Nonverbal Dictionary

The
The
NONVERBAL
DICTIONARY
of
GESTURES, SIGNS
&
BODY LANGUAGE CUES
From Adam's-Apple-Jump to Zygomatic Smile
By David B. Givens © 2002
(Spokane, Washington: Center for Nonverbal Studies Press)
Items in this Dictionary have been researched by anthropologists, archae\
ologists,
biologists, linguists, psychiatrists, psychologists, semioticians, and o\
thers who have studied human communication from a scientific point of view. Every effor\
t has
been made to cite their work in the text. Definitions, meanings, and int\
erpretations
left uncredited are those of the author. Gestures and consumer products \
with
http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/diction1.htm (1 of 2) [27/04/02 05:5\
4:42]

The
current trademark registrations are identified with the ® symbol.
Entries in The Dictionary.
There have been many who, not knowing how to mingle the useful and the p\
leasing in the
right proportions, have had all their toil and pains for nothing . . . --Cervantes (Don Quixote)
Dedication
"A masterful piece of work" --American Library Association "Highly recommended" --New Scientist
"Very interesting reading" --The Houston Chronicle "Monumental" --Yahoo! Picks of the Week
"Site of the Day Award" --WWW Virtual Library WWW Virtual Library "Best" Site© 2002 by David B. Givens, Ph.D.
Center for Nonverbal Studies
http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/diction1.htm (2 of 2) [27/04/02 05:5\
4:42]

adajum
ADAM'S-APPLE-JUMP
Body movement. 1. A conspicuous up-and-down motion of the Adam's apple. 2. A movement of the
throat visible while gulping or swallowing, as in nervousness.
Usage: The Adam's-apple-jump is an unconscious sign of emotional anxiety, emb\
arrassment, or stress.
At a business meeting, e.g., a listener's Adam's apple may inadvertently\
jump should he or she dislike or
strongly disagree with a speaker's suggestion, perspective, or point of \
view.
U.S. politics. The Adam's apple gained it's 15 minutes of fame when former Vice Presi\
dent James
Danforth Quayle's thyroid cartilage "jumped" in the 1988 vice-presidenti\
al debates, as he listened to his
opponent, Lloyd Bentsen's pointed claim: "Senator, you're no Jack Kenned\
y!"
RESEARCH REPORTS: 1. Swallowing "associates well with flight and
submission" (Grant 1969:528).
2. Stimulating the emotionally sensitive
amygdala can cause involuntary body movements "associated
with olfaction and eating, such as licking, chewing, and swallowing" (G\
uyton 1996:758-59).
Anatomy. Anxiety, social discomfort (e.g., embarrassment), and fear are often\
visible in unwitting,
vertical movements of a projection at the front of the throat called the\
laryngeal prominence, where the
http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/adajum.htm (1 of 2) [27/04/02 05:54:\
44]

adajum
largest (or thyroid) cartilage of the Adam's apple shows, prominently in men, but less not\
iceably in
women.
Neuro-notes. Acting through the vagus nerve (cranial X), emotional tension from the brain's
limbic
system causes unconscious muscular contractions of the sternothyroid, thyrohyoid, and associated
inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscles of the Adam's apple. Movement is evident as the muscles
contract to swallow, to
throat-clear, or to vocalize an objection which may be left unsaid. The Adam's
apple is emotionally responsive (i.e., reflects visceral or "gut" feeli\
ngs) because its muscles are mediated
by the vagus, which is one of five
special visceral nerves.
Synonym--Gulping. See also
NECK DIMPLE, NECKWEAR, PALM-UP, SHOULDER-SHRUG.
Copyright © 1998 - 2001 (David B. Givens/Center for Nonverbal Studies)
Detail of illustration (copyright 1951 by Stephen R. Peck)
http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/adajum.htm (2 of 2) [27/04/02 05:54:\
44]

bodymove
BODY MOVEMENT
I have always tried to render inner feelings through the mobility of the\
muscles . . . --Auguste Rodin
As an actor, Jimmy was tremendously sensitive, what they used to call an\
instrument. You could see through his feelings.
His body was very graphic; it was almost writhing in pain sometimes. He \
was very twisted, almost like a cripple or a
spastic of some kind. --Elia Kazan, commenting on actor James Dean (Dalton 1984:53)
Concept. Any of several changes in the physical location, place, or position of\
the material parts of the
human form (e.g., of the
eyelids, hands, or shoulders).
Usage: The
nonverbal brain expresses itself through diverse motions of our body parts (see, e.g.,\

BODY LANGUAGE, GESTURE). That body movement is central to our expressiveness is reflected in \
the ancient Indo-European root, meue- ("mobile"), for the English
word, emotion.
Anatomy. Our body consists of a jointed skeleton moved by muscles. Muscles also move our internal
organs, the areas of skin around our
face and neck, and our bodily hairs. (When we are frightened, e.g.,
stiff, tiny muscles stand our hairs on end.) The nonverbal brain gives \
voice to all its feelings, moods, and
concepts through the contraction of muscles: without muscles to move its parts, our body would be nearly
silent.
http://members.aol.com/doder1/bodymov1.htm (1 of 2) [27/04/02 05:54:46\
]

bodymove
Anthropology. Stricken with a progressive spinal-cord illness, the late anthropologi\
st, Robert F. Murphy
described his personal journey into paralysis in his last book, The Body Silent. As he lost muscle control,
Murphy noticed "curious shifts and nuances" in his social world (e.g., \
students ". . . often would touch
my arm or shoulder lightly when taking leave of me, something they never\
did in my walking days, and I
found this pleasant" [Murphy 1987:126]).
Confidence. "The physical confidence that he [Erik Weihenmayer, 33, the first blin\
d climber to scale
Mount Everest] projects has to do with having an athlete's awareness of \
how his body moves through
space. Plenty of sighted people walk through life with less poise and