Do you think body language is an exact science?

Munstergirl854

I sometimes watch the Behavior Panel videos on YouTube.. they are a team of Body Language experts and they review videos of famous cases and criminals...their video this week to review will be an interview of Jeffrey Dahmer...

Some of what they say can be interesting but long winded..videos can be up to 2 hours long...

Body language analysis seems to be big business in the States as opposed to here ..just wondering what your thoughts on it are?

Badly Drunk Boy

No, it's not an exact science. It's based on observation and then best guesses. It's not without merit but it's not exact.

No..and those lads were completely fooled by the Jackson accusers who were obviously lying..

No. It suffers the same problems that psychology has. You can make educated guesses, but they're still guesses based on assumptions. You can observe over extended periods and assign meaning, but it's a meaning being pushed/forced on to others. People are too complicated and contrary to be understood to the extent that "science" would demand. Biases on both sides seriously inhibits the ability of anyone to reliably understand.

Instinctively people have the best opportunity to understand body language, but it's not entirely reliable. Not a science.

Jequ0n

It’s not science but it’s a skill set which can be trained. Most people you encounter in every day life, who think that they have mastered reading people, are the easiest ones to fool because they are so convinced by themselves.

j2

There's definitely something to it, but some of those videos analysing the body language of serial killers etc are ridiculous. If you have Ted Bundy sitting there any slight movement could be interpreted as something sinister. I'll be impressed when somebody makes a video of someone who hasn't already got a confirmed kill count and they manage to correctly predict something about them by looking at their body language.

anplaya27

Body language means something different to me - for me it's used to convey meaning , emotions etc. You can see these in the eyes, lips, facial features, body and so on.

Probs be considered more of an expert than so called experts as Ive spent my life basically interpreting peoples body language ( am profoundly Deaf ISL user).

mohawk

No way is it an exact science. People are all different. Those so called professionals are guessing imo.

Body language is probably as an important part part of communication as speaking. Just like we can misinterpret peoples words we can also misinterpret their body language.

Brid Hegarty

Conor McGregor studied the sh1t out of body language, and how to look more confident. As you can see it was all faked in this case below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhhKN9zuDh0&ab_channel=TheCharismaMatrix

Watch here (0:35) with Putin, how he puts his arm over his head in order to bring it back down. Completely unnecessary. No one does it that way. It confuses Putin and he stands back out of the way in case it touches his head. It's a power move!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdCo3gouGRw&ab_channel=TheMacLife

Graces7

Interesting as this cut across what I was thinkig earlier

"interpretation" of body language depends on your perception of the person in other areas,

When I was wrongly diagnosed for so long as mentally ill... Everything I did and said and was was seen through that erroneous light

The way I needed rest and felt unable to be out, was seen as agoraphobia, and so on. And then when I fell apart as I was pushed too hard, as I was seriously ill?Ah yes, we were right! Now I do what is within my limits. Today the ME is bad so very soon I will vanish and sleep.

Graces7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119547091#Comment_119547091

One example. I was in a psych appointment on a day when I had a migraine and was suddenly violently sick in the washbasin

SIR said, " Oh that was something you needed to get rid of, "ie emotional etc

Esse85

Body language ain't fact, acts as a guide only, and guides are often inaccurate.

silliussoddius

Probably a lot of cold reading masquerading as science.