KINESICS

**KINESICS**

![Birdwhistell\'s Notation](kinesics.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/kinesics.jpg" height="60%"
width="25%"}\
\
A man stands inside of a closed glass phone booth. You cannot hear a
word he says, but you see his postures, gestures, and facial
expressions. You *see* his *kinesics*. \--Marjorie F. Vargas (*Louder
Than Words*, p. 67)\
\
*Linguistic analogy*. **1.** Founded by anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell
(1952, 1970), kinesics is the study of [**nonverbal
communication**](nvcom.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/nvcom.htm"
target="_top"} using the methods and concepts of American descriptive
linguistics of the late 1940s. **2.** The anthropological term for
**[body
language](bodylan1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/bodylan1.htm"
target="_top"}**.\
\
*Usage*: Students of kinesics searched for a *grammar* of **[body
movements](bodymov1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/bodymov1.htm"
target="_top"}**, [**facial
expressions**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/facialx.htm){target="_top"},
and
[**gestures**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/gesture.htm){target="_top"},
much as descriptive linguists formulated a grammatical structure of
**[words](word1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/word1.htm"
target="_top"}**.\
\
*Birdwhistell-isms*: **1.** \"Social personality is a tempero-spacial
system. All behaviors evinced by any such system are components of the
system except as related to different levels of abstractions\"
(Birdwhistell 1952:5). **2.** \"Even if no participant of an interaction
field can recall, or repeat in a dramatized context, a given series or
sequence of \[body\] motions, the appearance of a motion is of
significance to the general study of the particular kinesic system even
if the given problem can be rationalized without reference to it\"
(Birdwhistell 1952:5). **3.** \". . . all meaningful \[body\] motion
patterns are to be regarded as socially learned until empirical
investigation reveals otherwise\" (Birdwhistell 1952:6). **4.** \"No
kine ever stands alone\" (Birdwhistell 1952:15).

***RESEARCH REPORTS***: **1.** \"I suggest that this separate burgeoning
evolution of kinesics and paralanguage alongside the evolution of verbal
language indicates that our iconic communication serves functions
totally different from those of language and, indeed, performs functions
which verbal language is unsuited to perform\" (Bateson 1968:615).
**2.** \"The first premise in developing this type of notational system
for body language, Dr. Birdwhistell says, is to assume that all
movements of the body have meaning. None are accidental\" (Fast
1970:157). **3.** \"A *kineme* is similar to a phoneme because it
consists of a group of movements which are not identical, but which may
be used interchangeably without affecting social meaning\" (Knapp
1972:94-95). **4.** \"Not everyone agrees with Birdwhistell that
kinesics forms a communication system which is the same as spoken
language\" (Knapp 1972:96). **5.** The linguistic analogy was popular in
the 1970s, e.g.: \"This \[the authors\'\] model draws its components
from several social sciences, especially linguistics. Its basic idea is
that face-to-face interaction can be construed as having a definite
organization or structure, just as language is understood in terms of
its grammar\" (Duncan and Fiske 1977:xi). **6.** \"The system developed
by Birdwhistell (1970) is by far the most elaborate and famous example
of a structural approach\" (Burgoon et al. 1989:42). **7.** \"So as you
can see, Birdwhistell based his category system of behaviors on a model
taken from the categories of verbal communication (allophone, phone,
phoneme, morpheme)\" (Richmond et al. 1991:55). **8.** \"Her \[Margaret
Mead\'s\] dilemma was how to acknowledge universals in facial expression
\[discovered by Paul Ekman\] and not disavow \[her student\] Ray
Birdwhistell\'s conclusion that there were no universals\" (Ekman
1998:388).

See also
**[PARALANGUAGE](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/tone.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[PROXEMICS](proxemi1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/proxemi1.htm"
target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)


KISS

**KISS**

![Me Kissing](kiss1.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/kiss1.jpg" height="40%"
width="25%"}\
\
*Kiss me as if you made believe\
You were not sure, this eve,\
How my face, your flower, had pursed\
Its petals up*. \--Robert Browning, *In a Gondola*

*The anatomical juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles in a state
of contraction*. \--Dr. Henry Gibbons, *Definition of a Kiss*\
\
*Blair walks in and gives Cristian a big sloppy kiss to make Max
jealous*. \--*One Life to Live* (*Soap Opera Digest* synopsis, May 2,
2000:109) \
\
***[Touch
cue](touch1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/touch1.htm"
target="_top"}***. **1.** To caress, touch, or gently feel with the
**[lips](lips.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/lips.htm"
target="_top"}**. **2.** To press one\'s lips against those of another.

*Usage*: We kiss to show our affection, as in kissing a child, parent,
or lover (see **[LOVE SIGNALS
IV](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/lovesig4.htm){target="_top"}**).

***[Consumer
products](consprod.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/consprod.htm"
target="_top"}***. In 1995, Revlon claimed that its ColorStay Lipcolor®
\"won\'t kiss off on your teeth, your glass . . . or on him.\" Later in
1995, \"Procter & Gamble, the manufacturer of Max Factor and Cover Girl
cosmetics, asked Revlon to provide support for its claims within a
week\" (Hamilton 1995:F1).\
\
***[Courtship](court1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/court1.htm"
target="_top"}***: \"Ever so slowly, the couple\'s heads will loom
closer and closer, like docking spacecraft. Three inches away and
closing, their faces will roll several degrees right or left, in
synchrony, so the noses will clear. And the lips begin a cautious
link-up. The pair seals together in the first kiss\" (Givens
1983:91-2).\
\
*Culture*. **1.** In Latin countries, a man may kiss the back of a
woman\'s hand to greet her with respect. His *hand kiss* should be
\"effortless, noiseless and moistureless\" (Morris 1994:113). **2.** In
Vatican City, kissing another\'s foot is a \"humble salutation\" (Morris
1994:76). Extremely rare, the *foot kiss* \". . . still survives in a
ritual form when the Pope symbolically washes and kisses the feet of
poor people in Holy Week\" (Morris 1994:76; see also
[**BOW**](bow1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/bow1.htm"
target="_top"}, *Humility*).\
\
***[Media](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/media.htm){target="_top"}***
*I*. Jane Wyman and Regis Toomey kissed for 185 seconds in the 1940
movie *You\'re in the Army Now*.\
\
*Media II*. "I would like to think that someone who had respect for me
and cared about me . . . would have kissed me on the cheek \[rather than
squarely on the lips\] and said 'I'm delighted to meet you'," nurse
Darva Conger confessed on the Feb. 23, 2000 \"Good Morning America\'\'
show, in an interview about how she felt after marrying a total
stranger, Rick Rockwell, on the Feb. 15, 2000 Fox TV special, *Who Wants
to Marry a Multimillionaire*.\
\
*Media III*. On kissing Leonardo DiCaprio: \"Sharon Stone proclaimed
that \'kissing him was like kissing your arm.\' He got another scathing
review from \'Romeo + Juliet\' costar Claire Danes: \'Our chemistry
ended when the cameras stopped.\' Then \'Titanic\'s\' Kate Winslet
revealed: \'It was like kissing my brother\'\" (Davis 2000:53).\
\
*Primatology*. Chimpanzees may kiss and embrace after a fight.

***RESEARCH REPORTS***: **1.** \"Nuzzling, licking, sucking, playful
biting, kissing, and so on, which appear to have a broad geographical
distribution as sexually meaningful signs, can be used to communicate
the emotional intimacy that is prerequisite to sexual intercourse\"
(Givens 1978:352). **2.** \"Many mammals \'kiss\' before mating as a way
of stimulating a partner\'s maternal instincts. Dolphins nibble, cats
give playful bites, dogs lick faces or nuzzle flanks, and chimps press
lips in their courtship\" (Givens 1983:93). **3.** \"Our kiss originates
from a mammal-wide sucking reflex\" (Givens 1983:93). **4.**
\"Mouth-to-mouth contact with the lips\" is a worldwide sign of
**[love](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/love.htm){target="_top"}**
(Morris 1994:155).

