You’ve read about body language before. Crossed arms and legs indicate defensiveness and quickly tabbing your foot is a sign of impatience. These are basic signs of body language we’re all accustomed to, however, have you ever wondered what a simple cough, sneeze or nose rub means in the body language world?
Sneezing and coughing is a simple sign of allergies, right? Maybe not. Some body language Web sites and sources say that these common gestures such as rubbing your nose are caused by certain thoughts, yes thoughts, and not necessarily pollen or allergies.
It’s medically proven that negative thoughts negatively affect your health. According to the Web site Medical News Today, doctors prove that negative thoughts cause illness. “Emotions play an important role in modulating bodily systems that influence our health,” said Dr. Richard Davidson in a Medical News Today.com article “Negative thoughts make you ill” (1).
For example, coughing means you want to say something but you’re holding back. Sneezing or rubbing your itchy nose indicates doubt, annoyance and rejection (2). To illustrate, say you’re talking with a co worker and they say something that annoys you or something you completely disagree with. Is your nose itching? Just observe.
Next time you sneeze, cough or rub your nose pay close attention to what you’re thinking when doing this. What you are thinking right before and during the sneeze or cough? You’ll be intrigued to discover that when you’re annoyed, you express that feeling through body language such as itching your nose.
There are other common gestures that can give you insight into someone’s thoughts and feelings as well as your own thoughts. For example, nail biting means the person is nervous. If someone is constantly patting or fixing their hair, it indicates a lack of self-confidence (2). Twisting your nose back and forth indicates disapproval (3).
Being self-aware and tuning into when and why you make these common gestures can shed light on your inner feelings about a topic, situation or other person. Wanting to know how someone feels about a certain subject? By knowing the mental cues behind these gestures you can decipher someone’s true feelings, which will serve as a very powerful tool in love, life and even work.
Sources:
(1) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/4227.php
(2) http://deltabravo.net/custody/body.php
(3) http://www.bemyastrologer.com/body_language_plus.html