Universal emotions, such as happiness, fear, and sadness are expressed in a similar nonverbal way throughout the world. People believe that shoulder shrug was universal for an inability to do something or innocence. Nodding and shaking the head almost always means "yes" and "no". A smile is universally involuntary reaction to joy, contentment, or gratification.
Something that we may assume are universally understood may not be. However nonverbal differences across cultures that may be a source of confusion and misunderstanding. The way people communicate varies widely between and even within cultures. Different norms regarding the appropriate degree of assertiveness in communicating can add to cultural misunderstanding.
Body Language.
People have always know that action communicates. Body language covers a large area that just hand or arm gestures, referring to any little movement of any part of the body. According to some scholars in the field, the body language vocabulary totals over 700,000 items. It is bigger than the vocabulary that the largest English dictionary has ever recorded.
Observe carefully and you will be able to appreciate the most interesting behavior codes in everyday life. We send information on attitude toward person (facing or leaning towards another), emotional status (tapping fingers, juggling coins), and desire to control the enviroment ( moving towards or away from a person). All people use movement to communicate, culture teaches us how to use and interpret these movements.
Posture.
Sitting posture is a constant source of cultural misunderstanding. In the united states, where being casual and friendly is valued, people often fall into chairs, even put their feet on their desks sometimes or just sit on the carpeted floor, or slouch when they stand. In hurts nobody in this case. But the same posture may cause serious conflicts when it is transferred to another culture setting.