*Neuro-notes*. The most sensitive area of our
[**face**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/face.htm){target="_top"} is
the perioral area (which includes the lips and
**[nose](nose1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/nose1.htm"
target="_top"}**). Kissing sensations travel through the trigeminal
nerve (cranial V), which carries impulses received from the lips.
Reflecting its importance, trigeminal is served by three sensory nuclei,
extending from the upper spinal cord through the brainstem to the
**[amphibian
midbrain](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/amphibia.htm){target="_top"}**.
Pleasurable *protopathic* or light-touch sensations travel from the
principal and spinal nuclei through evolutionary-old pathways to the
thalamus, then to areas of the **[mammalian
brain](mammal.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/mammal.htm"
target="_top"}** (including the **[cingulate
gyrus](cingulat.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/cingulat.htm"
target="_top"}**, prefrontal cortex, and basal forebrain), as well as to
primary sensory areas of the parietal cortex (see
**[HOMUNCULUS](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/homuncul.htm){target="_top"}**).

See also [**EMOTION
CUE**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotionq.htm){target="_top"},
**[REST-AND-DIGEST](rest.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/rest.htm"
target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"})\
Detail of photo by Bruce Weber (Madonna; copyright Bruce Weber)


LAWN DISPLAY

**LAWN DISPLAY**

![lendh-, \"open land\"](lawn.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/lawn.jpg" height="35%"
width="30%"}\
\
*The poetry of earth is ceasing never*. \--Keats, *On the Grasshopper
and Cricket*\
\
*Damn, I poured my whole life into this lawn, my heart, my soul, the
tender feelings I\'ve held back from my family . . . . Look, some people
hoist a flag to show they love their country. Well, my lawn is my flag*.
\--Hank Hill, *King of the Hill* (quoted in The *Spokesman-Review*, May
28, 2000, F1)\
\
\
***[Spatial
cue](proxemi1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/proxemi1.htm"
target="_top"}***. A plot of carefully groomed grass, and any of several
decorative artifacts (e.g., white pickets or plastic pink flamingos)
placed upon its surface.

*Usage*: Lawns mark territory and betoken status. Each year, Americans
buy an estimated 500,000 plastic pink flamingo ornaments to mark their
yard space\--and to provide tangible evidence that, \"This land is
mine.\"

*Evolution*. Two m.y.a. the first humans lived in eastern Africa on hot,
flat, open countryside with scattered trees and bushes and little shade,
known as *savannah grasslands*. (***N.B.***: At this time, the human
brain was expanding faster than any brain ever had in animal history,
and in the growing process seemingly locked in a fondness for level
grassland spaces.)

*Verbal prehistory*. The word *lawn* itself may be traced to the ancient
Indo-European root, lendh**-**, \"open land.\"

*Today I*. To make earth more to our liking, we flatten and smooth its
surface to resemble the original rolling plains our ancestors walked
upon during the critical Pleistocene epoch two m.y.a. *Neo-Savannah
Grassland*\--with its scattered bushes, trees, and lawns\--is the
dominant theme of housing tracts, campuses, cemeteries, entertainment
parks, and shopping malls in almost every city today.\
\
*Today II*. So important are lawns as [**consumer
products**](consprod.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/consprod.htm"
target="_top"} that, at the University of Florida, a \$700,000 campus
laboratory\--known as the
[**TurfGrass**](http://www.turfgrass.org/){target="_top"}
Envirotron\--was fabricated so horticulturalists could watch grass
grow.\
\
*Today III*. \"Despite the view in some circles that lawns are a symbol
of suburban conformity and repressed individualism, Americans
traditionally have equated a green space around the home with freedom
and power, said Washington State University horticulturalist Ken
Struckmeyer\" (Turner 2000:F8).\
\
*Flatland, China*. In 1999, Chinese leaders planted a few hundred square
yards of grass from seed (shipped from USA\'s Inland Northwest) on
Tiananmen Square. \"Across China, cities are planting thousands of acres
of lawns, parks and golf courses \[\'to reverse decades of environmental
ruin and make drab cities more livable\'\] . . .\" (McDonald 1999).
(***N.B.***: On Tiananmen square, knee-high metal signs warn visitors:
\"Please don\'t enter the grass.\")\
\
*Flatland, USA*. Taking the U.S. as a whole, 40 square feet of perfectly
level shopping-center space has been constructed for every child born
since 1986. Due to our prehistory on grasslands, we prefer to conduct
our lives on plane-paved surfaces. In Los Angeles, \". . . 70 percent of
the land area is devoted to the use of cars . . .\" (Mathews 1974). Some
100,000 acres of land are now occupied, e.g., by vast, table-terraced
superstores. (***N.B.***: Inside air temperatures average 72 degrees F.,
the warmth of the primeval savannah.) And spreading in front of houses
and apartment buildings are closely cropped *micro-savannahs*, occupying
an estimated 7.7 million acres of level, home-lawn plots.\
\
*Interior design*. \"Grass
**[green](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/color.htm){target="_top"}**
\[in the home environment\] is not particularly popular in rural areas,
where presumably people see a lot of it. But for those from inner city
areas, green ranks high on their list of favorites\" (Vargas 1986:142).\
\
***[Media](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/media.htm){target="_top"}***.
\"Like the interstate highway system, fast food chains, telephones,
televisions, and malls, the lawn occupies a central, and often
unconsidered, place in America\'s cultural landscape.\" \--Georges
Teyssot (\"The American Lawn,\" quoted in *Spokesman-Review*, May 28,
2000:F1)

*Neuro-notes*. Like the cylindrical, filamentous projections covering
our scalp, we respond to grass blades as we do to our own hair. The
compulsion to feed, clip, and groom our yard space is prompted by the
same preadapted modules of the **[mammalian
brain](mammal.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/mammal.htm"
target="_top"}** which motivate personal grooming and **[hair
care](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/haircue.htm){target="_top"}**
(see **[CINGULATE
GYRUS](cingulat.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/cingulat.htm"
target="_top"}**). Like thick, healthy locks, well-groomed lawns bespeak
health, vigor, and high status.\
\
See also
[**GOLF**](golf.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/golf.htm"
target="_top"}.

Copyright **©** 1998 - 2001 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)


LEG WEAR

**LEG WEAR**

![Relating to Earth](legwear.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/legwear.jpg" height="40%"
width="25%"}\
\
*Although skirt hemlines are no longer much of a concern, form and
structure between your waist and your feet is always a critical issue*.
\--Véronique Vienne (1997:149)\
\
*Fashion statement*. **1.** Clothing worn **a.** to cover, and **b.** to
modify the color, thickness, length, shape, and texture of the legs
(see, e.g., [**BLUE
JEANS**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/bluejean.htm){target="_top"}).
**2.** Ornaments (e.g., anklets and cuffs) worn **a.** to attract
notice, and **b.** to accent the leg\'s masculine or feminine traits.

*Usage*: What we place upon our legs accents their thickness or taper.
*Trousers* widen the legs, e.g., while *dresses* bare the turn of an
ankle. *Skirts* reveal, while *pants* conceal, vulnerable landscapes of
skin.

***[Media](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/media.htm){target="_top"}***.
While fleeing from gorillas, giant lizards, and Martians, e.g., leading
men (in pants and
[**boots**](boot1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/boot1.htm"
target="_top"}) must help leading women (in skirts and
[**heels**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/highheel.htm){target="_top"})
as the latter twist their ankles, stumble, and fall to the ground.

