Can a Woman Have a Baby After Having It for You They're Sticking Out

1. I don't know what to practise with my easily
2. Science Facts About Hand Gestures
3. How to Speak With Your Hands
4. 20 Hand Gestures You Should Be Using and Their Pregnant
1. Listing
2. A tiny bit
3. Mind upwards!
4. Clenched hand
5. Everything
6. Small, medium, big
7. Let me tell you lot
8. Just a function
9. I am magnanimous
10. Growth
11. You
12. Me
13. This and that
14. Come together
15. I'm ready
16. Information technology'due south just so
17. I'm not hiding anything
18. You listen to me
19. Cease
20. We
5. 22 More Popular Manus Gestures to Talk with Your Easily
1. I'grand victorious
2. This is deep
3. Steepled fingers
4. Handgun steeple
5. Angela Merkel hands
6. Let's play ball
7. I'm pretty
8. I am important
9. Thumbs upwardly
10. Fingers crossed
11. I'm innocent
12. I recognize yous!
13. Trust me
14. The single wave
15. The double moving ridge
16. Rubbing hands together
17. The hand purse
18. The money pincher
19. The sand compression
20. This is precise
21. Hands backside back
6. 12 Negative Hand Gestures to Avoid
1. Please requite it!
2. Manus belongings arm
3. Thumbs downwardly
4. Heed to me… or else
5. Hand resting on tabular array
6. Limp wrist
7. Manus shrug
8. The hand seat
9. My nails are yum
10. I'm holy
11. Please, no!
12. I'm the boss
7. 6 Other Hand-some Cues
1. Your manus advent
2. Intertwined hands
3. Hook 'em horns
4. Hey, in that location
5. Touch me, please
6. The handshake
8. Bonus: Complete List
9. Practicing with Hand Gestures

This article is part of our body language guide. Click here for more.

Do you know how to speak with your easily?

Holler and Beatie institute that gestures increment the value of our spoken message by 60%! The best, most charismatic speakers and influencers know the importance of using hand gestures.

Leaders utilize specific mitt gesture patterns.

Science of People analyzed thousands of hours of TED Talks and institute one striking pattern: The most viral TED Talkers spoke with their words AND their easily.

Specifically, nosotros analyzed the top and bottom TED Talks of all time, ranked according to their view count.

I don't know what to practise with my hands

Not sure what to practise with your hands? You lot are not solitary! Sometimes it tin be awkward to talk with your hands in a natural way. My goal is to teach you lot purposeful manus gestures you can use naturally.

The least popular TED Talkers used an average of 272 hand gestures during the xviii-minute talk.

The most pop TED Talkers used an average of 465 hand gestures—that's almost double!

The TED research shocked us and brought up tons of questions:

• Why are paw gestures so important?
• What are the most popular hand gestures?
• How can everyone utilize their manus gestures to become viral?

We bankrupt down all of the most popular TED Talks and major speeches from the final five decades and synthesized them into the top xx hand gestures you lot tin can utilise. But showtime, some groundwork + a fun video.

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Scientific discipline Facts About Paw Gestures

• You're born to speak with your hands. Researchers accept institute that infants who utilise more hand gestures at 18 months old take greater language abilities after. Hand gestures speak to great intelligence. Cheque out this adorable babe using hand gestures to "Itsy Bitsy Spider":

• Hand gestures make people heed to you. Spencer Kelly, associate professor of psychology and codirector of the Center for Linguistic communication and Brain at Colgate University, found that gestures brand people pay attention to the acoustics of speech. Kelly said, "Gestures are non merely add-ons to linguistic communication—they may actually be a fundamental part of it."
• We can't help it. Paw gestures come naturally to us. Spencer even found that bullheaded people utilize hand gestures when speaking with other bullheaded people.
• Gesturing helps y'all access memories. Using manus gestures while you speak non just helps others remember what y'all say, it too helps you speak more than quickly and effectively!
• Nonverbal explanations assist yous understand more. 1 study found that forcing children to gesture while they explained how to solve math issues really helped them learn new problem-solving strategies.

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How to Speak With Your Hands

Before we become into the top hand gestures you can use, let's talk about using your hands appropriately:

Use your hand gestures responsibly. Safe gesturing merely delight!

Stay in the box. I never want y'all to call up in the box, but I do want you lot to gesture inside the box. Appropriate hand-speaking space is from the meridian of your chest to the bottom of your waist. If you go outside this box, it's seen as distracting and out of control. Here's the deviation:

In that location is a spectrum. Manus gestures are great up to a certain point. I call this the Jazz Hands Spectrum:

Make your gestures purposeful. Just like you bullet point a pitch or presentation, do the same with gestures. The all-time TED Talkers used their hands purposefully to explicate important points. Use the list beneath to guide you lot.

Know what you desire to say. If you have a large speech coming up, ready your words; otherwise, your gestures can endeavour to overcompensate. According to Elena Nicoladis, a researcher at the Academy of Alberta who studies hand gestures, people who have problem finding the right words are more probable to speak with their hands.

The smoother, the better. We dear fluid hand gestures. Hasty and robotic prepared moves are distracting. Do speaking with your hands until it feels and looks natural.

Film yourself. Film yourself chatting with someone on the phone. You might be surprised what kinds of gestures you use—and how many y'all utilize—during the conversation. Then, motion picture your speeches and lift pitch. Have a friend give you feedback on your gestures.

