his arms is angry or wants to close himself off from the eyes of others. But don't rush into such an assessment. This pose can really indicate that a person does not want to let anyone into his thoughts if his legs are also crossed. However, it is worth paying attention to the surrounding environment: most often people take this position when they are cold. And besides, many find this position simply comfortable.	Body weight is transferred from one leg to the other The way your body moves matches your thoughts. Does your partner often shift from one foot to the other or sway back and forth? He is worried or upset about something. In other words, these movements clearly indicate what is happening in a person’s head: he moves from one unpleasant thought to another and cannot decide on a solution.

Feet pointing towards the door

It’s easy to determine how interesting the conversation is to your interlocutor. If you are talking to a person whose feet are turned towards the door, this is a sign that he wants to end the conversation as quickly as possible and is looking for a way to retreat.

HANDS

The interlocutor hides his hands, Does he keep them behind his back or put them in his pockets? He is hiding something from you, does not give complete information.

A person who touches his nails and cuticles while talking(and even worse - he bites his nails), gives the impression of insecurity and vulnerability. Instead, interlace your fingers to appear calm and balanced.

Restless gestures

Does a person alternately take off and put on his shoes under the table, shake his legs rhythmically, and cross one leg over the other? Such gestures help relieve anxiety. They also say that the situation is unpleasant for you.

What do you know about the psychology of gestures and facial expressions?

PHOTO: ALEXANDER ZELENTSOV. MODEL: DIANA LYUBIMOVA/FRESHMODELS. MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLE: NADEZhDA KNYAZEVA. DIANA WEARS: RIVER ISLAND JEANS AND TOP, TWIN-SET SHOES

Verbal or verbal communication helps a person convey his feelings and thoughts to others. written language. In the first case, not only voice transmission of text is used, but also non-verbal means communication such as gestures or facial expressions. They enliven speech, giving it a more emotional coloring. The ability to correctly read nonverbal signals allows you to understand the true motives of your interlocutor, since it is facial expressions in communication that express a direct attitude to what is happening.

The meaning of facial expressions in human life

Nonverbal communication does not involve the use of speech, only sensory or bodily contacts: facial expressions, touch, gestures, gaze. They are the ones who help people achieve mutual understanding at the emotional level. Research has found that we transmit only 35% of information to each other through speech. The remaining 65% comes from non-verbal signals: body movements, gestures, gaze, facial expressions. They complement spoken phrases, enhancing their significance.

In fact, non-verbal means of communication are quite capable of replacing. This is what happens to deaf-mute people. For them, speechless communication through gestures and facial expressions is the usual way communication with others. The same can be said about children who have not yet learned to speak. People use nonverbal communication techniques to establish communication connections with representatives of the animal world.

The importance of facial expressions in the communication process cannot be underestimated. After all, sometimes a facial expression, coupled with other nonverbal signals, carries more information about the feelings or mood of the interlocutor than words. People are used to controlling what they say. However, nonverbal manifestations are difficult to hide. Many movements occur reflexively, before the emotion is evaluated by the brain. By learning to capture and interpret facial expressions and other nonverbal signals, you can understand not only what the interlocutor wants to say, but also what he is trying to hide.

Expressions of feelings and emotions through nonverbal signals

Gestures, pantomime and facial expressions are means of communication that are classified as optical-kinetic. This system of nonverbal signals includes appearance, voice timbre, hand or head movements, body position in space. Successful establishment of contact depends not only on what the interlocutor says, but also on how confident his facial expressions, voice, and gaze are. This is what explains the interest in studying the meaning of nonverbal signals on the part of psychologists, businessmen and people who want to build a career.

What does facial expressions tell you?

The most important element of nonverbal communication is facial expressions. American psychologist Paul Ekman developed Facial Affect Scoring Technique or FAST for short, which allows you to determine the emotional state of the patient visually. The professor suggested conditionally dividing a person’s face into three zones:

forehead and eyes,
nose and area around it,
mouth and chin.

