Body Language (Haptics)

Body language is an all-inclusive term referring to nonverbal communication messages involving the human body. It is a part of all face-to-face communication interactions. Body language may be broken down into gestures, facial expressions, other body movements (kinesics), eye contact or eye movement (oculesics), the distance from the body to the receiver’s body (proxemics), or direct contact with another body (haptics). Many scholars also include other physical characteristics that communicate nonverbally about the message sender, such as facial features, hair color and hairstyle, clothing, nail art, tattoos, jewelry, body smell, height, body type, skin color or skin condition (e.g., wrinkles, freckles, moles), or any other characteristics of the sender that a receiver might make meaning of, even when the sender does not intend for the ...