Be conscientious cantankerous-culturally. Not all hand gestures are created equal! Here is a fun video on the meaning of hand gestures around the world:

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xx Hand Gestures You Should Be Using and Their Significant

Afterwards observing some of the best speakers and speeches in the globe, we take nerveless our favorites for you to endeavour. We put together some clips of the well-nigh pop ones. Remember, think about your verbal content, and lucifer your hand gestures to what yous are saying:

Listing

The easiest and nigh basic manus gesture is numerical. ANYTIME you say a number, do the corresponding gesture—this makes your number easier to recollect for the listener, adds movement and warmth to your trunk language, and serves as a nonverbal anchor in the conversation.

Anytime you desire to emphasize a small point, like something that they shouldn't have too seriously or a small improver, prove information technology! This is my favorite itty-bitty hand gesture.

This is a very strong gesture, so use information technology with circumspection. It is a "bottom line" manus gesture or "mind here" move. The sound and motility draws attention and lets people know: "What I am about to say is important!"

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Clenched hand

Anytime you accept a solid fist, shaking it at someone or punching it in the air, you are showing intensity. Use it alongside a VERY of import point. Be careful when using this gesture with an irritated vox considering it can come off as anger!

Want to make a large, grand gesture? Then the "everything" gesture is your get-to. Information technology is as if you are sweeping across all of the ideas to be inclusive.

Alternate: This can too be used to say you are wiping the slate clean or pushing something out of the style.

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Small, medium, large

This is a actually easy one and can exist used to literally show someone what level something is. Y'all can apply this to betoken how big or small something is or where someone stands. For example, y'all can employ the high version along with "It'southward a pretty big deal" or the low version with "He's low man on the totem pole."

Alternate: You lot can as well employ this as you talk near different stages, as an alternative to listing. For case, y'all could say, "Nosotros start with your vision," (low level) "then movement on to your construction," (medium level) and (most important level) "we finish on your finished product."

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Let me tell y'all

Pointing should exist used with circumspection. Nosotros don't like to be pointed at because it can be seen as accusatory or invasive. However, you can point to get someone's attending or to literally brand a indicate. For case, this gesture goes along well with:

• "You lot know, I merely remembered something important."
• "This one's important."
• "Let me tell you something."

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Just a office

This gesture tin be used to demonstrate a very specific part of an idea. When you are talking about an aspect of something, this gesture tin can betoken that it is dissever.

Alternate: Y'all can also utilize this gesture while turning your hand to point a change in perspective, along with "It actually inverse my heed from ___ to ___."

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I am magnanimous

When you have both of your easily autonomously and palms facing toward the audience, it is a very godlike pose. Employ it when making a thou gesture.

How to Utilize it:

Here are a few ways to implement these gestures:

• First, try out ane or 2 at a time. Too many at one time is overwhelming.
• 2d, I would use them on the phone offset—where no one can see you—so you tin can practice and try without being worried about how yous wait.

Whenever yous motion your mitt or gesture upwards, you bespeak some kind of growth or increase. This tin be used to indicate the expected growth, excitement, or direction where something is headed.

How to Apply it: If yous are an entrepreneur, you have to constantly testify skyrocketing growth to investors. Oftentimes, this comes in the shape of a hockey stick chart—the 1 with a huge curve as time goes on. You can do this with your easily while yous are speaking in a mode to show (non tell) growth!

Whatever time you gesture into someone else'southward space or personal area, you tie them to your words. I like to exercise this with the open up hand or palm, instead of pointing, to be more formal. Pointing is very aggressive. Yous tin can do the "you" gesture to make someone experience included or to highlight that something you are talking nearly applies to the person yous are speaking with. It'due south a corking attention grabber if someone's mind is wandering.

Special Note: Exist sure to do this purposefully. I once was standing next to a adult female who was overweight, and the human we were speaking with was talking about fast food and kept gesturing at her. She started to dorsum away! It was a subconscious (and incredibly offensive) gesture.

Anytime nosotros bring our hands in toward our heart or breast, we usually want to signal to ourself. I accept even heard sneaky speaking coaches tell candidates to point toward themselves when talking about anything positive… Employ it carefully!

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This and that

Whenever you want to split two different ideas or things, you can use your hands to symbolically correspond them. For example, I might say we are totally different from them, using my left hand when I say "we" and my right hand when I say "them." This is a great way to put distance between ii things.

Advanced: If yous want to try something really advanced, you can use your easily to correspond two dissimilar ideas. For example, if I were talking about Democrats and Republicans, I could utilize and raise my left hand when talking almost Democratic ideas and actions and elevate and emphasize with my right hand when talking nigh Republican credo and deportment. This is both captivating and easier for the audience.

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Come together

When y'all bring both of your easily together, it is a gesture of combining and is a great way to symbolically testify two forces coming together equally ane. Yous tin can even mesh or fold your hands together to evidence consummate togetherness.

This is a typical gesture used when speaking and shows you're set to go! Yous tin use it to capture the audience's attention. This is a great gesture to employ to garner silence right earlier you hook people into a great story.

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Information technology'south only so

Yous can use your palms vertically with a rigid slicing motility to demonstrate the need for precise measurement or to divide two things.

Alternate: This can also exist used to demonstrate a tough stance on a indicate.

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I'm not hiding anything

When your hands are at a 45-degree angle with the palms facing up, you are showing openness and honesty. It's like you are saying that you are laying it all out on the table.

