Terror suspect Youssef Megahed was arrested a few months ago for carrying explosives in the form of homemade pipe bombs and .22 caliber bullets while being a passenger in a speeding car. Youssef and the driver of the car, both students at the University of South Florida, were charged with the illegal transportation of explosives. Authorities believe that the two students were planning to bomb the Goose Creek Naval Weapons Station in South Carolina.
Recently Yahia Megahed, Youssef's brother was suspected of communicating with Yahia using "sinister" sign language while visiting his brother in jail. Jail cameras used for prisoners to see visitors captured Yahia making strange movements with his hands and making funny facial expressions. He first looked left and right as if to see if anyone was watching him, then raised his eyebrows, scratched his head, and made other strange gestures. He then began moving his hands in a way that resembled sign language. When someone walked behind him, Yahia quickly moved from using what authorities thought was sign language to scratching his head.
An interpreter for Fox News claimed that Yahia clearly formed the letters "m", "i", "g", "l", and "c". Yahia claimed that he was just fooling around with the camera. Authorities claim that the message was indeed "sinister" although they have not revealed exactly what was said.
Ironically, the car in which the explosives were carried actually belonged to Yahia although he was not present in the car when Youssef was arrested. The video made authorities suspicious and they are currently trying to hold Youssef in jail, claiming that the video tape, along with comments Youssef made about America, the fact that his partner was teaching bomb-making, and the fact that he was planning to buy rifles before getting arrested, indicate that Megahed is a danger to society.
This story highlights the significance of body language in communication. Yahia did not speak at all, and only communicated through facial expressions and gestures with his hands and body. Despite the fact that he did not speak, authorities believe that they can interpret his motives. Whether Yahia intended to pass a message to his brother or whether he was simply making faces into the camera, his behavior has been interpreted as intentional body language.
This article got me thinking about body language in general. Several studies have been conducted regarding the significance of unintentional, almost subconscious body language. For example, certain body language has been associated with lying. Liars tend to avoid making eye contact, using "shifty" eyes, and tend to fidget by touching the face. Their expressions are very stiff and lacking movement. Smiles, frowns, and other emotions expressed with the face are often only expressed using the mouth rather than the entire face, and timing of these emotions may be inappropriate. Liars may also keep a distance from the person they are speaking with and become defensive when accused.
Professionals such as police use body language analyzation when interviewing suspects. Many employers also adopt this process in dealing with employees.
This makes me question: Can body language be translated in the same way that other languages are translated? It appears that the interpretation of body language is much like interpretation in any topic, such as literature or art. The interpretation comes from the viewer; there is not a single way in which to analyze it. This seems to make body language different from other languages. It cannot be defined in a clear cut manner. For example, one cannot assume that because a person is avoiding eye contact that they are certainly lying. It is not as simple as translating a word (although we have established in our discussions that this process is not always so simple either). It depends on how different individuals perceive the expressions and movements that they view, which can result in several distinct interpretations. The translation of body language seems to assume a great amount of information, rather than having set definitions of body movements, with each conveying a certain idea.
If we do accept the general assumptions behind body language as being correct most of the time, can we control this language as we do our spoken languages? Can we (if desired) "fake" body language in order to convey a certain emotion just as we intend to lie? Can we be aware enough of our body language and understand it well enough to manage it as we do when we speak?
If it is true that we cannot clearly translate body language and that it is subject to the viewer, how much can body language really tell us about a person's thoughts and feelings? Is body language a fair way to judge a person, especially in the context of law? Obviously Yahia's case was different, as his body language was clearly intentional, but what about cases in which a person is not attempting to convey any type of emotion? Although a person cannot be convicted based on body language (as they can based on a spoken confession), iIt does not seem practical that a person should be judged through body language. Isn't this the same as judging someone based on their appearance, an act considered discriminatory? Just because a person appears to be lying through body language does not ensure that the person is actually lying. How accurate is judging body language? How often do the body language signals that we give off really mean what experts claim they do?
Links:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/11/terror-suspects.html
(actual movie) http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=4557891&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1
http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/01649/bodylanguage.htm
http://www.blifaloo.com/info/lies.php
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4 comments:
Interesting post! I don't know how communicative body language really is, all I know is that I'm a horrible liar (my face always gives me away). I think that maybe, since we don't develop body language as a proper medium of communication, a lot of it is subconscious or unintentional, so we express ourselves a lot more than we think when we try to communicate. There was this article a couple weeks back on how to appear confident in a business meeting though, which I found interesting, because it was basically teaching how to manipulate your body communication in order to convince other people. Is everyone's body language the same though? It would be hard to classify it as a legitimate language, but maybe it really is commuicative of people's thoughts in a more direct, subconscious way than their speech is. Ouch, I can tell that now my brain is going to start hurting from thinking about this.
Great post! You raised a lot of interesting questions and would like to hear your thoughts on many of them. Do you think politicians are masters of "effective" body language? I know as a debate/oral interp person, I had to learn many of the different ways both the body and the voice can be changed to communicate in a way that you desire. This leads me to believe that a lot of this is innate, but we have the conscious ability to overcome or change these traits... What do you think?
Really nice post and discussion. Unfortunately i don't know whether there has been any rigorous scientific research to investigate natural body language, or whether body language varies significantly across cultures (though there is evidence that emotional facial expressions have lots of similarities across cultures...). One thing i think is interesting to consider, echoing travis, is who the masters of body language are. I think the very best actors and actresses are those who master body language and other subtle communicative cues. next time you watch a film with a great actress, pay attention to how she moves and positions her body and face during scenes where she must communicate something!
(In response to Nikola): I agree that it is a bit tricky to call body language a language. For example, when someone crosses their arms, people often say it is a sign of defensiveness and protecting oneself. But obviously you cannot assume that every time a person crosses their arms that is what they are feeling. It is different than every time a person says "I'm going to work" or any other phrase. Body "language" also seems very subconscious (unless you are manipulating your body language purposely), and who knows if what it expresses actually represents what a person is thinking at the time. I guess it all goes back to "how do we define language?"-the never-ending question.
(Reponse to Travis): Whether they actually are or not, I believe that politicians definitely try to master body language. Appearing confident, knowledable, and trustworthy are of ultimate importance, and I think that although unfortunate, many people do judge figures in our society based on the way that they portray themselves. I think body language comes naturally, but ultimately if we practice enough, we can definitely manipulate our body language to convey a certain presence.
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