According to the FAST method, the meaning of nonverbal facial expressions is considered only in the totality of changes in at least two of these areas. Such a simple analysis nonverbal signal allows, for example, to distinguish a feigned smile from sincere joy.

There are six basic emotions, most clearly expressed through facial expressions:

joy,
anger,
astonishment,
disgust,
horror,
sadness.

Involuntary or reflexive facial expressions These are nonverbal manifestations that the person himself does not control. It is she who reflects the true emotional state.

We propose to consider the most significant non-verbal manifestations of feelings reflected in facial expressions, which are schematically depicted in the picture:

Emotion joy reflected on the forehead and mouth area. The corners of the lips are raised, the teeth are slightly open. Light wrinkles appear around the eyes. The eyebrows also rise slightly in relation to the bridge of the nose.
The face of a man who is experiencing happiness, relaxed. This is expressed by half-closed upper eyelids, slightly raised eyebrows, and a radiant gaze. The corners of the lips are drawn towards the ears.
For surprise Characteristic features are raised eyebrows, rounded eyes, and a slightly open mouth.
Doubt expressed in a person’s gaze shifted to the left. It is the left hemisphere of the brain that is responsible for analyzing the situation. The position of the lips resembles a sarcastic grin, that is, only one edge of the lips is raised.
Sullenness or despondency expressed by lowered eyebrows and corners of the mouth. The look is dull, indifferent.
The face of a frightened man is tense. Fear expressed in raised eyebrows, wide open eyes. Teeth are partially visible through parted lips.
Rounded eyes, slightly open mouth, raised eyebrows - this is how facial expressions express shock.
A one-sided grin, a sideways glance, narrowed eyes and a raised eyebrow - this is what it looks like mistrust.
The look of a person thinking about a problem, directed upwards. The corners of the lips are slightly lowered.
Wide-open, excitedly shining eyes, raised eyebrows and a slightly open mouth express joy about a brilliant idea came to mind.
Human, pleased with himself, looks relaxed. His eyebrows and eyelids are lowered, and his lips are folded into a half-smile.
ABOUT insidious plans tells the story with a squinted, raised look outer corners eyebrows, lips compressed into a string, folding into a tense smile.
Sly squints his eyes and looks away. The left or right corner of his mouth rises.
Demonstrating determination, the man purses his lips, clenches his jaw tightly, looks from under his brows. His pupils may narrow sharply, his gaze becomes threatening.
Embarrassed, people look down, smile with closed lips so that one corner of the mouth rises. The inner tips of the eyebrows creep up.
Resentment expressed in pursed lips, low eyebrows and eyelids. The gaze is directed away from the interlocutor.
Concentrated When thinking, most people move their eyebrows so that a crease forms on the bridge of their nose. At the same time, the gaze seems to be directed inwards, the chin is tense, the mouth is motionless.
Uncertainty is expressed in a slightly confused, wandering gaze, raised eyebrows. At the same time, the corners of the lips are lowered.
Expression daydreaming on the face is characterized by highly raised inner corners of the eyebrows. The gaze is directed upward, the corners of the mouth are located asymmetrically.
Fatigue expressed in complete relaxation facial muscles, including the century. The lips take on a horseshoe shape, with the tips pointing downwards.

For precise definition emotional state by facial expressions or in aggregate non-verbal signs, it is necessary to take into account such details as the direction of gaze, the state of the pupils. If a person experiences strong antipathy towards the interlocutor, he involuntarily squints. A liar averts his eyes to the side; he is betrayed by frequent blinking or, on the contrary, an unblinking gaze. Insincerity is evidenced by facial asymmetry and too mobile facial expressions.

Conclusion

Interpretation of people's nonverbal behavior through facial expressions or gestures depends on many factors. These are the cultural traditions of the country, gender, age of the interlocutor, the situation in which it occurs. It is worth remembering that nonverbal gestures and facial expressions differ between European and Asian residents. In addition, most adults have good control over their nonverbal reactions. To capture genuine emotions from the facial expressions that flash on the face in a matter of seconds, a certain skill and observation is required.