Alternate: When your palms face up upward with fingers spread, information technology means you lot need something.

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You listen to me

The palms-down position shows ability and authorization—it'south not very positive, but information technology is commanding. If you have a very strong directive or order, yous can apply information technology. Exist careful not to use this gesture by default! Easily should be facing upwardly, out, or vertically when speaking. Always having them in the downwards position is very dominant.

When you wink your palm at someone, you desire them to pause or end. You can practise this while anyone is speaking, and they will nearly instantly be repose (employ in emergencies merely!). I was with a CEO once, and he had the habit of doing information technology to his employees when he was done listening. It was horribly offensive.

Alternating: You tin can also do this when request a question—information technology'southward a universal attending grabber.

The last ane can be the most powerful. This gesture can be used whenever you are speaking in a grouping or to an audience. Y'all open up up your arms, as if you lot are wrapping the audience in a hug, making the "we" gesture. Y'all can also do this when standing side by side to someone and actually placing your hands behind them every bit if to indicate "you are in my inner circle." It is a lovely "come together" gesture when used correctly.

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22 More than Popular Mitt Gestures to Talk with Your Easily

Want to expand your hand-gesture cognition? We've expanded this list to include even more than hand gestures! Starting with…

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I'm victorious

What information technology Means: The V sign with 2 fingers tin usually mean iv things:

• the number 2
• victory
• "what's up"
• peace

And I know what y'all might be thinking…

"What nearly the other thing? You know… that one meaning?"

Alright, yous got it—If you lot turn the palm facing yourself, it becomes a sexual insult. This is common in places like Not bad Britain. PM Margaret Thatcher made this mistake and substantially said, "Screw you," to a crowd of people¹.

In other countries like United kingdom (seriously, what'south up with you and the V sign, United kingdom!?), information technology could mean a rather nasty phrase: "Up yours!" But virtually people use it for the "proficient" meanings. For example, Winston Churchill made this famous as a sign for victory during WWII^two.

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This is deep

What information technology Means: The accordion-actor hands looks like someone is… well, playing the accordion! Peachy speakers tend to do this when discussing a subject that has a lot of depth¹.

How to Use it: Practise this when talking nigh a substantial topic. It mentally "primes" the reader that what you're saying has deep pregnant.

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Steepled fingers

This is one of Kevin O'Leary'southward (from Shark Tank) favorites. A steeple is when you lightly tap the tips of your fingers together. It is seen as a wise gesture, but don't overuse information technology. These days, everyone is trying it out.

What it Ways: This manus gesture, also known as tented fingers, says, "I've got my sh*t together." It'due south called steepling because when done, it looks like the hands are pointed like the top of a church steeple³.

Ray Birdwhistell, who studied body movements, found that confident, high-status people who don't use a lot of body gestures often steeple their hands to demonstrate a confident attitude. This includes people like lawyers, accountants, and investors.

According to the Behavior Panel, when there is a large space between your thumb and your alphabetize finger, this indicates confidence. The larger space, the more confident you are.

Even more interesting is how the steeple can change during an interaction. Inside milliseconds, the steeple can plow into a fingers-interlaced position and back to a steeple, signaling the ebb and flow of assurance and doubtⁱⁱⁱ.People tin also turn the steeple into prayer hands to attempt to appear more godlike².

Try it! Try steepling correct now. How do you experience? Y'all might non feel like the Incredible Blob, but do you experience more than powerful? Steepling is 1 of the most powerful manus cues we have to increment confidence and power.

How to Employ it: Desire power? Steeple to gain authority and assertiveness in shaky situations. This tin easily be washed to inspire confidence in yourself and others during a meeting or interview. For instance, when a prosecutor is steepling as his witness testifies, the value of the testimony is enhanced because the attorney is perceived as being confident of the witness's statement³.

Steepling is an like shooting fish in a barrel one for females, in particular, since information technology is seen equally assertive, not aggressive. You lot might also notice your boss do this movement without even realizing its power! All the same, effort not to steeple in front end of others who want say-so—this might lure y'all into an unwanted power struggle.

Special Note: I accept establish that when I use this gesture, information technology centers and calms me. I have not constitute whatever research to back this upwardly, but when I do this, it's almost equally if I experience more than centered and have an easier time taking deep breaths. It is similar to the prayer gesture. Anyone else experience this?

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Handgun steeple

You may see all the fingers interlaced except the index fingers in what is known as a "handgun steeple" because it looks like a gun that'due south set to shoot.

What it Means: The handgun steeple is a nonverbal "screw y'all!" This blazon of steepling puts emphasis on what you're maxim and is a more aggressive form of steepling that tin can be seen all over the news during political season⁴. Information technology can also be used to shoot someone'south ideas down (yikes!).

How to Utilize it: Use it to say you mean business organisation, like if you observe yourself on the bad-cop side of an interrogation. Never employ it to establish a cooperative team environment unless yous're aiming to be a dictator.

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Angela Merkel hands

Here's a question you may exist asking: What is Angela Merkel doing with her hands?

Or who the heck is Angela Merkel in the first place? (She's the chancellor of Germany.)

This is known equally the low steeple, Angela Merkel'southward favorite gesture. Information technology'southward similar to a normal steeple except the hands are brought lower, around the belly surface area. It'south more than often used past women and when someone is listening rather than talkingⁱⁱ.

