When Body Language Lies

Most people call it "body language"—the clues to the meaning and intent of communication from others that we get from gesture, facial expression, posture—everything that isn’t spoken. The experts call it “nonverbal communication,” but it amounts to the same thing: a second source of human communication that is often more reliable or essential to understanding what is really going on than the words themselves.

Or is it? Accurate knowledge of body language is essential for success in interpersonal relations, whether in the business world or in personal life. However, much of our understanding is instinctive—and a good deal of it is wrong, according to modern communications research. What follows are some of the hardier myths, and the reality behind them.