*Skirts, women*. Though the earliest skirts may have been made of
thong-tied animal hides, the oldest-known skirts were more provocative
and revealing than leather. Evidence for the ancient *string skirt*
consists of detailed carvings on Upper Paleolithic *Venus figurines*
from Lespugue, France, estimated to be ca. 23,000 to 25,000 years old
(Troeng 1993). The string skirt (not unlike the filamentous grass skirts
of old Hawaii) revealed the legs and ankles, and when a woman
**[walked](walk1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/walk1.htm"
target="_top"}**, made sexually suggestive movements of its own as well
(Barber 1991, 1994).\
\
*Skirts, men*. Japanese men wear kimonos, Samoan men wear sarongs, and
bedouin men wear flowing robes. Men from Amazonia, Bali, Egypt, Fiji,
Ghana, Greece, Hawaii, India, Kenya, Korea, Samoa, Scotland, and Tibet
also wear skirts.\
\
*Stance*. Leg wear suggests how solidly\--or how lightly\--we trod upon
the earth. In tandem with heavy shoes, e.g., masculine *cuffs* define a
solid connection with terra firma, as if a man \"had both feet on the
ground.\" In thinner shoes and higher heels, feminine bare legs seem to
lift a woman above the earthly plain. (***N.B.***: From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
in the corporate world, a woman must balance her femininity against the
stability of her stance.)

*Trousers I*. The oldest-known pants were discovered on a glacier
between Austria and Italy. The crotchless leggings, made from animal
hide whipstitched with sinew, were worn fur side out with a leather
loincloth. They belonged to a late-Neolithic wanderer known as the \"Ice
Man,\" who died ca. 5,300 years ago. The deerskin pants covering his
thighs and calves did not cling, but had a loose fit to enable bending
at the knees. Though he may have died in a fall, an artist\'s rendering
of his leather cuffs and shoes suggests that, unlike the Venus figurine,
the Ice Man\'s leg wear provided a stable platform upon which to stand
(Spindler 1994).\
\
*Trousers II*. As consumer products, pants show an Indo-European design
of equestrian origin: \"To judge from their first distribution, trousers
were invented about 1000 B.C. in response to the chafing of tender parts
incurred in the new art of horesback riding. The man\'s chemise was then
shortened (*shirt* means \'cut short\') to allow the straddling
position\" (Barber 1994:142).

See also **[ARM
WEAR](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/armwear.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[BUSINESS
SUIT](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/busisuit.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[FOOTWEAR](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/footwear.htm){target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"})\
Detail of photo by Robert Doisneau (copyright *Rapho Guillumette*)


LIMBIC SYSTEM

**[LIMBIC SYSTEM]{#LIMBIC SYSTEM}\
\
![Modules and Pathways](limbic.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/objects/limbic.jpg"
height="35%" width="25%"}**

*Neuro term*. **1.** Those interlinked modules and pathways of the brain
in charge of
**[emotions](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotion.htm){target="_top"}**,
feelings, and moods. **2.** The \"entire neuronal circuitry that
controls emotional behavior and motivational drives\" (Guyton 1996:752).
**3.** The *emotional core* of the human nervous system (Cytowic 1993).

*Usage*: A great deal of our **[nonverbal
communication](nvcom.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/nvcom.htm"
target="_top"}** reflects happenings in the limbic system (see, e.g.,
**[FACE](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/face.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[MAMMALIAN
BRAIN](mammal.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/mammal.htm"
target="_top"}**). Nonverbal
**[signs](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/sign.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[signals](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/signal.htm){target="_top"}**,
and **[cues](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/cue.htm){target="_top"}**
disclose limbic emotions and attitudes more openly and with greater
honesty than
**[words](word1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/word1.htm"
target="_top"}**.

*Observation*. When shopping for **[consumer
products](consprod.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/consprod.htm"
target="_top"}**, we heed limbic rather than rational thoughts.

*Evolution*. In human beings, the limbic system grew in tandem with the
cerebral cortex (Armstrong 1986). Thus, ours is the most emotional\--as
well as the most intellectual\--species on earth.

***RESEARCH REPORTS***: **1.** The limbic system \"plays a key role in
the evolutionary survival and eventual success of hominids\" (Eccles
1989:97). **2.** Regarding nonverbal behavior, the limbic system\'s
**a.** *amygdalar division* promotes *feeding*, *food-search*, *angry*,
and *defensive behaviors* related to obtaining food; **b.** *septal
division* promotes *sexual pleasure*, *genital swelling*, *grooming*,
*courtship*, and *maternal behavior*; and **c.** thalamocingulate
division promotes *play*, *vocalization* (e.g., the separation cry), and
*maternal behavior* (MacLean 1993). **3.** \"While the cortex contains
our model of reality and analyzes what exists outside ourselves, it is
the limbic brain that determines the salience of that information\"
(Cytowic 1993:156). **4.** The cerebral cortex \"has more inputs from
the limbic system than the limbic system has coming from the cortex\"
(Cytowic 1993:161). **5.** Many emotional systems, in addition to the
limbic system, may exist in the brain (LeDoux 1996:103).

*Neuro-notes*. The limbic system includes the
**[amygdala](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/amygdala.htm){target="_top"}**,
anterior thalamic nucleus, **[cingulate
gyrus](cingulat.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/cingulat.htm"
target="_top"}**, fornix, hippocampus,
**[hypothalamus](hypo.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/hypo.htm"
target="_top"}**, mammillary bodies, medial forebrain bundle, prefrontal
lobes, septal nuclei, and other areas and pathways of the brain. The
hypothalamus, a key player, mediates nonverbal behaviors through the
brain-stem *reticular nuclei*. When excited, the reticular nuclei arouse
cerebral as well as spinal circuits. (***N.B.***: An important two-way
link between the limbic system and brain stem is the *medial forebrain
bundle*.)

Copyright 1999 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"})\
Detail of illustration from *Mapping the Mind* (copyright Weidenfeld &
Nicolson 1998)


LIPS

**LIPS\
\
![Lips Parted, Lips Closed ](lips.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/lips.jpg" height="50%"
width="25%"}**

*He was a person of very striking aspect, with a white, lofty, and
impending brow, large, brown, melancholy eyes, and a mouth which, unless
when he forcibly compressed it, was apt to be tremulous, expressing both
nervous sensibility and a vast power of self-restraint*. \--Nathaniel
Hawthorne (*The Scarlet Letter*)\
*\
Mood signals*. **1.** The muscular, fleshy, hairless folds surrounding
the mouth opening, which may be moved **a.** to express
**[emotions](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotion.htm){target="_top"}**,
**b.** to pronounce
**[words](word1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/word1.htm"
target="_top"}**, and **c.** to
**[kiss](kiss1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/kiss1.htm"
target="_top"}**. **2.** The most emotionally expressive parts of the
human body.

*Usage*: Lips give off telling
****[cues](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/cue.htm){target="_top"}****
about inner feelings and moods. So connected are lips **a.** to our
*visceral nervous system* and **b.** to *companion muscles* of our lower
face, that we rarely keep them still. Like
**[hands](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/hands.htm){target="_top"}**,
lips are incredibly gifted communicators which always bear watching.\
\
*Anatomy I*. Lip size (full or thin), curvature (sinuous or straight),
and eversion (everted or inverted) vary in men and women, and in
geographic populations as well. The principal lip muscle, *orbicularis
oris*, is a sphincter consisting **a.** of *pars marginalis* (beneath
the margin of the lips themselves), and **b.** *pars peripheralis*
(around the lips\' periphery from the nostril bulbs to the chin).
(***N.B.***: P. marginalis is uniquely developed in humans for
**[speech](speech1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/speech1.htm"
target="_top"}**.) Contraction of orbicularis oris tenses the lips and
reduces their eversion.

*Anatomy II*. Lips may be moved directly by orbicularis oris and by
*direct labial tractor* muscles in the upper and lower lips. Contraction
of *levator labii superioris alaeque nasi*, *levator labii superioris*,
and/or *zygomaticus minor*, e.g., elevate and/or evert the upper lip;
while *depressor labii inferioris* and/or *platysma par labialis*
depress and/or evert the lower lip. The complexity of muscle
interactions thus reflects the complexity of emotion blends.

*Anatomy III*. Lips may also be moved indirectly by nine (or more) other
facial muscles (e.g., by *zygomaticus major* in
**[laughing](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/laugh.htm){target="_top"}**)
through attachments to a fibromuscular mass known as the *modiolus*.
That so many facial muscles interlink via the modiolus makes our lips
extremely expressive of attitudes, opinions, and moods.

