BODY LANGUAGE

Perhaps the most surprising theory to come out of kinesics, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell. He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed. In other words, we learn our looks - we are not bom with them. A baby has generally unformed facial features, i.e. eyes, mouth, nose and chin. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set his features by looking at those around - family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some regions of the United States look so much alike. New Englanders or Southerners have common facial characteristics that cannot be explained by genetics. The exact shape of the mouth is not determined at birth, it is learned later. In fact, the final shape of the mouth is not formed until permanent teeth are set. A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look quite alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country there are areas where people smile more than those in other areas. In the United States, for example, the Southerners smile frequently. In New England they smile less and in the western part of New York State even less. People on Madison Avenue, New York, smile less than those on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia. Therefore, many Southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly.