How does our body language affect us?

Every day, without even realizing it. We have the ability to analyze the body language of others. For example, if a person is embarrassed, he will move his hands constantly, or if a person combines hands, we will assume that he or she is locked up and vice versa, as a person interprets his or her level of security.

Body language is a language for everything, we use body language to communicate messages and communicate with the environment. Analysis of body language applies as an inherent process of environmental analysis, as stated, without paying attention. Body language in others greatly influences our judgment, we tend to treat people according to what they convey to us, and many studies show that our impression, which is formed from the body language of others, affects decision-making in a fateful way. Decisions like who to hire for a job, or support for a political candidate, can be made within the first few seconds of our judgment.

The basics of body language are found in nature, if you look at animals for example, because they rarely use verbal languages, their body language is the way to communicate with each other. Animals use body language to identify themselves as a threat. In order to show dominance, an animal will increase itself, stretch and develop, making it look threatening. If we look at humans, we seem to be doing the same thing. For example, a victory movement of a person will be seen in the form of a V, we raise our hands in the form of a V for air. Imagine Usain Bolt winning a 100-foot race, he feels powerful, he is unbeatable, and he unwittingly raises his hands in V-form while lifting his chin up.

Our body language affects us, it expresses our feelings and helps us visualize different situations

How does all this help us? After all, our bodies automatically respond to our feelings, but can we “fake” our feelings with body language? Is it possible to manipulate our bodies using body language? The answer is yes.

Have you ever been to an important meeting, a job interview, a fundraiser with an investor and gone out with a sense of missing out? You felt that you didn’t express yourself well, you presented a negative side of your personality, you didn’t say everything you wanted, and you just felt that you could have been better? It happens to all of us.

It turns out that the very fact that we place the body in a certain way affects our performance. If someone forces you to smile, over time you will begin to feel happier, if you behave like a controlling person, there is a high probability that you will begin to feel powerful. An experiment was conducted to test this hypothesis, scientists took people and sat them in a room. Each participant settled in a different position, some in positions that reflect strength and self-confidence, and the rest in weak and closed positions. The findings showed that those who sat or stood in a way that reflected strength and power were highly willing to gamble and take risks, but more than that, the scientists looked at the hormone levels in the participants’ bodies and saw that in those with power, testosterone levels increased significantly and vice versa. We learn from this that with two minutes of being in a position, our brain begins to act as if we are really in that position.

Our goal is to reach a state of “presence.” Presence is measured by confidence, comfort level and your enthusiasm passion. A high level of these will bring you to a state of full presence, it will make you stand out, people will appreciate you and, most importantly, you will be able to control your emotions and feelings. Presence is a state of self-control, we all know that we have encountered situations of discomfort, anxiety or embarrassment, but now we have a tool to deal with these situations.

As stupid as that sounds, try it. Before a meeting or a crucial moment in your life, take two minutes to stand in front of a mirror, straighten your body, lift your head, and look yourself in the eye. You should practice victory posture, positions of power and power, imagine yourself in the moment itself, as you would like it to happen. This practice will put your body in the desired state, you affect your brain with an image of the state you want to be in.

Your body language has the power to decide how you will cope with difficult challenges

The next time you face one of these tense moments, imagine yourself approaching a situation with confidence and excitement, not with doubt and terror. Imagine yourself feeling energetic and relaxed when you are there, free from the fear of how others might judge you. Imagine yourself leaving the situation without regret, satisfied that you did your best, regardless of the measurable outcome.