How YOUR Own Body Language and Nonverbal Communication
Influences Everything from Your Decisions to Your Life
Kevin Hogan
Imagine you are sitting on the plane or train and there is a lengthy
article in the newspaper about Al Qaeda. It actually looks fresh and
interesting with lots of photos.
Sitting next to you is a man who looks as if he is Arab and you think
perhaps a Muslim. Maybe various feelings go through your body
and for any of a dozen "reasons" you turn the page to a seemingly more
benign story on the next page.
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue came out last week. You get
it there at the office. Your boss is coming for a visit. Prior to the visit you look
around the office, straighten up and either pop the copy of SI in a drawer or
at the bottom of the magazine pile on the coffee table or at your desk....but
it was out in plain sight not minutes before.
Think back to the last time you bought a "men's magazine" like FHM or
Playboy. You picked it up and then realized that you can't walk up to the counter
with JUST the recent Playboy so you have to pick up a couple of
other magazines or books or food products on the way as well. As soon as
the magazine is sufficiently "buried" you go check out and hope the woman
scans the magazine quickly and doesn't "judge you" too harshly.
Each of these scenarios happen just about every day to
people in the United States. Granted, no one in Europe or the U.K. is going to
fully "get this" American phenomenon, but it is very real on this side of the water.
Why Does This Happen?
The reasons are many, the emotions connected with content, whether
religious material, men's magazines, romance novels, books that
hammer on the other political party....they all are things that Americans are
culturally indoctrinated to be sensitive about.
And these bizarre experiences are generated by thoughts and feelings
of being overly concerned about what others opinions are, of you. "Political
correctness" gone wild..., if you will.
What's amazing is that these nonverbal patterns of feeling and your
reactions change your income, happiness and way of life.
These thoughts and feelings literally change your behavior and they change your decisions
as to what content you are going to be looking at in any moment. And that will change
everything else you do.
Further, you decide on what movies to go see, what to watch on TV, what car you will buy
...also based upon the person's opinion that is sitting next to you or busy with another project
nearby.
What's the problem with all this? Continue to the next page....