*Embryology*. On day 22, **[pharyngeal
arches](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/pharynx.htm){target="_top"}**
form, and by 20 weeks, orbicularis oris (and other muscles of
expression) form from the 2nd pharyngeal arch.

*Infancy*. From 3-to-6 months, babies bring objects to their lips to be
explored, and make sounds with objects placed against their lips.

*Lipreading*. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies show
that the linguistic visual cues afforded by lip movements activate areas
of auditory cortex in normal hearing individuals (Calvert et al. 1997).\
\
*Observation*. Unconscious tension in lips reflects how we truly feel
about, e.g., a boss\'s work assignment, a friend\'s off-hand comment, or
a colleague\'s \"helpful\" idea. A slight drooping at the mouth corners
(through unconscious contraction of *depressor anguli oris*) may be the
first visible sign of (unvoiced) sadness or disappointment.\
\
*Primatology*. Beginning with muscular contractions for suckling breast
milk, the **[primate
brain](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/primate.htm){target="_top"}**
added the ability to grasp food items with *everted lips*. Chimps, e.g.,
use *prehensile lips* to pluck termites from twigs. (***N.B.***: Humans
use their own prehensile lips to pluck french fries from a bag.)

*Neuro-notes I*. The *facial nerve\'s* (i.e., cranial VII\'s) *lower
nucleus* controls the pouted-, curled-, and tightened-lip expressions we
unintentionally use to reveal our moods. Instructions for these signals
come from
**[limbic](limbic.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/limbic.htm"
target="_top"}** modules, such as the
**[amygdala](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/amygdala.htm){target="_top"}**
and **[cingulate
gyrus](cingulat.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/cingulat.htm"
target="_top"}**, by way of the brain stem. Because there is little or
no conscious control from higher brain centers, lip movements provide
trustworthy cues.

*Neuro-notes II*. Our brain devotes an unusually large part of its
surface area to lips (see
**[HOMUNCULUS](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/homuncul.htm){target="_top"}**).
In the mind\'s eye, as a result **a.** of the generous space they occupy
on the sensory and motor strips of our neocortex, and **b.** of the
older
**[paleocircuits](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/paleo.htm){target="_top"}**
linking them to *emotional*, *feeding*, and *grooming* centers of the
**[mammalian
brain](mammal.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/mammal.htm"
target="_top"}**, almost anything a lip does holds potential as a
**[sign](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/sign.htm){target="_top"}**.

*Neuro-notes III*. Our **[human
brain](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/human.htm){target="_top"}**
added precision to lip movements through nerve fibers linked to the
primary motor neocortex. Today, fiber links from this area descend
through the corticobulbar tract to motor neurons of the facial nerve,
whose branches take charge of specific muscle fibers of the lips. That
we can whistle a tune (and that whistle languages are \"spoken\" in some
areas of the world) testifies to our lips\' extremely high IQ as
neurological smart parts.

See also
**[DISGUST](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/disgust.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[LIP-COMPRESSION](compress.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/compress.htm"
target="_top"}**,
**[LIP-POUT](pout.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/pout.htm"
target="_top"}**,
**[LIP-PURSE](purse.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/purse.htm"
target="_top"}**,
**[SELF-TOUCH](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/selftouc.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[TENSE-MOUTH](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/tensemou.htm){target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)


LIP-COMPRESSION

**LIP-COMPRESSION\
\
![Thin-Lipped](compress.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/compress.jpg" height="50%"
width="30%"}**\
\
***[Facial
expression](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/facialx.htm){target="_top"}***.
A usually negative cue produced by pressing the
**[lips](lips.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/lips.htm"
target="_top"}** together into a thin line (see
**[TENSE-MOUTH](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/tensemou.htm){target="_top"}**).

*Usage*: A sudden lip-compression may signal the onset of
**[anger](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/anger.htm){target="_top"}**,
disliking, grief,
**[sadness](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/sadness.htm){target="_top"}**,
or
**[uncertainty](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/uncert.htm){target="_top"}**.

*Observation*. Barely noticeable lip-clenching may signal unvoiced
opposition or disagreement. Like other lip cues, in-rolling is
controlled by \"gut reactive\" **[special visceral
nerves](viscera1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/viscera1.htm"
target="_top"}**.

*Anatomy*. At rest, the lips make gentle contact, and the teeth are
slightly separated (see **[BLANK
FACE](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/blank.htm){target="_top"}**). In
lip-compression, the prime mover is *orbicularis oris* (both *pars
peripheralis* and *marginalis* contract); the teeth may or may not
touch.

***RESEARCH REPORTS***: **1.** In rage, \"The mouth is generally closed
with firmness . . .\" (Darwin 1872:236). **2.** Apes express anger by
staring, clenching the jaws, and *compressing the lips*
(Chevalier-Skolnikoff 1973:80). **3.** In chimpanzees, a
*compressed-lips face* \"typically accompanies aggression\" (Goodall
1986:123). **4**. \"In an aggressive mood, the \[bonobo chimpanzee\'s\]
lips are compressed in a tense face with frowning eyebrows and piercing
eyes\" (Waal and Lanting 1997:33). **5.** In the Highlands of Papua New
Guinea, when men were asked to show what they would do when angry and
were about to attack, \"They pressed their lips together\" (Ekman
1998:238).

*Neuro-notes*. Lip-compression is an unconscious sign controlled by the
**[limbic
system](limbic.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/limbic.htm"
target="_top"}** acting through emotionally responsive
**[paleocircuits](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/paleo.htm){target="_top"}**
of the *facial nerve* (cranial VII).

See also
**[LIP-POUT](pout.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/pout.htm"
target="_top"}**,
**[LIP-PURSE](purse.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/purse.htm"
target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)


LIP-POUT

**LIP-POUT\
\
![Pout Face](pout.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/pout.jpg" height="50%"
width="25%"}**

***[Facial
expression](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/facialx.htm){target="_top"}***.
To push the lower
**[lip](lips.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/lips.htm"
target="_top"}** against the upper in a protruded look of
disappointment, displeasure,
**[sadness](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/sadness.htm){target="_top"}**,
or
**[uncertainty](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/uncert.htm){target="_top"}**.

*Usage*: **1.** Children throughout the world pout in sadness,
frustration, and uncertainty. **2.** Adults unthinkingly pout\--or show
fragments of the pouting cue (esp., contractions of the chin muscle \[or
*mentalis*\])\--when disagreeing with comments presented face-to-face,
e.g., at a **[conference
table](table.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/table.htm"
target="_top"}**. **3.** In courtship, men and women may unwittingly
evert their lips in a pouty look to signal harmlessness and availability
(see **[LOVE
SIGNAL](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/lovesig.htm){target="_top"}**).

*Anatomy*. We pout by contracting our chin\'s *mentalis* muscle, in
tandem with direct labial tractor muscles of the lower lip (*depressor
labii inferioris* and *platysma pars labialis*). Pouting closes off the
lower face **a.** by pressing the lips together, **b.** by pressing the
tongue against the palate, and **c.** by constricting the pharynx in
preparation to swallow (see
**[ADAM\'S-APPLE-JUMP](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/adajum.htm){target="_top"}**)
or **[cry](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/cry.htm){target="_top"}**.

*Evolution*. The lower lip everts and pushes upward in a familiar
movement used first in nursing, and later in drinking from cups,
glasses, and straws. As a feeding-related
**[sign](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/sign.htm){target="_top"}**,
pouting has roots in the mammalian *sucking reflex*. The lip-pout is
often a component of the [**shoulder-shrug
display**](shrugdis.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/shrugdis.htm"
target="_top"}.\
\
*U.S. politics*. Photos of President Bill Clinton taken during the
Monica Lewinsky scandal often exhibit tense-mouth pouting and
contraction of his chin\'s mentalis muscle (see
[**TENSE-MOUTH**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/tensemou.htm){target="_top"}).

