Inquiry #2

Inquiry Topic: Body Language

Inquiry Question: How do the interpretations we make with body language change our perception of others?

I have chosen body language as my topic for the inquiry project because I think it is interesting how language can be defined from movement instead of words. I have looked at books and articles a few years ago that really describe movement in a different way and how to identify these movements and apply them to your every day life. We think about how we move our bodies, how close we sit to another person, our facial expressions or how our eyes move and what they focus on. When you have that background knowledge, meeting someone for the first time is seen from a different perspective.

            I am interested in this topic because if you know enough about it, it can really change how you interact with others. It can give away more than your words can. You can be saying one thing but your body language can be saying the truth. You can know so much more about a person by what they don’t saying, knowing what different body movements mean. I don’t think body language is exactly a science because actions can always have different meanings, but I think it’s, of course, common enough that you can interpret it in the correct way. I’d like to know more about the different forms of body language because I don’t remember too much about what I read a few years ago. I already know some of the forms you can identify body language with but I’d like to revisit the meanings behind them. I know I can find information in books they sell at the bookstore because I have read them myself and I can also find information online.

I came up with this topic because it is something I have been previously interested in. One of my friends used to be very interested in the subject and they would teach me different definitions on movements based on what I did myself. After I started to hear about the studies of body language, I became interested and wanted to learn more. Since I have learned previous information I’m able to understand concepts but I need to learn more to describe it effectively and am still able to do research for this project.

The questions I have about this topic are just what the most common forms of body language are and how to define them and apply them to our lives and how we interact with other people.

You can think about body language in many forms and narrow down the topic. You can think of it in the sense of meeting someone new or interpreting it with someone you already know with friendships, every day life interactions or loving relationships and how their body actions speak louder than words. I’m not sure what area I want to focus in yet but it will be one of the three I listed above.

http://www.wikihow.com/Read-Body-Language

This website shows the most common signs of body language and how to observe them. If you’re able to know some of the basic ones, it is easier to interpret how a person may feel.

http://psychology.about.com/od/nonverbalcommunication/gr/bodylanguage.htm

This is just one of the books I’d like to take a look at and maybe buy from the store. I have been recommended a few and I think those will be the best places for me to get information and research.

http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/body_language.htm

This website gives lists on subtopics of body language. It’s important to understand the different kinds and I could definitely use this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUXtGQkJcQ0

This YouTube video is really interesting! It shows a lot of different kinds of body language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc

Ted Talks: Body Language Shapes Who You Are