Brianna Hall
Nonverbal communication is super important when it comes to getting
across emotions and ideas. First I want to talk about Affect displays, which falls
under body language. Affect displays are nonverbal cues that express emotions
through facial expressions, body movements, and vocal traits. According to
Understanding Human Communication, "Nonverbal behavior offers many cues
about the way people feel—often more than we get from their words alone." An
example of this is a smile. To me a smile usually means someone is happy and the
opposite would be a frown. Like I just said here in America, a smile is usually
associated with happiness and like friendliness. However, based on my own
experience from spending four months in Japan, I observed that smiling is less
common in public interactions there. In Japan, people often greet each other with
more neutral facial expressions, reserving smiles for personal moments with
friends rather than public or formal interactions. This difference highlights how
affect blends, simultaneous expressions of two or more emotions, can be
interpreted differently depending on the cultural context.
Next I want to talk about Emblems, which also fall under body language.
Emblems are deliberate nonverbal behaviors that have specific meanings within a
cultural group. Understanding Human Communication states, "Some gestures
substitute for specific words. Emblems are deliberate nonverbal behaviors that
have precise meanings known to everyone within a cultural group." In America a
head nod usually means yes, while a head shake side to side usually means no.
But in other places it might be different. The first thing that comes to mind when I
think of this is India. A head shake side to side there simply means that they are
listening and understanding what you are saying, but in America you would
interpret that as someone telling you no or disagreeing with you.
Lastly I want to talk about Artifacts, which fall under spatial use. Accordion
to Understanding Human Communication, "Artifacts, or the objects and
possessions people use to convey identity and status, also reflect cultural and
co-cultural values." Here in America and many other Western societies, personal
items like clothes, technology, and accessories are used to show your status and
basically flex on people. For other cultures like people who are Indigenous, their
artifacts might be more tied to their roots.