While often defined by conversations and verbal actions, social interaction, or interpersonal relationships between two or more persons, depends on nonverbal communication as a silent but powerful language. Words convey explicit meanings, but silent actions also shape how messages are interpreted and relationships are formed in social settings. According to Albert Mehrabian, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, communication can be assigned to a 55/38/7 formula, meaning that it is 55 percent nonverbal, 38 percent vocal, and 7 percent words. Nonverbal communication encompasses a wide range of behaviors, including gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, posture, and touch.
The social context, or the environment of the interaction, heavily influences how nonverbal communication is perceived and understood. For example, a friendly smile during a job interview conveys openness and warmth, whereas the same smile in a heated argument might be interpreted as sarcasm or insincerity. This is also central to feeling rules, norms about which emotions are appropriate to display in a given situation. While both are large gatherings, the somber attitudes expected at a funeral would not be appropriate at a wedding celebration. Understanding the nuances of nonverbal cues allows individuals to navigate social situations effectively and appropriately. As children, we first learn many of our nonverbal cues from school as a social institution, organizational systems that link individuals to the larger society. One of the more straightforward cues includes raising your hand to signify to the students and teachers around you that you have a question.
Nonverbal communication is integral to social roles as well, defining expected behaviors and interactions within specific contexts. Whether in professional settings, where a firm handshake and direct gaze convey professionalism, or in personal relationships, where a gentle touch or nod of understanding fosters intimacy, nonverbal cues shape how roles are performed and perceived.
Social status, an individual’s position within a social hierarchy, is also reflected in nonverbal communication. The term “fake it till you make it” particularly applies to nonverbal communication, where you can impart false confidence on yourself to influence how others perceive you. High-status individuals often exhibit confident body language through assertive gestures and controlled expressions. Reaching back to Mahrabian’s 55/38/7 communication formula, since nearly 40 percent of a person’s attitude is conveyed vocally through tone and inflection, you can also try speaking in a deeper voice to establish confidence, Those with a lower pitch are perceived as more authoritative than those who speak with a higher pitch. It’s important to acknowledge how perceptions of nonverbal cues have been influenced by ascribed status, assigned social status based on characteristics such as sex, race, and age. When men dominate positions of authority, their lower pitches and other mannerisms then become linked to conceptions of confidence.
We can judge people’s personalities and intentions based on their mannerisms. Social attribution, the process of explaining others’ behaviors and motivations, greatly relies on nonverbal cues. However, it’s important to recognize the potential for errors, where misinterpretations of nonverbal cues can lead to misunderstandings or biases. Even though texting is a form of written communication, and therefore verbal communication, the use of punctuation, emojis, and other textual cues substitute vocal tones as nonverbal expressions. A recently evolved textual cue used in texting and online posts is tone tags. Used to avoid attribution errors without vocal traits, tone tags are attached at the end of phrases with common ones being /j (joking), /srs (serious), and /s (sarcastic). These are especially used in neurodivergent communities who find it difficult to determine the intent of messages.
As nonverbal communication is so crucial to social interaction, it is important to learn to be conscious of our body language. Many of these behaviors come naturally as human instincts, such as smiling when we’re happy and frowning when we’re upset. Others, such as eye contact and posture, are more dependent on how we’re socialized, with cultural heritage playing a large role. Since it’s a sign of disrespect to look into an elder’s eye in many Native American cultures, Native American students make less eye contact with educators in comparison to White American students. When eye contact is generalized to signal active listening, departures from stereotypical norms could be mistaken as the student being dismissive so in all cases, it’s key to be understanding of cross-cultural differences. By understanding the impacts of nonverbal communication in yourself and others, you can become more adept at adapting to social interactions.
Lai is a guest blogger at UITAC Publishing. UITAC’s mission is to provide high-quality, affordable, and socially responsible online course materials.
Images used in this blog:
- “Young lady learning sign language during online lesson with female tutor” by SHVETS production is licensed on Pexels. This image has not been altered.
- “Staring contest” by Vectorink is licensed under CC0 1.0. This image has not been altered.
- “Boy Raising His Hand in the Classroom” by RDNE Stock project is licensed on Pexels. This image has not been altered.
