13 Ways Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are
The relationship between the body and the mind is a dynamic symbiosis where they both work together to conquer the environment with each depending on, and learning from the other. In essence, the body is just as likely to affect the mind as the mind is likely to affect the body and this is where body language comes in as crucial in shaping your personality. Here are 13 ways your body language shapes who you are.
Dominance and power
In the animal kingdom, the animal that takes up most space through open body language is always the most dominant. The same holds true in humans as those in power are inclined to take up more space through body language that features a wide stance, chin up, prolonged eye contact and arms facing out. Likewise, you can generate presence and the feeling of being in power if you take up similar postures.
Stress levels
Researchers measured hormonal levels in subjects when they assumed dominant and non-dominant poses. They discovered that dominant shapes, as described above, increased testosterone levels and reduced cortisol – the stress hormone. The opposite was also true as non-dominant poses increased cortisol levels. Thus, your body language directly affects your stress levels.
Connecting with others
Research based on how people respond to communication found that people naturally give more emphasis to the body language, tone of voice and actual words used respectively in deciphering what one is saying. Hence, the more your body language is congruent and reflective of what you are really saying, the more you will connect on a deeper level with others.
Happiness
Just as joy makes you smile, so then, smiling will give you joy. The opposite is also true. If you droop your eyelids and the corners of your lips, and raise your inner eyebrows a bit, you will soon feel sad. Therefore, at any juncture, your pre-existing facial expression will determine what you feel and what you feel most of the time defines who you are.
Depicting trustworthiness
Your body language reflects your integrity. Shifty eyes (avoiding eye contact), fidgeting incessantly, drumming fingers, rubbing your nose or ear often, pumping one or both of your legs, if done habitually, will portray you as lacking in trustworthiness. In fact, if you exhibit a combination of the above, there is a high probability that you are lying.
Confidence
Confidence and positive body language are synonymous. If you are confident, you will naturally take up shapes associated with power. Since confidence is attractive, you will be better empowered to get the partner of your dreams, socialize with the elite, and even get a good job such as in politics or management. From this perspective, it becomes clear that body language greatly shapes who you are, and who you evolve to become.
Persistence
When you are faced with a tough problem, and you begin entertaining the thought of quitting, cross your arms before your chest. The posture symbolizes persistence and it will signal the brain that the only option is to keep on going. If you make it a habit, you will push your threshold of giving up over time significantly.
Willpower
During physically taxing activities, when approaching the point of exhaustion, aggressive body language will empower you to push harder. If you observe runners close to the finish line, they always have a grimace on their faces. Those with forced softer features, such as a smile, use them to trick the body to get the same result of higher performance. Hence, by using relevant body language, you can boost your willpower.
Being persuasive
Your persuasiveness corresponds to the degree to which you can articulate your message both in words and body language. Compelling people not only know how to properly animate their worded messages, but their animations are also more dramatic. In referring to the past, they may point behind, point forward for the future, look slightly upward when thinking, point with one, or all fingers of the dominant hand when trying to make a point, and so on.
Self-esteem
People with low self-esteem exhibit a certain level of consciousness concerning the area they think they are deficient in. A bald man may show this by wearing a cap if he is not okay with his reality of hair loss, and a woman may cover up is she is not okay with her weight. Only by confronting and dealing with the parts most likely to harm your esteem will you be able to build your sense of self-worth.
Your career
Being good with people, which is a core requisite in professions such as marketing, politics, and business, comes down to your command of body language. The above scenario offers an example of the extent to which body language may influence career choice. By following a career that is congruent with your predominant body language, you are forced to learn other supporting traits of the chosen career which ultimately shape you on a personal level.
Creativity
Creative people have a habit of relaxing as they nudge their minds to let go in the search for inspiration and new mental associations. If your body language is one that connotes relaxation, the chances are that you tend to be very imaginative and creative.
Charisma
Charisma, stripped bare, is the expression of enthusiasm via body language. This is why charismatics seem capable of turning it on and off at will. If you are charismatic, you will notice that you probably speak with emphasis, have a high range of intonation, use increasingly animated gestures, maintain eye contact, and make use of typical confidence poses.
The bottom line concerning body language is that it goes two ways: from the mind to the body, and vice versa. This truth should equip you with the power to create your reality. Whatever personal trait you wish to possess, identify the related body language cues, espouse them and soon enough, the trait will follow.