What information technology Means: The low steeple signals confidence, only information technology's not every bit powerful as the high steeple. I'll often see women doing the low steeple when they feel in charge but are as well agape to be too dominant. If you see the low steeple, a person may be set in their stance about the topic beingness discussed.

How to Use it: Since you'll ofttimes see this cue from a listener, the key to deciphering if he or she is in agreement with you lot is to look at other positive or negative cues before and after the low steeple. Positive cues can include:

• open artillery
• grin
• caput nodding

These cues are a good sign they will say aye if you lot're negotiating a deal or in a business organization meeting. Negative gestures y'all may encounter include:

• leg crossing
• looking away
• pursed lips

All these point they may disagree or say no.

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Let's play brawl

The basketball game steeple is when the hands are in the steeple position in front of yous, but in that location is a infinite between them like yous're belongings an imaginary basketball game.

What it Means: This is a power gesture and is used when people want to get you on "their side." You'll oft see this 1 during persuasive presentations from enthusiastic speakers who are confident in what they take to offer.

How to Apply it: This is the most powerful steeple to get others to begin to hold with and believe in you⁴. It gives off a flair of likability while also maintaining ability, so use this one sparingly during your principal arguments to win some serious credibility points.

This gesture includes all mitt movements that aim to make a person look meliorate^v. These include:

• adjusting a tie
• repositioning a bracelet
• smoothing out wrinkles on a shirt
• fixing pilus
• reapplying lipstick
• plucking eyebrows

What it Means: Preening shows we care plenty to want to look our all-time. We'll often preen when we run across strangers, want to make a proficient impression, or earlier and during a large engagement to maximize our attraction.

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I am important

How to Use information technology: Preening may seem superficial at first, but studies testify it's a good thing: when attorneys practise something so uncomplicated as pulling at their jacket equally the jury enters the room, they are subconsciously perceived by jurors every bit more likable^v.

What it Ways: This is a hand gesture done when sitting and indicates loftier confidence since the elbow is pointing up. Information technology'due south likewise loftier on the territoriality chart since it takes upwardly space and can be used to invade others' personal boundaries³.

How to Use information technology: Feeling dominant in a group and have something of import to say? Plant your hand on your leg to show others yous mean business.

What it Means: If you're from the Western world, thumbs up patently ways "skillful." But it can also be used for many other situation^one, including:

• acknowledging a favor granted
• greeting someone
• requesting permission to behave out an activeness
• indicating understanding
• signaling to a waiter
• as a sexual insult

How to Use it: As a general rule, your thumbs should be showing if you want to portray confidence. Thumbs are a good indicator of understanding, and even powerful leaders volition employ their thumbs when gesturing:

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Fingers crossed

What information technology Ways: The fingers-crossed gesture typically means practiced luck and references the phrase "Keep your fingers crossed." But did you know it actually originated every bit an ancient protective device of the Christian Church, as a sign of the cantankerous^half-dozen?

How to Use it: Cross your fingers to add a bit of luck—simply it will probably piece of work merely if you believe in information technology!

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I'g innocent

What it Means: This gesture is a very submissive, nonthreatening gesture that we love to meet. When we meet others' palms, information technology tells us they are not brandishing weapons or concealing something potentially dangerous. We're also seen as more credible and open when having open palms considering it is more hard to tell lies with our palms like this².

Information technology'due south also a common gesture used by street beggars, so use this 1 wisely if you lot want to appear favorable.

How to Employ it: Use this when at that place's skepticism in the air or you're trying to unrattle a tense state of affairs. This is to signal to others to non experience threatened or take no pressure when you're vying to win a negotiation. When talking, you can likewise employ information technology as a "paw over" signal to allow others know it'due south their turn to talk.

The Most Positive Gesture

In one experiment, 8 lecturers were asked to utilize three different mitt gestures (palms upwards, finger pointing, and the fingertip-touch on) during a series of 10 minute talks to a range of audiences^two. The question was: How do audiences feel about these gestures?

Lecturers who used mostly palms up received 84% positive testimonials, 52% when they delivered the exact same presentation to another audition using palm-downward, and only 28% were positive when they used finger pointing, with some participants even walking out during the lecture!

Participants as well recalled less of what the speaker said during the lecture with finger-pointing, and described them as aggressive, argumentative, and rude.

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I recognize you!

What it Means: Remember when Mom told u.s.a., "Don't point at strangers"? Ordinarily, pointing direct at someone IS a rude gesture.

However, when done in an enthusiastic crowd, such as during performances, speeches, or parties, it can indicate that someone is popular and knows a lot of people, or they are genuinely happy to see people.

How to Use it: Here's a political party flim-flam if you're stuck talking to someone and want an piece of cake exit from a conversation: Point to the way back of the room, requite a quick eyebrow flash, and pretend yous recognize someone while moving toward the back. This works considering oversupply pointing can be used deceptively to give off an illusion of knowing someone or fifty-fifty of popularity. For example, Hillary Clinton is a master at crowd pointing. Lookout as she uses this gesture to heave her social value before giving her speech (timestamp 0:28):

TED2013. Long Embankment, CA. February 25 – March i, 2013. Photo: Ryan Lash

What information technology Ways: This gesture is typically used when addressing an audience as a speaker. It's authoritative but honest, since the palms will usually be in an open position.

