Social cues are signals that we send to communicate to others without saying a word to them. People start to read cues at a young age[1].These cues include: eye contact- some think that it is rude while actually it just fine to others. To others, that is a way of expressing concentration[1]. Facial expression is another one that most people fail to read correctly. It is really annoying when one reads our expressions incorrectly[2]. Personal space is also a cue and many fail to understand. some think that by keeping a distance means that we don’t like the person[2]. Some can tell through smiles[1]. There are different types of smiles[3]. Crossing of arms is another cue. People should check on other types of cues since people sometimes cross their arms just because it is relaxing to them and not that they mean something else[1]. Touches can also be a cue. One may put their arm around you and you may think they like you romantically but that isn’t always the case. When one also resists a hug from you, it’s a way of saying they are not comfortable or they simply are not interested with you[1]. The posture of someone may tell their thinking or feelings. One may simply mean that they are not in the mood to converse by simply hanging their head down[1]. This is really interesting to me but somehow not easy. I myself find some social cues hard to read and interpret sometimes. I think that reading them will depend on how the person is also expressing them and not only on our skills to read and interpret them.
- https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/social-cues-types-and-how-to-read-them
- https://www.understood.org/en/articles/4-types-of-social-cues
- https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/types-of-smiles-and-their-meanings
Hi Christine,
This is a very interesting topic that is involved in our everyday life! I’ve noticed that some people around me, especially those who are very good friends, are able to understand what the other person is trying to say just with eye contact. There are also other cues, like you mentioned, crossing arms, smiles, and posture, that can hint people what to do and not to do in different situations.
Similar to you, I wouldn’t consider myself as someone who is very skilled at interpreting these cues. However, there definitely exists people who are very good at reading cues, which helps them do well in situations like social events. I wonder what causes these different abilities in reading cues? People can train themselves through practice and learning set knowledge, but some people seem to be more naturally skilled – what is the reasoning behind this?
Here are a few links that might help:
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/peoples-affinity-social-cues-inherited-study-suggests/
https://www.businessinsider.com/women-better-at-reading-emotions-2013-2
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/social-cues-types-and-how-to-read-them
Good luck and I look forward to more of your blogs!
Hey Christine,
This is a very intriguing blog post that I enjoyed reading! I also agree that interpreting people’s social cues can sometimes be hard because it can bring mixed signals. However, I do believe learning the meanings of different body language signals can benefit you in making the right move in any awkward situation. A question I have is what body language movements show that a person is lying? Nevertheless, I wish you the best with your research!
Here is a link that will explain various body language cues and what they mean, which may be helpful for your posts:
https://www.scienceofpeople.com/body-language-examples/
Mahdiya A.
Hello Christine,
Your topic is unlike anything I have seen before and is absolutely fascinating and relevant to today in the sense that many interpret body language differently. One thing about this blog post that I particularly enjoyed was your examples of certain interpretations and things they may or may not necessarily mean in terms of the actual emotions of the person portraying a certain body language signal. I would love to see how gender affects these interpretations and whether misconceptions apply more to one sex than the other. For example, how do body language interpretations affect one gender, and in what ways is this true? Great work so far! I can’t wait to read your future blog posts on this topic.
Below I have linked some helpful resources
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/279/27962050034/html/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00016/full
https://uiwomenscenter.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/female-vs-male-body-language/
-Ava