***RESEARCH REPORTS***: **1.** \". . .protrusion of the lips, especially
with young children, is characteristic of sulkiness throughout the
greater part of the world\" (Darwin 1872:237). **2.** The lip-pout has
been observed as a mood sign in old world monkeys and apes (van Hooff
1967). **3.** Pouted lips are used as *submissive signals* in Bushman
and deaf-and-blind-born children (Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1973, 1975), and in
adults expressing *shameful moods* (Izard 1971). **4.** A brief pout or
*mouth shrug* (Morris 1994) reveals doubt or uncertainty (even as one
says, e.g., \"I am absolutely sure\").

*Neuro-notes*. The lip-pout\'s feeding connection suggests control by
diverse areas of the hindbrain (medulla and pons), midbrain, and
forebrain
(**[amygdala](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/amygdala.htm){target="_top"}**
and
**[hypothalamus](hypo.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/hypo.htm"
target="_top"}**). Electromyographic studies show \"fairly continuous
activity\" in the chin\'s mentalis (*Gray\'s Anatomy*, 38th edition,
1995:795), reflecting a close link between this muscle and
**[emotions](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotion.htm){target="_top"}**
of the **[mammalian
brain](mammal.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/mammal.htm"
target="_top"}**.

See also
**[LIP-COMPRESSION](compress.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/compress.htm"
target="_top"}**,
**[LIP-PURSE](purse.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/purse.htm"
target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)


LIP-PURSE

**LIP-PURSE\
\
**![Broca\'s Purse](purse.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/purse.jpg" height="35%"
width="35%"}

*Still gazing at his hands, he pursed his lips a little, but this time
made no hissing sound*. \--Joseph Conrad (*Lord Jim*; 1899)\
\
***[Facial
expression](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/facialx.htm){target="_top"}***.
To evert, pucker, and round the
**[lips](lips.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/lips.htm"
target="_top"}** in a look of disagreement, scheming, or calculated
thought.

*Usage*: The paramount
**[message](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/message.htm){target="_top"}**
of lip-pursing is \"thoughtful dissentience\"\--i.e., \"I disagree.\"
The tightly screwed-out lips of the *pig snout* show that a listener has
gone beyond the
**[pout](pout.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/pout.htm"
target="_top"}** of
**[uncertainty](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/uncert.htm){target="_top"}**
to a more dissenting frame of mind. As a mood sign, the lip-purse
reflects formation of *an alternative verbal reply* in the brain\'s
primary speech center, Broca\'s area.\
\
*Anatomy*. In the lip-purse, *orbicularis oris*, *buccinator*, and
direct *labial tractor* muscles of the lips contract. The principal
muscle, orbicularis oris, is a sphincter consisting **a.** of *pars
marginalis* (located beneath the margin of the lips themselves), and
**b.** *pars peripheralis* (located around the lips\' periphery, from
the nostril bulbs to the chin). Pars marginalis is uniquely developed in
human beings for
**[speech](speech1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/speech1.htm"
target="_top"}**.\
\
*Observation*. Because the lip-purse signals mental resistance, speakers
should immediately ask if listeners disagree before continuing a verbal
argument. Clearing unvoiced resistance facilitates understanding.
(***N.B.***: Moreover, listeners will appreciate your intuitive grasp of
their thought processes.)

*Primatology*. In the brain of our closest living relative, the
chimpanzee, a motor area analogous to Broca\'s controls the rounded,
pursed-lip movements used to make facial grimaces and emotional calls
(Lieberman 1991). The *pant-hoot* cry of excitement is a case in point
(Goodall 1990).

***RESEARCH REPORT***: \"Apprehension, scheming, or mere disinclination
to speak may be betrayed by tightly screwed \[i.e., \'pursing of the\'\]
lips\" (Peck 1982:254).

*Neuroanatomy*. Pursed-lips is a *gestural fossil* (from the **[PRIMATE
BRAIN](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/primate.htm){target="_top"}**)
which unwittingly appears when we disagree. As quarrelsome words form in
Broca\'s area, a call goes out through
**[limbic](limbic.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/limbic.htm"
target="_top"}** (i.e.,
**[emotional](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotion.htm){target="_top"}**)
circuits to the brain stem\'s facial nerve (cranial VII). Forwarding the
call, motor branches of the facial nerve instruct our lips to round and
purse in preparation to disagree.

*Neuro-notes*. Pursed-lips is an orofacial gesture controlled, in part,
by Broca\'s area, a finger-sized patch of neocortex involved in the
production of
**[words](word1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/word1.htm"
target="_top"}**. It is often the first sign of disagreement.

See also
**[TENSE-MOUTH](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/tensemou.htm){target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)


LIP-TOUCH

**LIP-TOUCH**

***[Gesture](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/gesture.htm){target="_top"}***.
**1.** A brief or sustained *tactile stimulation* of the hypersensitive,
fleshy folds around the mouth. **2.** A touch delivered to one or both
[**lips**](lips.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/lips.htm"
target="_top"} with the knuckles, fingers, or tactile pads of the
fingertips, or with an object (e.g., a pencil or pen) held in the
**[hands](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/hands.htm){target="_top"}**.

*Usage*: One of our most common
**[self-touch](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/selftouc.htm){target="_top"}**
cues, the lip-touch signals a variety of moods and mental states
including *anxiety*, *boredom*, *excitement*,
***[fear](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/fear.htm){target="_top"}***,
*horror*, and
***[uncertainty](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/uncert.htm){target="_top"}***.
Stimulating the lips diverts attention, e.g., from **a.** disturbing
thoughts and **b.** people who may upset us. As a self-consoling
gesture, the lip-touch is equivalent to infntile *thumb-sucking*.

*Observation*. In a conversation, cross-examination, or interview, the
lip-touch marks a nonverbal **[probing
point](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/probe.htm){target="_top"}**,
i.e., an unexpressed feeling, opinion, or thought to be explored.\
\
*Salesmanship*. \"Make a note: *Do not touch the area between your nose
and upper lip when you are lying to a prospect*\" (Delmar 1984:47).

*Media*. In the ninth inning of a nationally televised ball game at
Busch Stadium, in which St. Louis Cardinal first baseman, Mark McGwire,
hit his record-breaking 62nd home run of the year, McGuire *touched his
lips* with his glove, in deep
[**emotion**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotion.htm){target="_top"},
while awaiting the end of the ball game. (***N.B.***: In a nonverbal
ritual before the game, McGwire *rubbed his chest* with the bat Roger
Maris used to hit his own record 61st home run.)

***RESEARCH REPORTS***: **1.** With adult strangers, girls show more
*hand-to-mouth* gestures than boys (Stern and Bender 1974:245). **2.**
At 3-to-6 months, babies bring most objects to the mouth to be touched
and explored (Chase and Rubin 1978:186).

*Neuro-notes*. Touching the mouth is emotionally *analgesic* (i.e.,
helps relieve physical and psychic pain). Our brain\'s cerebral
neocortex devotes a disproportionately large part of its surface area to
*fingers*, *hands*, and *lips* (see
**[HOMUNCULUS](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/homuncul.htm){target="_top"}**).
In the mind\'s eye, therefore, pressing \"huge\" fingertips against
\"enormous\" lips is an efficient form of *acupressure*.

See also **[FINGERTIP
CUE](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/fingerti.htm){target="_top"}**.

Copyrightt **©** 1998 - 2001 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)


LOOM

**LOOM**

![Designed to Loom Large](loom.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/loom.jpg" height="40%"
width="25%"}\
\
*The good knight-errant, even though he may behold ten giants with heads
that not merely touch but rise above the clouds; and even though each of
these giants may have two tallest towers for legs while his arms
resemble the masts of huge and powerful ships; even though each may have
eyes that are like great mill wheels and that glow more brightly than
any glass furnace\--in spite of all this, he is not to be in the least
frightened but with highborn mien and intrepid heart is to give them
battle and if possible vanquish and destroy them in a moment\'s time.*
\--Miguel de Cervantes, *Don Quixote* (1605:545)*\
\
Size display*.
**[Gestures](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/gesture.htm){target="_top"}**
and **[messaging
features](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/messafea.htm){target="_top"}**
which appear massive, magnified, and powerful\--and often dangerous or
imminently threatening to the mind.