U.S. spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell using this gesture

Torso Language skillful Greg Hartley mentions in a video that a witness is property her illustrating hands in front of her while describing a UFO issue. This implies that she's telling the truth since those who are lying usually hold their hands to the side. You can watch the full video below:

How to Use it: Employ this cue to emphasize a big point or address an important topic.

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The unmarried wave

This is the standard paw moving ridge used across the world.

What it Means: How-do-you-do! I love the wave. I use it every fourth dimension I greet someone because it says, "friend, friend, friend!" Here's a fun fact: Did y'all know that fiddler crabs moving ridge their claws at females in order to attract them?

It works considering waves are bonny and one of the best rapport-building openers you can utilize. Information technology is too a submissive cue—on another animal note, arm waving is something bearded dragons do in the wild to signal to others they hateful them no harm and are not a threat.

Waving has been considered a part of the mating ritual as well, with females ofttimes arm waving dorsum at males who caput bob at them.

How to Utilize it: Want to make waves with a spark of dopamine? A great fashion is to wave and get a wave back. I also make sure to proceed the webcam dorsum during all my video calls and so people can see my moving ridge!

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The double wave

What it Means: Everybody knows the single-hand wave. Add in another hand and you've got double the excitement!

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Rubbing easily together

What it Means: This gesture is hand rubbing and indicates apprehension, thinking, or excitement for something that is going to happen. This is a Groovy indicator to meet in business organisation situations and screams "Gimme the goods!"

The speed of mitt rubbing actually mattersⁱⁱ.

• A fast rub ways a person is expecting results to be in your do good, non theirs.
• A deadening rub means a person may feel devious or sneaky, with the results benefiting them and not y'all.

Here's a scene in Shark Tank where you tin see Daymond John rubbing his hands in anticipation (timestamp 2:24):

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The hand purse

The bag can be formed when all fingertips come together on 1 manus and the palm is turned up. It can also involve an upwards-and-downward motion.

What it Means: Mostly, this is used to show something is proficient. Ofttimes, the hand will "beat down" while key words are uttered.

The purse can too mean different things, depending on your location^half-dozen.

• Greece and Turkey: "Skillful."
• Spain: "Lots of" something.
• Republic of malta: Implies heavy sarcasm.
• Tunisia: Indicates caution, as in to take things slowly.
• French republic and Kingdom of belgium: "I am afraid."
• Italia: "What'southward the matter, what's upwardly?"

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The money pincher

This gesture is like to the handbag, merely involves rubbing the fingertips with the pollex. Imagine a coin existence rubbed between the thumb and fingertips.

What information technology Means: If the pocketbook ways "good," the coin pincher ways "Woohoo! Money!"

How to Utilise it: You can use this to indicate a good bargain; however, this gesture should generally be avoided past professionals because it carries a negative, greedy connotation².

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The sand pinch

The tips of the alphabetize finger and thumb come up together, most as if pinching some grains of sand, with the palm facing down.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt speaks while sand pinching.

What it Ways: This gesture tin can even be an OK gesture, but most often information technology's used by speakers to brand a bespeak or explain something of import. The Peases taught this to groups of speakers, politicians, and business organization leaders and measured audience reactions—those who listened to the speakers using this gesture described them every bit thoughtful, goal-oriented, and focused.

Alternatively, it can also mean "perfect" in some parts of the earth⁶.

How to Use it: Sprinkle this gesture throughout your speeches to help drill downwardly things for your audition to remember. Bill Clinton, known for his powerful body language, oft does this in his speeches to emphasize an of import point:

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This is precise

What it Ways: Other than… well, OK, the OK sign is often used past speakers as a precision cue to emphasize a signal while speaking³.

How to Apply it: You tin can subtly employ this to permit others know you're comfortable and self-bodacious by resting your thumb and alphabetize finger lightly on your leg. This volition unconsciously trigger in your conversation partner's mind that you're actually feeling good⁴.

You may also "catch" someone lying with this cue^iv—if a person says their competitor's sales are doing badly, but uses this precision cue, then you lot tin can assume that they're actually doing well and catch him in a lie.

Don't use this when traveling to the Mediterranean or other countries like Brazil, however, as it can be used equally a vulgar gesture and connotes an orifice^three.

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Hands behind dorsum

If one hand grabs the other arm's wrist backside the back, this is a classic "patrol hands" stance you might run into from a security guard who is making routine patrols. It basically says, "I mean business." The pose is also common in people who are pondering in a relaxed, observant mode, such as walking through a garden.

What it Means: This stance exudes authority, and coupled with the breast puffed out, displays loftier confidence.

The easily behind the back is too viewed as a more formal or respectful gesture. It's a nonconfrontational gesture since the vulnerable front of the trunk is exposed without the easily to protect it.

In the Peases' work with police force enforcement officers, they establish that officers who don't wear firearms utilize this pose regularly while rocking back and forth on the balls of their feet. This lets them gain additional top and seem more administrative.

Police who wear firearms, however, seldom practice this gesture and instead hang their arms to the side or tuck their thumbs into their chugalug. But can you lot guess why? Because having a firearm gives the officer sufficient power, so the patrol mitt gesture isn't needed.

How to Use it: This is a bang-up gesture to employ under high-stress situations. It gives you more conviction and authority when yous demand it the most².

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12 Negative Manus Gestures to Avoid

What about negative hand gestures? Here are some negative gestures you might be using but are unaware of. Go along these out of your handy speaking toolbox!

