To be conscious of our every body move takes practice and focus. Usually we are first aware of the type of expression our face may give, secondly our arms and hands, thirdly our legs, and at the bottom of it all our feet. This only meaning, that the legs and feet can actually be the best source of body language information available given that most people are either unaware or simply because they do not consider them.
Standing Position (Open Legs/Crossed Legs)The standing position with both legs open and both feet planted firmly to the ground is used by men as a dominance signal, given that it highlights the genitals, portraying a sort of macho attitude. Now on the counterpart, crossed legs means the opposite. While legs apart shows openness, legs intertwined represents a more defensive and closed attitude.
The "Not Interested" Position
The evolution of legs in humans has shown that they were made to fulfill two purposes: one being to move forward to get food and the other one to run away from danger. Therefore, the desire to go get what we want and move away from what we don't is hard-wired into our brains. Open or uncrossed leg positioning demonstrates an open attitude towards the situation taking place. Whereas, the woman who is simply not interested, will fold her arms in her chest and cross her legs away from the person she is with.
Tapping Feet
When you are with a person that is constantly tapping or jiggling their feet it works as if their brain's attempt to run away from what is being experienced. They may look in control from the waist up, while have a constant wiggle in their feet revealing their frustration of not being able to escape.
Figure Four Leg Crossing/Parallel Legs CrossingIn World War II, the Nazis kept a close lookout for the figure four leg crossing as anyone who was using it had clearly come from the United States or had spent some time their. In places like the Middle East and Asia it is seen as disrespectful because you can see the sole of a person's feet. This posture usually illustrates a youthful and relaxed disposition with a slight touch of authority. While this first one is primarily practiced by men, the parallel legs crossing is characterized for women. Mainly because of female bone configuration in the hips and legs, most men will find it uncomfortable to sit in such a stance. In a leg rating survey of male participants, 86% found this to be the most attractive sitting position.
We expect this post to enable you with a better grasp of body language in a social context. Look forward for more of these insights to improve your dominance of such an ambiguous, yet valuable realm of human interaction.