*Usage*: The looming phenomenon gives innate meaning to nonverbal cues
of *size* (see, e.g., **[ANTIGRAVITY
SIGN](antigrav.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/antigrav.htm"
target="_top"}**, **[BROADSIDE
DISPLAY](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/broadsid.htm){target="_top"}**,
and **[HIGH-STAND
DISPLAY](highstan.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/highstan.htm"
target="_top"}**; cf.
**[CROUCH](crouch1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/crouch1.htm"
target="_top"}**). Impressive mountains, large stones, and tall
[**trees**](tree1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/tree1.htm"
target="_top"} frequently are viewed with wonder and may be considered
as sacred objects.\
\
*Evolution*. \"Looming, on the other hand, is more recent in evolution
than the tactile crouch, and it is at base a visual response. Without
eyes to see it the loom literally would make no sense. But to those with
eyes, the movements and postures of expansion evoke strong, automatic
reactions. Big is innately threatening to the vertebrate eye itself\"
(Givens 1986:163).\
\
*Literature*. \"It was a body capable of enormous leverage\--a cruel
body\" (F. Scott Fitzgerald \[of Tom Buchanan\], *The Great Gatsby*).\
\
*Psychology*. Our aversion to large animals or objects approaching
rapidly may be innate (Thorndike 1940).

***RESEARCH REPORTS***. **1.** A steady increase in the size of a shadow
projected on a screen produced *avoidance* movements in fiddler crabs,
frogs, chicks, turtles, and human babies (Russell 1979). **2.**
\"Absolute size\--physical bulk itself\--is a key biological variable in
social status and in relations of
**[dominance](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/dominate.htm){target="_top"}**
and
**[submission](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/submit.htm){target="_top"}**\"
(Givens 1986:147). **3.** \"Egyptian pyramids, for example, give iconic
testimony to a pharaoh\'s superior status; while the Japanese
**[bow](bow1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/bow1.htm"
target="_top"}** (from the waist) bespeaks humility through feigned
shortness\" (Givens 1986:146).

*Neuro-notes*. Nonverbal \"big\" threatens
**[paleocircuits](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/paleo.htm){target="_top"}**
in the visual system, perhaps even within the eye itself. Movements and
postures of expansion evoke the strong, automatic reaction known as the
*looming response*, seen in birds only three hours after hatching, and
in puppies at two-weeks of age. At 14 days, babies will avoid a rapidly
dilating shape projected to \"loom\" on a screen\--as if they already
knew the danger portended by large, moving objects.

See also **[BUSINESS
SUIT](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/busisuit.htm){target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)\
Illustration detail (copyright Smithsonian Institution)


LOVE SIGN

**[LOVE SIGN]{#LOVE SIGN}**

*Sexual icon*. A drawing, photograph, or sculpted figure displaying male
or female sexual traits.

*Usage*: Easily aroused by visual cues, men enjoy erotic pictures,
images, and movies, more than women do. *Playboy* (a magazine featuring
the female form), e.g., outsells *Playgirl* (featuring the male
anatomy)\--and both are read predominantly by men.

*Prehistory I*. The earliest sexual illustrations were realistic and
abstract renderings of female and male sex organs, painted on Upper
Paleolithic cave walls in western Europe, ca. 34,000 to 12,000 years
ago. (***N.B.***: The most common themes depicted on Paleolithic cave
walls were *food* and *sex*, in that order.)

*Prehistory II*. Dating to ca. 25,000 years ago, female *Venus
figurines* with exaggerated breasts, buttocks, and tummies have been
found across Europe from Spain to Russia. The figurines had less to do
with beauty than with *fertility*.

*Media I*. In U.S. college bookstores, the number one, two and three
best-selling magazines, respectively, are *Cosmopolitan*, *Glamour*, and
*Vogue*, read by young women seeking to enhance their sex appeal and
**[love
signals](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/lovesig.htm){target="_top"}**.

*Media II*. From 13 years of *Playboy* emerges a composite centerfold
who likes a man to **a.** pick her up in his car, **b.** accompanied by
his dog, **c.** with his stereo turned on, and **d.** offer her flowers
before **e.** driving her to the beach where **f.** they watch the
sunset and **g.** dance in the rain. (***N.B.***: From 1959 to 1995, the
*average weight* of playmate centerfolds ranged from 82%-to-91% of the
average weights of American women of the same height and age. \[Below
85% is considered medically too thin.\])

*Media III*. Americans view an average of 9,230 sexually suggestive
scenes a year on TV.

***RESEARCH REPORT***: A study in the *Journal of Public Policy and
Marketing* found that \"\[U.S.\] Women think men prefer bigger-bosomed
women than men said they preferred. Similarly, men are convinced that
women want chestier guys than women said they liked\" (Morin 1995:C5).

See also **[BARBIE
DOLL](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/barbie.htm){target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1998, 1999 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"})


LOVE SIGNALS II

**[LOVE SIGNALS II]{#LOVE SIGNALS II}\
\
![Coy Response](lovesig2.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/objects/lovesig2.jpg"
height="35%" width="25%"}**

*\"In short, my son, note her every action and movement. If you report
to me faithfully all these things, I shall be able to make out the
hidden secret of her heart and discover how she feels with regard to my
love; for I may tell you, Sancho, if you do not know it already, that
among lovers exterior signs of this sort are the most reliable couriers
that there are, bringing news of what goes on inside the heart.\"*
\--Miguel de Cervantes (*Don Quixote*, 1605:566)\
\
***[Courtship](court1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/court1.htm"
target="_top"}***. Any of several nonverbal
**[signs](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/sign.htm){target="_top"}**
exchanged during the *recognition phase* of courtship.

*Usage*: In courtship\'s second stage, men and women seek nonverbal
responses to signs beamed out during the earlier *attention phase* (see
**[LOVE SIGNALS I](lovesig2.htm){target="_top"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/lovesig2.htm"}**). E.g., a
man\'s bid for attention (\"I am here!\"\--\"I am male!\") is followed
by efforts to determine, *\"Do you see me?\"* Recognition cues thus
provide
**[information](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/info.htm){target="_top"}**
about having been seen. They are the
**[afferent](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/afferent.htm){target="_top"}**
(incoming) body signals received in response to the
**[efferent](efferen1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/efferen1.htm"
target="_top"}** (outgoing) cues previously sent.

*Responsive eyes*. As primates, we respond to changes in gaze direction,
and in courtship, concern with
**[eyes](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/eyes.htm){target="_top"}**
and **[eye
contact](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/eyecon.htm){target="_top"}**
is extreme. At a singles bar, e.g., eyes dart about and make rapid
*saccadic* movements as they bounce from face to face in the crowd. Even
a fleeting glance may suffice to answer the question: \"I am female!\" .
. . *Did you notice?*.

*Responsive pupils*. One of our tiniest cues, pupil size, is measured
with a *pupillometer*. The device detects *dilation* when we view
attractive men and women, but *constriction* when we view threatening or
disliked people. Studies show that, while pupil size itself is out of
awareness, dilation can be a tell-tale recognition cue (Hess 1975).
(***N.B.***: That enlarged pupils unconsciously telegraph sexual
interest was appreciated by European women, who once dilated their eyes
artificially with *belladonna*, a cosmetic extract of the nightshade
family.)