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Delight give it!

Accept y'all e'er seen someone ask—or even beg—for something?

What it Means: This gesture tin can be seen used by street beggars, flirtatious singles at dark clubs, and even creeps.

The significant is universal: "Come hither!" The beckon is one of those gestures with many dissimilar variations:

The forefinger beckon:

The full-arm beckon (i.e., "Come over hither, son!"):

The double-arm beckon:

The sideways-arm beckon:

The finger moving ridge:

The provoker:

Even so, it can also be very mortiferous if you use information technology wrong…

The Deadly Swimmers

Ane day, 2 northern European swimmers went on vacation in the Mediterraneans¹. Feeling adventurous, they went beyond the tourist beach and establish themselves approaching a restricted military zone.

Unfortunately, this zone was protected by armed guards who spotted the swimmers. Immediately, the guards thought they were spies. They beckoned to come ashore.

The swimmers, after seeing this gesture, realized they were in a restricted zone and turned abroad to swim back. Unfortunately, the guards saw them retreat, assumed they were actually spies trying to escape, and shot them with their rifles. Ouch.

So why did this happen? Information technology turns out the guards used the Mediterranean beckon gesture, performed by taking the paw and sweeping downward with the palm facing Downwards.

Nonetheless, the swimmers, not from this surface area, were used to the beckon gesture being performed with the palms UP. Seeing the guards apply the palm down version made them think this meant "go back."

So depending on where you are in the world, the beckon can be different—the English and French often keep their palms upward, while Italians keep their palms downward. This rule can be applied to ALL paw gestures and body language cues:

Cultural differences can literally mean life or decease (or, in well-nigh cases, a bit of embarrassment), so be mindful when reading trunk language.

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Hand belongings arm

Arm touching comes in many forms—massaging, scratching, or resting the mitt on the arm.

What it Ways: Someday someone touches their arms, it might point one of the following:

• insecurity
• doubt
• feet
• stress
• uncertainty

When the arms are massaged, this cue is a cocky-pacifying gesture like to the "cocky-hug." When it'south combined with other gestures, you can be more certain of what this cue can mean. Be certain to check out our arm body language guide to know more about arm gestures to look for:

Trunk Linguistic communication Guide – Crossed Arms and 17 More Cues to Know

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Thumbs down

What it Means: You may know that thumbs down means "bad" or "no good"—simply did y'all know this was too the Roman gesture that could spell decease⁶.

Here's how this came to be:

When a gladiator was defeated in combat in the arena, he was either spared or killed on the spot by the victor. So who decided if he was spared or killed? The crowd of spectators.

If they wanted the loser to live, they would but ball their fists outward. But if they wanted him dead… the crowd would indicate their thumbs to the contestants, which looked like a thumbs down, in the gladiator's eyes, and signaled a sword thrust to end the loser's life.

How to Use it: Mostly, you shouldn't utilize the thumbs downwardly position unless you want to create negative rapport. Big leaders will rarely be seen using the thumbs down position during their talks, and it can often be seen equally childish to practise so.

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Listen to me… or else

How to Use it: Generally, you don't desire to use gestures with the palms down if y'all're not in a position of ability. Others may feel it's an order and feel antagonistic toward you².Nonetheless, people in authority can easily utilize information technology to those below them since information technology'south more than acceptable.

But be careful of using it too much. Having your palms down is a very powerful gesture and is also associated with the Nazi salute.

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Paw resting on tabular array

What information technology Means: This is an affirmative display. If hands are lightly resting on the table, this can mean they are comfortable. But if they are pushing strongly downwardly on the table, it'southward as if they're affirmatively proverb, "I didn't do it"⁵.

People who are lying tend to struggle to put their hands down confidently on the tabular array. In fact, Navarro has never seen a liar successfully pull this off.

How to Use it: Place your hands on the table with your palm down and fingers spread wide. This makes you look more than authentic. You can also estimate honesty in others by checking their finger space!

A limp wrist is a wrist with no tension. Y'all tin can effort information technology out at present—put your forearm parallel to the ground at around belly area and just let your wrists loose.

What it Means: The limp wrist is used mostly past women. And if y'all're on a date, great! This is a good sign of attraction. This is actually a brandish of weakness, like how a dog volition tuck in its tail and let it droop down. Women do this because it lets men feel like they tin can dominate them.

How to Use it: The limp wrist is great if you lot want to appear submissive when flirting, just in concern situations, this tin can be a bargain breaker. Limp wrists can testify you are too weak. In fact, I was guilty of doing this early on in my career. Here's a photo I found that sums up what I looked like:

Notice how in the picture, the women are showing their hands simply blocking their torsos with their arms. Their wrists are as well limp. Yet, the man'due south hands are buried deep in his pockets, indicating a lack of confidence.

When the easily are out to the side and palms facing upwards, yous've got the hand shrug.

What it Means: This is a universal "what do you know?" or "I don't know" gesture. Studies evidence that nurses make greater utilise of the hand shrug gesture when lying, as if to relinquish any responsibleness for their verbal statements^{half dozen}.

Watch this clip as Bill Gates uses the hand shrug when he wins on The Ellen DeGeneres Bear witness (timestamp ii:42):

How to Use information technology: The hand shrug isn't only for dubiety. Yous can also apply hand shrugging with a single hand to betoken something is either good or bad. Trunk linguistic communication skilful Chase Hughes says that people volition tend to favor one side—for example, their left side for something adept and their correct for something bad.

