Being able to understand and read body language is a very useful tool. You will be pleasantly surprised to learn that you can use the art of reading body language to:

-- understand what someone means, even when they aren't saying it

-- use it to your advantage for employment and interviews

-- avoid aggressive situations that can become more heated

-- learn what factors can affect body language, such as alcohol

-- put your best foot forward for presentations and meetings

-- discover patterns in someone's body language

-- use self reflection to avoid negative behavior to be seen by others

Those are just a few things that one can learn from understanding how to read body language. At first it may seem complex, but once you learn some of the common things that people do in varying situations, it will become easier to detect and respond to someone's body language.

Body language is a non-verbal way of speaking. It is an unspoken language that often says more than what is being said verbally. It is a form of body communication that looks at what is being said beyond the verbal language. Body language is a subcategory of paralanguage, which is the area of human communication that is nonverbal. It can include such things as raising the eyebrow, winking, or a number of other facial expressions.

When considering body language it's important to keep in mind that some of it can be voluntary, while some is involuntary. Voluntary body language would include things like the way someone stands, folds their arms, or smiles. Involuntary body language is a little more complex, as it includes such things as blood rushing to the face when someone is embarrassed. This involuntary form of body language often covers facial expressions that someone does not deliberately make.

A well-known example of involuntary body language was coined the Pinocchio Syndrome by Dr. Alan Hirsch. Working in the Neurology and Psychiatry department in Chicago's Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, he found that when people lie, blood rushes to their nose. When this happens, the nose begins to itch, which has led researchers to the conclusion that if people are lying they often touch or scratch their nose.

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