Body language.

Movements and gestures by the hands, arms, legs, and other parts of the body and face are the most pervasive types of nonverbal messages and the most difficult to control. It is estimated that there are over 200.000 physical signs capable of stimulating meaning in another person (some social scientists state even 700.000). For example, there are 23 distinct eyebrow movements, each capable of stimulating a different meaning.

Humans express attitudes toward themselves and vividly through body motions and posture. Bodies movements elucidate true messages about feeling that cannot be masked. Because such avenues of communication are visual, they travel much farther than spoken words and are unaffected by the presence of noise that interrupt, or cancels out speech.

Gestures

A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions are used to communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with spoken words. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body. A single emblematic gesture can a have very different significance in different cultural contexts, ranging from complimentary to highly offensive.

There are a lot of different gestures ways to make them (using one hand, using two hands, hand with body gestures, body and facial gestures) but I don’t want to spend time for describing all of them.

Postures

Postures as well as gestures are used to indicate attitudes, status, affective moods, approval, deception, warmth, and other variables related to inner emotions.

Facial expressions

Next to words the human face is the primary source of information for determining an individual’s internal feelings.

Facial expressions may be unintentional or intentional.

The facial expression for fear is an example of an involuntary gesture - people generally do not think of how to move facial muscles when truly frightened.

Facial expressions can also be voluntary, as when an individual wants deliberately to hide feelings for different reasons

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Often people try to hide feelings and emotions behind masks. The frown, jutting chin, raise eyebrow, open mouth, and sneer are facial expressions that can betray and ultimately broadcast deception. All humans are capable of faking a happy or a sad face, a smile or a frown. I found interesting statement that the timing gives them away. They cannot determine how long to keep it or how quickly to let it go. Makes sense.

Eyes

The most dominant and reliable features of the face, the eyes, provide a constant channel of communication. They can be shifty and evasive; convey hate, fear, and guilt; or express confidence, love, and support. The eyes of the man converse as much as their tongues, with the advantage that the ocular dialect needs no dictionary, but is understood, all the world over. When the eye say one thing, and the tongue another, a practiced man relies on eye. Normal eye dilation is not under control of the individual. But when looking at something pleasing, an individual’s pupil will measurably dilate; when viewing something displeasing, the pupils will constrict.