You tin then go more persuasive and build rapport by leaning and gesturing to their left while talking about your own product and leaning and gesturing to their right when talking about your competitor's.

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The hand seat

What it Ways: Sitting on your easily is similar to shoving them deep downward into your pockets. You may see this gesture with kids and shy teenagers but rarely in the business world. This is a super closed-off gesture and should be avoided. Instead, show your easily and open them up to make a good impression.

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My nails are yum

This gesture can be done with either one or two hands and is done with the fingers curled while the nails moving-picture show together⁵. Or they tin can simply be chewed to death.

What it Means: Picking at nails is a bad addiction that I'grand guilty of. It'southward a pacifying gesture that's washed when people are feeling broken-hearted or stressed. Information technology also is a dead giveaway—you can easily tell someone'southward a nail picker, fifty-fifty if they aren't actively picking, just by looking at their hands.

Pro Tip: Since I have lots of experience with this one, I found 1 easy method to cease my smash picking—I wore a rubber band on my wrist. Every time I defenseless myself biting or picking my nails, I would snap down on that band! Did it hurt? A bit. Did it piece of work? Heck yep!

At present I can say I've gotten rid of my nail picking for good… all thank you to a little rubber band!

If you've ever prayed before, y'all know what this gesture looks similar. It's super common in religious settings but is also used in interactions.

What it Means: Need to take a stride down? Prayer hands is a natural humbling gesture that is used for forgiveness. Some cultures even employ it every bit thanks, such as in the Japanese culture.

Thais will also utilize this with a slight bow, in a greeting known as the "wai." In this example, it'southward more respectful and fifty-fifty replaces the handshake.

Indians volition too use prayer hands and say, "Namaste." Scout the adjacent prune, equally Donald Trump discusses doing the Namaste afterward coming back from India:

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Delight, no!

What it Means: People clasp their easily when they've heard bad news or suddenly have a thought that causes them fear. More often than not, information technology's not a good sign to meet hands together, although information technology could too only hateful a person is cold.

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I'm the boss

I'grand the boss, or catapulting, is when someone sticks their easily behind their caput. They may besides exist leaning back in a chair with their legs splayed out.

What it Means: This is usually a sign of confidence, specially when the elbows are flared out with other open body language.

Information technology can likewise exist a sign of being overwhelmed, however, if the elbows are pointed forwards and covering a down-pointing head.

How to Use it: Catapult to feel confident and in control. If you're the dominate or director, this may fifty-fifty come naturally to you! If you're around superiors, though, catapulting is probably the terminal affair that will come naturally to you. That'south because this pose makes you physically large and is generally reserved for high-status individuals only.

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6 Other Hand-some Cues

OK, nosotros've got the positive and negative out of the way. These are the remainders that didn't quite fit in either:

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Your mitt appearance

Take a look at your hands. How do they shape up? Are they rough, smooth, calloused, scarred? Are the fingernails make clean? Practice yous take a ring?

Indicators of the hands are everywhere³.

• Rough, calloused hands are an indicator that y'all do transmission labor or lifting.

• Scars might mean you work on a farm, or they could be from athletic wounds received on the playing field.
• If you typically stand with your hands at the side with the fingers curled, this may signal prior military experience.
• Calluses on the fingertips are common in guitar players.
• Manicured, clean fingernails signal a high level of conscientiousness, while ratty, dirty, or bitten nails indicate nervousness, insecurity, and loftier neuroticism.
• Long nails are an effeminate indicator on men.
• A ring tin can be symbolic of unlike things—union, family lineage, school affiliation, and group belonging, to name a few.

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Intertwined easily

How do yous concur hands? We simply hold hands with those we are shut to, merely there's a style to belongings easily that yous may not know about.

What it Ways: Generally, only clasping a person'southward hands is not as intimate as interlacing fingers with them^v. This is because interlaced fingers is more stimulating, as more nerves in the easily make contact. Y'all can discover a couple'southward hand property as a general gauge of how close or serious a partnership is.

Hand belongings is too very common among female person friends and even close male friends, especially in Egypt, Saudi arabia, and Vietnam.

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Hook 'em horns

The "hook 'em horns" sign is popular among students and staff at the University of Texas at Austin. This hand gesture was also used by President George W. Bush on Inauguration Day in 2005… but little did he know at that place would be international backfire effectually this.

What it Means: This "friendly" gesture is interpreted by many Latin American countries every bit telling someone that their spouse is cheating on them. It's definitely not a practiced sign for presidents to use or if they're making a big public advent in Latin America.

All the same, information technology can also hateful "I love you" if you perform it with the pollex outward¹.

What happens when someone touches united states? Hopefully, it's not unwanted. If nosotros similar information technology, we may fifty-fifty feel inclined to touch them back in return.

What it Means: People touch others when they desire social harmony. Other times, they may be seeking comfort or reassurance from you lot. Yous'll ofttimes see touching happen from a supervisor before an employee is fired or in a dating relationship when a breakdown is virtually to occur^five.

And according to science, humans are wired to decode bear on. We tin can literally feel emotions just by touch alone:

• Sympathy is associated with stroking and patting.
• Anger is associated with hit and squeezing.
• Disgust is associated with a pushing motion.
• Fear is associated with trembling.

