Humans often assume we’ve cornered the market on complex communication. But a new study suggests that another highly social species—the elephant—shares our ability to use intentional nonverbal gestures to influence others’ behavior. Researchers recently discovered that elephants can deliberately use trunk gestures to ask humans for food, passing behavioral tests typically reserved for primates. It’s…
Read MoreTransparent Masks May Improve Nonverbal Communication
The widespread use of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic has posed numerous nonverbal communication barriers, muffling speech and impeding lip-reading. For deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals, masks have made daily as well as clinical interactions especially difficult. With approximately 72% of people older than 65 experiencing hearing loss, and with this age group having higher…
Read MoreCan Puppies and Dogs Read Body Language? What Research Says.
Recent research out of the Arizona Canine Cognition Center suggests that puppies are born ready to read body language and are capable of communicating and interacting with humans at a very young age with no formal training required. Domestic dogs are born to socialize with humans because we bred them that way; the human-dog relationship…
Read MoreExploring the Nonverbal Expression of Dominance
While we often talk about prominent examples of nonverbal behavior, like the triumphant pose, many are actually quite subtle. A fascinating new study out of the University of British Columbia looked at the marked impact of something as simple as head position in evaluations of a person’s inclination towards dominance. This study found that a…
Read More