# Ambiguous body language

Category: Let's talk

## Post 1 by sjtaylor (I can't call it a day til I enter the zone BBS) on Tuesday, 03-May-2005 5:23:11

So, we all know how to nod our head yes and shake our head no, right? It's basic non-verbal communication...or do we? ? What about situations where the reverse is apparent? No doubt people have read books/heard accounts in which he nodded his head no, or she shook her head yes. How on earth are these somewhat complicated translations of the gestures differentiated from the conventional ones we as vision-impaired mortals are aware of, and execute in general discussion? Wo, that was a rant and a half. But hopefully you know what I'm talking about.

## Post 2 by Twinklestar09 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Tuesday, 03-May-2005 7:48:05

Not sure I get your question, but I guess it would just depend on the blind person's culture. Like I think in some Asian countries, if you shake your head, it actually means "yes" instead of "no". So if a blind person from there was taught that, of course, that's what they'll know as correct. And the same would go for blind people in countries where it's the opposit. And of course, if someone from say the U.S. moves to India, where those expressions mean the opposit for those 2 places (at least in the head shaking meaning "yes" or "no", according to what I've read about that), they would have to get used to using and understanding those gestures differently than what they're used to.
Leilani

## Post 3 by sjtaylor (I can't call it a day til I enter the zone BBS) on Tuesday, 03-May-2005 8:24:03

Very true, though that is a sense of conformity. Unless I'm much mistaken however, in the US both these gestures can serve as either Yes or No. Possibly wasn't the brightest question to ask on here, but i was curious nonetheless. I know that I am not the greatest on non-verbal communication...for the record i have no sight and 0 light perception...i guess you could say i'm not particularly confident when it comes to emoting/expressing through gestures that sighties in society see and use every day. Would be interested to hear others' experiences/perceptions on this.

## Post 4 by sugarbaby (The voice of reason) on Tuesday, 03-May-2005 8:28:41

well if you listen to the experts, body language plays a huge part in how people perceive each other. from the flicking of hair to the crossing of arms ... etc, and apparently the mind just knows what it's all about and interprets it accordingly and hence why some people can be put off each other purely because of the use of body language. That puts those of us who cannot see in a totally different position as we are unable to do this and often are unaware of what certain body language means and therefore can use it without even realizing we're doing it.

## Post 5 by rdfreak (THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE-BLUE KANGA-KICKIN AUSIE) on Tuesday, 03-May-2005 8:41:21

yeah and
basically people can full on have conversations with their body language. .. it really does make us feel extremely left out in these situations. lol "what? what? what?" I use to always be demanding. Lol On another track my sister would always use to laugh and anything when we were younger, and it always made me soo self-conscious, thinking it was me she was laughing at.

## Post 6 by sugarbaby (The voice of reason) on Tuesday, 03-May-2005 8:44:08

and of course you can catch the eye of that particularly atractive guy/girl across the room ...

## Post 7 by sjtaylor (I can't call it a day til I enter the zone BBS) on Tuesday, 03-May-2005 10:27:05

Oooo yeah, something which we blinks can't really do...same with catching the eye of a waiter in a restaurant, though this is slightly less problematic, for if you feel comfortable with it you can simply ask him/her to check your table every so often. Unfortunately the cute guy/girl on the other side of the room, and this is assuming you've heard his/her voice, isn't going to be quite as perceptive unless they're wildly telepathic!

## Post 8 by Flidais (WISEST IS SHE WHO KNOWS THAT SHE DOES NOT KNOW) on Tuesday, 03-May-2005 18:13:58

I think back to the whole nodding/shaking head thing, it's not so much the gesture as the context. I guess for sighties it also plays in with facial expression. The body language/facial expressions will make the "yes" or "no" response clear. Plus I always saw it as shaking of the head simply signified a more emphatic response, where as simple nodding was only a calm answer.

## Post 9 by Resonant (Find me alive.) on Friday, 06-May-2005 11:33:50

Another point is that the shaking of the head for a negative, (on the plain) is different from tilting the head on an angle, which can mean a positive response or a question. Similarly, the indian head shake for yes is actually tilting the head back and forth, at an angle, where the western shake for no involves actually turning the head on the neck. I'm explaining this badly, but it is actually a different movement altogether. Head-tilting is a hard one, since there's so many diferent ways it can be done, it's such an individual thing, and it combines with facial expression. I've never found any difficulty in expressing myself through body language, it just seems to come naturally. However, there's that moment of panic when you realise you need to project an emotion other than the one you're feeling and become all paranoid about your body-language... such as trying to appear fascinated when someone's chatting you up and you'd rather be running in the opposite direction.