Nonverbal behaviors such as body posture, facial expressions, and eye contact can say much about a person and, often, their meanings are universally recognized [1]. These behaviours enable nonverbal communication, which is especially important for survival and reproductive fitness [2]. However, what happens when a person’s actions conflict with their words? This is known as verbal-nonverbal inconsistency, which humans can fully detect by the time they are four or five years old [3]. Clinical and counseling psychologists benefit from learning nonverbal cues to better understand their clients’ behavior and course of treatment. In 1601, philosopher Francis Bacon suggested that “as the tongue speaketh to the ear, so the hand speaketh to the eye.”  Suffice it to say, verbal and nonverbal behaviors must work together to facilitate social cognition.  

To learn the language of nonverbal communication, it is first important to distinguish how experts define its different features. Knapp describes seven dimensions of nonverbal communication [4]. The first dimension is kinesics, or body language. Body language includes hand, arm, head, foot, and leg movements, as well as posture shifts, gestures, eye movements and facial expressions. The second dimension, paralanguage, involves wordless vocalizations and speech patterns like pitch, volume, frequency, stuttering, silent pauses, interruptions, and speech rate. The third category of nonverbal communication is physical contact in the form of touching. The fourth is proxemics, or interpersonal space and territorial norms.  

It is important to note that dimensions five, six, and seven do not actually analyze a person’s overt nonverbal behavior but instead focuses on information about the person that is covertly communicated. For example, the fifth category covers physical characteristics like skin tone, body shape, and body odor. The sixth category involves adornments like jewelry and clothing, and the last category is not about a person’s behavior, but how the physical setting influences their behavior. 

How do psychology researchers actually use these seven dimensions to study nonverbal behavior? Researchers typically group behaviors together that overlap in these seven dimensions of nonverbal expression. For example, recent research has revealed patterns in nonverbal indicators of power, status, and dominance [5]. Even though power, status, and dominance have different definitions and may not all exist within a person, they manifest nonverbally in similar ways. Grouping behaviors together through these seven dimensions helps establish patterns of how people perceive nonverbal behavior, and how others execute it. Researchers also take into account the fact that many behaviors may be perceived to be dominant behaviors, when in actuality, the list of actually correlated dominant behaviors may contrast with perception. For example, behaviors perceived to be associated with dominance include glaring and expressing anger or disgust. While these behaviors are not statistically correlated dominance behaviors, researchers concede that context of behavior is important and that nonverbal communication is a rich and complex science that takes on different dimensions in expression and perception. Therefore, both expression and perception must be taken into account to gain a full understanding of nonverbal behavior. 

The expression of social constructs like power, status, and dominance are important to study because those with higher socioeconomic status and social network size tend to exhibit behaviors associated with power, status, and dominance. Studying these constructs can help inform counseling psychologists when identifying patterns of behavior in clients needing insight into their interpersonal relationships.

The table below is a full list of actually associated behaviors with power, status, and dominance.

In conclusion, while nonverbal communication is an expansive and complex language, the language must be read in the context of the behaviors to be interpreted correctly. Additionally, gaining insight into power dynamics through nonverbal cues can help clinical and counseling psychologists better identify nonverbal cues in their clients’ behavior to better understand the treatment they should enact.

References

1. Andersen, P.A. & Guerrero, Laura & Jones, Susanne. (2006). Nonverbal behavior in intimate interactions and intimate relationships. The Sage Handbook of Nonverbal Communication. 259-277.
2. Carney, Dana. (2020). The nonverbal expression of power, status, and dominance. Current Opinion in Psychology, Volume 33, 2020, Pages 256-264, ISSN 2352-250X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.12.004.
3. Eskritt, Michelle & Lee, Kang. (2003). Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words? Preschool Children’s Use of the Verbal-Nonverbal Consistency Principle During Inconsistent Communications. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 27. 25-41. 10.1023/A:1023614123081.
4. Frank, M. G., & Shaw, A. Z. (2016). Evolution and nonverbal communication. In D. Matsumoto, H. C. Hwang, & M. G. Frank (Eds.), APA handbook of nonverbal communication (pp. 45–76). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14669-003
5. Knapp, 1972. (1972). Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction [Abstract]. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.