How to Use it: Simply similar the Ben Franklin result, where asking for a favor may net us a favor in render, touching someone may brand them experience more inclined to touch u.s.a. dorsum. I found the best kind of affect is a low-cal touch, lasting ane 2d or less, on the upper arm area. This tin aid with flirting, existence perceived as more friendly, or even aid you in business meetings.

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Bear on me, please

What information technology Means: When the desire to impact someone is transferred to an object (ordinarily early in the courting process), you may notice your date stroking their arm or repeatedly sliding their fingers up and down a glass.

This is a hidden flirting signal and stress reliever. You may see this cue in start date couples who are dying to get it on! Pick up on the correct flirting cues, and y'all may not even have to rely on luck.

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The handshake

The handshake is one of the almost widely used mitt gestures in the Westward during commencement interactions and also one of the nigh important cues.

What information technology Ways: Shaking hands is ordinarily done between newly acquainted people and declines every bit the human relationship grows; sometime friends will shake hands less and less⁶. However, information technology's important to milkshake when meeting someone, as information technology is a keen warmth architect.

When the handshake was eradicated with the introduction of the Hitler salute, for example, this signaled a willingness to follow the Nazi party's rules. This eventually wounded the sociability and connectedness among Germans of that era¹.

Shaking hands even originated way back in the Roman times, where 2 leaders would run across, greet, and fifty-fifty arm wrestle while standing²! Pretty hard cadre, correct?

The stronger leader would end with their hand higher up the other'southward hand, known as upper-hand position. You'll often see this in business concern deals and famous politicians toda⁵.

Bush in the upper-manus position, with his other hand on the back of Putin

You can fifty-fifty tell personality traits from a person's style of shaking. A 2001 study past William Chaplin of the University of Alabama constitute that extroverts tended to utilise firm handshakes, while shy neurotics didn't. Also, women open to new ideas used firm handshakes, while men used the aforementioned handshake whether they were open to new ideas or not.

But do you know what's worse than no handshake at all? A bad i. A common cold, clammy handshake can literally break rapport in milliseconds.

How to Use it: First off, if you lot're non the one initiating handshakes, start doing it. The Peases conducted a study of 350 successful senior management executives (89% of whom were men) and found that about all managers initiated the handshake.

On tiptop of that, 88% of men and only 31% of women used the dominant handshake position. Why? Because some women will give a soft handshake in some social contexts to imply submissiveness and highlight their femininity or imply that they tin can be dominated.

But in business situations, this is not a proficient idea because men won't have them seriously.

To preclude an unequal balance of power, a practiced rule of thumb is to utilize the same tension and strength in the handshake every bit you receive.

Older people generally require less pressure, while higher-condition individuals will gear up the tone for length and force per unit area to utilise. You can even add a warm embrace to the handshake. Boring-move assay shows that even when shakers are nonembracers, there is a perceptible trunk-leaning toward each other—pocket-sized, telltale intention movements of embracing⁶.

At present hither'southward how to perform the perfect handshake in 7 steps:

1. Maintain good eye contact.
2. Grinning, if advisable.
3. Extend your arm with a slight bend at the elbow.
4. Bespeak your mitt downward as you move your fingers toward the other person'south hand.
5. Clasp hands, with equal force per unit area.
6. "Engulf" each other to release oxytocin.
7. After a second or then, release.

Simply don't shake when information technology's unwanted. Salespeople learned early on that a handshake when unannounced or uninvited can produce negative results, as the buyer might not want to welcome them and feel forced into a handshake².

So the solution? Use a caput nod instead. Or expect for the heir-apparent to initiate a milk shake first.

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Bonus: Complete List

Want a super complete list? Wikipedia has a surprisingly practiced list of manus gestures that might be helpful. Recall: this list is not curated, and so use them prudently.

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Practicing with Hand Gestures

I hope that you got some great ideas for paw gestures in this post. Want some extra exercise? Watch the video below to practice everything you've learned in this article:

And brand sure to never use these hand gestures in certain countries. Exercise your positive gestures with:

• your elevator pitch
• your next presentation
• sharing your ideas

If you truly want to connect and sympathize people, they will call up you lot and feel skilful most being with yous. This is all related to influence.

Sources:

1 Knapp, M. 50., & Hall, J. A. (2014). Nonverbal communication in human interaction. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ii Pease, A. (2017). The definitive book of body language: How to read others' attitudes by their gestures. London: Orion. 3 Navarro, J., & Karlins, M. (2015). What every Body is proverb: An ex-FBI amanuensis'south guide to speed-reading people. New York, NY: Harper Collins. four Commuter, J. & van Aalst, M (2011): You Say More than Than You lot Call back: The seven-twenty-four hour period Plan for Using the New Trunk Language to Go what You Want. New York 5 Navarro, J. (2018). The dictionary of torso language: A field guide to human behavior. New York, NY: William Morrow, an banner of HarperCollins. vi Morris, D. (2012). Peoplewatching: The Desmond Morris Guide to Body Language. London: Vintage Digital.

Side Note: Every bit much as possible we tried to use academic research or practiced opinion for this master trunk language guide. Occasionally, when we could not find research nosotros include anecdotes that are helpful. As more enquiry comes out on nonverbal behavior nosotros volition be sure to add it!

This commodity is part of our body language guide. Click here for more.

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Source: https://www.scienceofpeople.com/hand-gestures/

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