How We Communicate
All of us communicate nonverbally as well as verbally. To Westerners, a firm handshake immediately conveys an outgoing, expressive personality. With a gaze, an averted glance, or a stare we can communicate intimacy, submission, or dominance. Among these passionately in love, gazing into each other’s eyes is typically prolonged and mutual. Most of us are good enough reading nonverbal cues to decipher the emotions in an old silent film. We are especially good at detecting threats. Even when hearing emotions conveyed in another language, people most readily detect anger.
People also communicate their emotions. First, the person perceives that something great has happened-her lottery ticket number was just announced on TV! She might smile, laugh, and literally “jump for joy”. Then she might begin to consider ways to expand on or share her happiness, such as calling her parents.
Read more about this topic: Human Communication
Famous quotes containing the word communicate:
“Learning first occurs as a part of emotional interactions; it involves the split-second initiatives that children take as they try to engage other people, interact with them, communicate and reason with them.”
—Stanley I. Greenspan (20th century)