Nonverbal behavior s influenced by many things, but one of the biggest things is gender. Men and women have different ways to express themselves, ways that are only created through time and that goes with the way we are. Not all the time, but most of the time you can see the huge difference between the attitude of a man and a woman. Men tend to be more masculine, showing less emotion when holding a conversation, and don’t get as excited as women do when talking about something interesting. I believe that the delivery of any word and the effect it has on someone is more clearly shown y gender. Women also tend to be more delicate when handling conversations. Most like to talk gently and nicely to get their point across, while men are known for not being able to show their true feelings by words but by getting frustrated and not being able to deliver what is on their mind. Gender plays a big part in nonverbal behavior as well as other things that separate men from women, it’s mostly all in our genes.
In a conversation, words are just one part, but the other part is how you express yourself while delivering these words and the expressions you have when doing so. I believe that in a conversation words are only half of the message. The other half consists of the tone, facial expressions, and the gestures you make while talking. A person could say something very important and interesting, but if their gesture and delivery is dull, then it clearly shows how uninterested they are in the subject, maybe even changing the perspective of their audience.
For example, lets say a boy and a girl are in a relationship. They are having an argument in which the girl got really affected and after everything is said and done, they guy might think everything is ok, because they talked about the problem. Now, the next day when she is not replying to his texts or not answering his phone calls, he might try to look for her and try to talk to her but she might seem distant or not want to talk. In this situation she is obviously showing she is still bothered. This is an example of how nonverbal behavior also has a huge effect.
Nonverbal behavior is what shows how a person really feels about what they are talking about. It delivers a vibe that could lead to positive feelings or negativity. These factors can end a conversation. Many people prefer not to speak to people who have bad vibes and bad kinds of nonverbal behavior. It could make people feel awkward or neglected. It’s very simple to speak but to have a good mood while doing so could be difficult for some people. Nonverbal behavior affects our everyday life and will play a big role in the relationship people have with one another. The best thing to do about this issue is to stay true to yourself and your feeling about certain things, so you can express how you truly feel without confusing others about your feelings.
You made a great point about the gender role differences. A study I read in one of the essays said that men like to sit at an angle and look past each other into the rest of the room or area when having a conversation, while women face each other and sit close in order to show their interest. This is one of many examples of how nonverbal behavior is different among men and women.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the fact that this behavior shows our true emotion and it is very hard for many people to, even when they say they are fine, cannot hide it in the way they behave. A factor that I realized really influences this is culture. IN many cultures one does not only behave according to your gender, but also according to your culture. When I was reflecting on this subject I learned that in many cultures women sit with their legs spread and men sit with their legs crossed. When I thought about this in our culture I smiled because I couldn't imagine a bunch of ladies spreading their legs or men crossing theirs. It has to do with the culture I live in, and this culture is what provides the connotation to a women sitting like that, feminist, lesbian, etc. and a man sitting like that, feminine, homosexual, etc.
We take for granted how much we depend on nonverbal behavior and it is not until the words and the behavior don't match that we realize this.
Gender differences do play a big role in non verbal behavior. Men and women have different ways of expressing those and I liked the examples you gave in your blog explaining those. You really opened my eyes to how different men and women express themselves. Keep in mind that it doesn’t necessarily mean that men show less emotion when holding a conversation because there are some men who are more sensitive like women and vice versa. But I do agree with you on how words can be said. Gestures play a supporting role to a conversation. They help clearly express exactly what you are trying to say about a topic. Your example of a couple arguing and making up is true. I have experienced that same problem with my boyfriend. Without those clear nonverbal behaviors we can end up resulting in confusion. I enjoyed your blog! :D
ReplyDeleteGreat Job Shirley on this week’s post! I totally agree that men tend to be very masculine. They also feel like they have to take a masculine role when it comes to non-verbal and verbal communications. Women also tend to be much harsher when they speak their minds. Men don’t speak of their true feelings and they end up blowing and shutting down. I feel like men speak more on non-verbal terms and women speak more verbally. Men are more likely to “show” you how they feel then tell you how they feel about a situation. Women want to talk about a situation and explain every detail because this is how they show people they care. Also many people have similar non-verbal tendencies, and are able to understand or get along with each other better. I very much enjoyed your post and you made a lot of great points! I know I speak more verbally, then non-verbally but everyone uses both on a daily bases. We just don’t realize how much we use it in our everyday lives.
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