Notes on "The Body Language Handbook"

Body language derives from basic responses originating in the limbic system. Essentially it is the "fight or flight" response adapted to social situations, except the author adds one more possibility: freeze. Therefore there are three basic responses: freeze, flight or fight.

These three responses are manifested in four general strategies: barriers, adapters, illustrators and regulators. A barrier is any step that we take to increase the amount of social space around us. An adapter is anything that allows a person to gain or regain the social space. An illustrator is an action that we use to punctuate our statements and regulators allow us to control another person's pattern of speech.

These key responses are tempered by five factors that influence how the body language is manifested: self-awareness, sophistication, personal style or grooming, situational awareness and, finally, the sense of another person's entitlement and what is proper.

One has to be aware that some messaging is intentional and some is not. Intentional messaging can be affected by perceived threat. The intensity of the situation can also have an effect.