*Neuro-notes*. As with many recognition signs, the
**[hypothalamus](hypo.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/hypo.htm"
target="_top"}** plays a role in pupil size. The hypothalamus
coordinates our *sympathetic nervous system\'s*
**[fight-or-flight](fight.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/fight.htm"
target="_top"}** response, over which we have little conscious control.
Eye contact with an attractive woman or man thus registers as emotional
stimuli pass from the *posterior* hypothalamus (Guyton 1996) downward to
sympathetic nerves in the spinal cord (T1-2), which control our pupil\'s
dilator muscle. Mutual gaze brings people together quickly and
powerfully, as the physical distance separating them seems to close. As
we lock eyes with a lovely face, information flows from visual areas of
the cerebral cortex to the hypothalamus, which influences our sexual
behavior as a \"prime node\" (LeVay 1993:60, 81). (***N.B.***: Mutual
eye-contact is important in the courtship of our primate relatives, as
well. In marmosets, e.g., males must meet a female\'s attention-phase
*stare* with several seconds of *returned gaze* before mating can occur
\[LeVay 1993:60\].)

*Body response*. *Positive* recognition signs include **a.** **[body
alignment](align1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/align1.htm"
target="_top"}** (e.g., *aiming* or *squaring* the upper body with a
partner), **b.** rapid
**[eye-blink](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/eyeblink.htm){target="_top"}**,
**c.** **[facial
flushing](blush.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/blush.htm"
target="_top"}** (***N.B.***: *blush* applied to a woman\'s cheeks
simulates the red, rosy glow of sexual attraction as well), **d.**
gaze-crossing (i.e., sweeping the eyes back and forth across a
partner\'s view field\--without actually looking or seeming to notice
his or her presence\--to test a willingness to be looked at), **e.**
submissive
**[gaze-down](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/gazedown.htm){target="_top"}**,
**f.** head-toss, **g.**
**[isopraxism](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/isoprax.htm){target="_top"}**
(e.g., *mirroring*, *postural echo*, *synchrony*), **h.** anxious
**[self-touching](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/selftouc.htm){target="_top"}**,
**i. [shoulder-shrugging](shoshrug.htm){target="_top"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/shoshrug.htm"}**, **j.
[smiling](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/zygosmi.htm){target="_top"}**,
and **k.** nervous **[yawning](yawn.htm){target="_top"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/yawn.htm"}**. Negative
recognition cues include **a.**
**[cut-off](cutoff1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/cutoff1.htm"
target="_top"}** (i.e., sideward gaze-aversion or angling the upper body
away \[\"*cold shoulder*\"\], and **b.** *no reaction* (i.e., the most
cutting cue of all: no response \[see **[BLANK
FACE](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/blank.htm){target="_top"}**\]).

***RESEARCH REPORTS***: **1.** A study summarizing research on North
American college students found **a.** that women and men aligned upper
bodies *midway* between direct (i.e., frontal) and indirect (i.e.,
turned 90 degrees away) with liked partners; and **b.** that women
assumed *open arm positions* with men they liked and *crossed arms* with
disliked men (men did not show these signs; Vrugt and Kerkstra 1984).
**2.** \"The next stage is *recognition* \[Givens 1978\], or what
Scheflen (1965) calls *courtship readiness*. If the response of one
party . . . is a stare, blank face, negative facial expression, or
orienting away, that ends it\" (Burgoon et al. 1989:325).

See also [**LOVE SIGNALS
III**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/lovesig3.htm){target="_top"}.

Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"})\
Detail of photo (copyright Esther Bubley)


LUNCH

**LUNCH**

![Lunchtime Laugh](lunch.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/lunch.jpg" height="45%"
width="25%"}\
\
*Ritual*. The usually friendly patterns of **[eye
contact](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/eyecon.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[gestures](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/gesture.htm){target="_top"}**,
and words exchanged at midday while consuming food products.

*Usage*: We \"do lunch,\" schedule luncheon meetings, and conduct
business over lunch because eating together **a.** reduces anxiety as
the parasympathetic nervous system switches to
**[rest-and-digest](rest.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/rest.htm"
target="_top"}**, and **b.** promotes sociability through the reptilian
principle of \"acting alike\" and \"doing the same thing\" (see
**[ISOPRAXISM](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/isoprax.htm){target="_top"}**).

***[Courtship](court1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/court1.htm"
target="_top"}***. Because lunch is conducted in the light of day, it is
an effective venue for the early exchange of **[love
signals](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/lovesig.htm){target="_top"}**.
As in the more serious dinnertime rite (usually conducted after dark;
see below, *Media*), couples find eating together less stressful than
conversing without the shared focus of utensiles, food, and drink.

*Media*. \"The next day, Vicki offers to cook Gary dinner at his
apartment. Thinking quickly, Gary says his place is too messy; they
decide to have dinner at the ranch instead.\" \--*Young and Restless*
(*Soap Opera Digest* synopsis, May 2, 2000:114)\
\
*Corporate culture*. Office rituals inevitably involve eating and
drinking together. Nonverbally, food consumption allies staff and draws
employer and employees closer together. (But note that food is rarely
served during the performance review.) To win friends and influence
people in the firm, chocolates work better than
**[words](word1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/word1.htm"
target="_top"}**.

*Ancient history*. Food is a powerful symbol, as the Egyptian artists
who drew ritual offerings of food and drink on tomb walls understood
2,500 years ago.

*Prehistory*. Unlike other primates, human beings have been *sharing
edibles* for at least two million years, as evidenced by arrangements of
cut and broken big-game bones found in sites at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
The earliest-known ritual involving food is found in Upper Paleolithic
cave paintings dating to between 34,000 and 12,000 years ago. The cave
walls show big-game animals speared or caught in what may have been
\"magical\" traps (Wenke 1990).

See also **[CONFERENCE
TABLE](table.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/table.htm"
target="_top"}**,
**[DANCE](dance1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/dance1.htm"
target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)\
Detail of photo by Robert Frank (copyright Robert Frank)


MAMMALIAN BRAIN

**[MAMMALIAN BRAIN]{#MAMMALIAN BRAIN}\
\
![Ancient Mammal](mammal.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/objects/mammal.jpg"
height="25%" width="45%"}\
**

*Evolution*. **1.** Any of several parts of the human brain to emerge
during the mammalian adaptation **a.** to nocturnal (i.e., night) life,
and **b.** to competition with reptilian foes. **2.** Specifically,
those *forebrain* areas at the heart of the **[limbic
system](limbic.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/limbic.htm"
target="_top"}** which generate emotions for parental care, playfulness,
and vocal calling (MacLean 1990).

*Usage I*: By ca. 150 m.y.a., our mammalian forbears had entrusted their
evolutionary future to a new and powerful form of arousal:
**[emotion](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotion.htm){target="_top"}**.
In significant measure, the nerve network for emotions, feelings, and
moods evolved from neural structures earlier committed to
***[smell](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2aromacue.htm){target="_top"}***.

*Usage II*: That emotions are like aromas\--pleasant or unpleasant\--is
because they were designed from an *olfactory model*. Nonverbally, this
shows, e.g., in the *curled-upper-lip* display, which reveals **a.**
*nausea*, should we smell a fowl odor, and **b.**
**[disgust](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/disgust.htm){target="_top"}**,
as we listen to a colleague\'s \"rotten\" idea. When something looks,
sounds, or smells \"fishy,\" the muscles of our
**[face](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/face.htm){target="_top"}**
telegraph the reaction for all to see.

*Usage III*: The fourth great epoch of **[nonverbal
communication](nvcom.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/nvcom.htm"
target="_top"}** took place during the evolution of the mammalian brain.
In earlier brains, body movements appeared as *reflexes*. Neither
learning nor memory was required, e.g., to
**[crouch](crouch1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/crouch1.htm"
target="_top"}** from a looming object,
**[startle](startle1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/startle1.htm"
target="_top"}** to a sound, or
**[withdraw](withdra1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/withdra1.htm"
target="_top"}** from a painful bite.

