Every move is a form of body language.

 

Numerous variables, including mobility, coordination, stability, balance, fitness, strength, and power, all have an impact on how we move. These factors combine in intricate ways to decide how you will move or hold yourself in a given situation.
The majority of the time, social aspects go unconsidered. They are still underappreciated as a restriction on mobility and posture, despite the fact that they are becoming recognized as a possible cause of chronic discomfort. But it should be clear that how we move may be significantly influenced by our worries about how other people see us.

Language of Body

The way an animal moves reveals significant details about its state of health, ability to reproduce, and mental makeup. It may show if the animal is hostile, submissive, dominating, ill, or open to mating.

As a result, every animal has highly developed abilities to interpret the nonverbal cues given by other creatures. Additionally, they are aware of how to utilize their own bodies to communicate effectively with others. It is not a little matter to use appropriate body language, and it might even affect survival. If you act aggressively domineering towards the alpha as the runt of the pack, you risk being attacked. You can come under assault if you seem too weak and meek in another situation. Stotting, or jumping as high as possible with extended legs, is a behavior that gazelles regularly engage in. To warn potential predators that they are quick and not worth pursuing.

Upright Posture

I usually have a really relaxed and spacious resting position. I want to lean back as much as possible while I’m sitting, maybe by drooping, reclining, or spreading my limbs widely. In certain situations, this is not socially acceptable. If I’m having lunch with a friend, it can seem that I’m not listening to what they have to say. The position could be more acceptable with a close friend. A comfortable and broad posture can suggest slackness or disdain if I’m at work and my supervisor is in the same room. It could be ok if I’m the boss.

In formal social settings, I’ve noticed that my back tends to get tight and rigid, which is uncommon for me. I suppose this is because my movements are being restricted by societal conventions, which prohibit me from adopting a more relaxed and natural stance.

Sport methodology

Sports may be played in a variety of ways, and how you play might reveal something about your personality to coaches and other athletes. This is true not just for the game’s fundamentally social elements, such as sportsmanship, but also for the actual physical methods you use to utilise your abilities.

Imagine you are playing basketball and you get the ball close to the hoop without any other players around. Now that everyone is looking at you, you may score anyway you want. How should the ball be inserted into the hoop?

If you have the physical prowess to do so, you can decide to perform a showy dunk to frighten your opponents or wow the audience. Simple layups might indicate a lack of capacity to do more difficult athletic feats. Or maybe it demonstrates a dedication to principles and professionalism. Your decision will be based on how you want other people to perceive you.

There are several efficient methods to smash a tennis ball, and although some of them seem inventive, skilled, and amazing, others appear mundane, ordinary, or amateurish. People choose these strategies depending on how they wish to be seen by others. It’s not difficult to discern connections between playing styles and personality.

If a golfer records their swing on camera to see what it looks like, this is very likely to occur. The first goal could have been to identify and fix any technological issues impeding performance. However, the outcome can be a new fixation with improving the swing’s appearance. On podcasts, I’ve listened to a number of professional golfers describe their first sighting of their swing as very traumatic: “Oh my gosh, is that what I look like? I detest it. This greater awareness of how other people see their swing may cause them to focus too much on aesthetics rather than utility in their practise. In other words, the swing is more severely constrained by the social aspect of movement.

None of this implies that social factors have an inevitably negative or repressive effect on movement. Many talented sportsmen and dancers honed their craft because they wanted to seem spectacular to others. Additionally, we learn through imitating others, which is a naturally social activity.

In any case, I believe it’s intriguing to think about how social influences can be influencing your posture and movement.