*Embryology*. The mammalian brain is visible by the end of the 5th week
of life, as nerve cells project fibers from early nasal tissue to the
front end of the rapidly growing cerebral hemispheres (i.e., the
*telencephalon*). By week 6, *olfactory bulbs* begin to form, which
eventually connect to an interpretive center for smell in the neocortex
(in the *neopallium* or \"new cloak\") of the temporal lobe. The
olfactory \"smell brain\" (i.e., the *paleopallium* or \"old cloak\")
has important links to the limbic system.\
\
***RESEARCH REPORTS***: *In proportion to brain size, humans have the
largest limbic system of any vertebrate, making them the most emotional
animals yet to walk the earth*. **1.** The earliest mammals \". . . were
\'reptiles\' that were active at night\" (Jerison 1976:11). **2.** \"The
evolution of hearing and smell to supplement vision as a distance sense
is sufficient reason for the evolution of an enlarged brain in the
earliest mammals\" (Jerison 1976:11-12). **3.** \"Progressive evolution
of encephalization within the mammals came late in their history, in the
last 50 million years of a time span of about 200 million years\"
(Jerison 1976:7).\
\
***[Consciousness](nvcons1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/nvcons1.htm"
target="_top"}***. Consciousness first appeared in vertebrates ca. 200
m.y.a., in mammals, according to neurophysiologist John Eccles of the
Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt (Bower 1992:234).
To seek primordial self-awareness, we go to great lengths to quiet the
verbal dialogue, e.g., through meditation, chanting, or staring into a
candle flame, in order to re-enter the original consciousness which lies
beneath the chatty stream in a region of the brain stem known as the
*thalamus*. We experience a deeper-level, mammalian form of
consciousness in the evolutionary older thalamus, which is the central
processing station for all the senses (except smell) on their routes to
the cerebral cortex. It is within the thalamus that a human\'s central
nervous system first experiences consciousness of incoming sensations,
before they are re-examined upstream in the neocortex.

*Neuro-notes*. **1.** \"The paleomammalian brain is represented by the
limbic system . . .\" (MacLean 1975:75). **2.** \"The neomammalian brain
is represented by the rapidly evolving neocortex and structures of the
brainstem with which it is primarily connected\" (MacLean 1975:75).

See also **[PRIMATE
BRAIN](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/primate.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[REPTILIAN
BRAIN](reptile.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/reptile.htm"
target="_top"}**.

Copyright **©** 1998 - 2001 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"})\
Illustration detail from *Getting There* (copyright 1993 by William
Howells)


MEATY TASTE

**[MEATY TASTE]{#MEATY TASTE}\
\
![The Fruit Connection](meaty.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/objects/meaty.jpg"
height="35%" width="25%"}**

*A stew with more beef than mutton in it, chopped meat for his evening
meal, scraps for a Saturday, lentils on Friday, and a young pigeon as a
special delicacy for Sunday* . . . \--Miguel de Cervantes (*Don
Quixote*; 1605:25)\
\
*It\'s a fun product. When I meet someone at a party and tell them where
I work, they
[**smile**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/zygosmi.htm){target="_top"}.
People love hot dogs*. \--Bob Schwartz, VP of Sales, Vienna Beef in
Chicago (Jackson 1999:106; see below, *Hot dogs*)\
\
\
*Flavor cue*. **1.** The usually pleasant aroma and taste of cooked
animal flesh (i.e., muscles and skin). **2.** Intensely flavorful
molecules created **a.** as *myoglobin*, the red pigment of raw steak,
turns brown and a flavor-rich coating forms (as juices evaporate from
the meat\'s surface), and **b.** as the *browning reaction* releases
*furans*, *pyrones*, and other carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen molecules
which provide the complex oniony, nutty, fruity, chocolate, and
caramel-like tastes we prefer to the bland taste of uncooked meat and
raw vegetables (McGee 1990).

*Usage I*: The aroma of sizzling *beefsteak* basted with *sage* and
*garlic sauce* is an irresistible chemical
**[signal](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/signal.htm){target="_top"}**
transmitted when a chef brushes the meat with seasonings and sears it
with flame. According to McGee, \"All cooked foods aspire to the \[rich
and flavorful\] condition of fruit\" (1990:304).

*Usage II*: In **[Nonverbal
World](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/nvworld.htm){target="_top"}**,
the essence of charbroiled steak evokes an
**[emotional](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotion.htm){target="_top"}**
desire to *approach* the aroma. Among the most evocative of all chemical
signals processed by the brain are those emanating from meats and meaty
**[consumer
products](consprod.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/consprod.htm"
target="_top"}**, such as the **[Big
Mac](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/bigmac.htm){target="_top"}**®
sandwich and fried Spam®.\
\
*Evolution I*. As did late-Devonian amphibians, early mammals of the
Cretaceous and early primates of the Paleocene epoch passed through a
predominantly *flesh-eating* stage. Acting in accordance with a primeval
*chemical code*, amphibians pursued *fish* (and fellow *amphibians*),
while mammals and primates pursued mainly *insects*. With so many
*carnivores* and *insectivores* on the family tree, we respond to meats
with an extreme alertness, as if scripted to do so by the ancient code.\
\
*Evolution II*. \"Scientists theorize that the shift to hunting and meat
eating was a key adaptation that let our ancestors spread beyond Africa
and led to the dramatic increase in brain size associated with our human
lineage. This \'dietary revolution,\' as one paleontologist put it,
could have changed the human facial structure by reducing the size of
the molars, which previously needed to be large to chew tubers and raw
vegetables. As the protruding jaw began to recede, more of the skull
could be used to house the brain. And a diet of fat-rich bone marrow
could lead to the development of the brain cells\" (McCafferty
1999:22).\
\
![Meat Eater](meaty2.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/objects/meaty2.jpg"
height="50%" width="28%"}\
\
*Hot dogs*. **1.** An estimated 20 billion hot dogs are consumed in the
U.S. each year (Jackson 1999:110). **2.** \"But the
[**hands-down**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/palmdown.htm){target="_top"}
wiener and still champion of frankfurter flackery is the annual Fourth
of July hot-dog eating contest at Coney Island . . .\" (Jackson
1999:110; as of June 1999, the record was 19 dogs consumed in 12 minutes
\[Jackson 1999:112\]).\
\
*Kebabs*. \"A huge kebab made with 1,500 chickens was cooked at this
tourist resort \[in Limassol, Cyprus\] Sunday \[June 10, 2001\] in a bid
to make the *Guinness Book of Records*\" (Anonymous 2001:A3).\
\
***[Media](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/media.htm){target="_top"}***.
According to *Scientific American* magazine, in 1999 the per capita U.S.
consumption of beef was 64.7 pounds (chicken = 49.2, pork = 48.8;
Anonymous 2000D).

*Prehistory I*. Two m.y.a. our first human ancestor, *Homo habilis*,
wandered east Africa\'s arid savannah grasslands in search of ripe
fruit, nuts, tubers, and berries\--and *small game*, *bird eggs*,
*insects*, and *edible grubs*. It is likely that *Homo\'s* original
\"hunting instinct\" involved the *corticomedial division* of the
**[amygdala](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/amygdala.htm){target="_top"}**,
which plays a role in mammalian hunting psychology today (Carlson
1986:486).

*Prehistory II*. On the savannah, meat made up 20-to-30 percent of the
early human diet, as it did that of historical hunter-gatherers such as
the !Kung San Bushmen of Botswana.\
\
*Prehistory III*. So appealing is the taste of cooked meat that \". . .
after early humans migrated into Australia and the Americas, the
heavyweight animals of these new continents were driven to extinction
within a few thousand years\" (Anonymous 2001F:A1), according to reports
in *Science* (June 2001). Mammoths, camels, mastodons, and the
glyptodont, as well as giant sloths, snakes, lizards, birds and
marsupials, were hunted, cooked, and eaten to extinction, according to
the now more widely accepted \"blitzkrieg model\" of anthropologists.\
\
***RESEARCH REPORT***: A craving known as *meat hunger* is a
\"widespread phenomenon among peoples living at a subsistence level
\[i.e., who are not vegetarians by choice\]\" (Simoons 1994:6).
(***N.B.***: In the U.S., despite well-stocked produce displays,
shoppers spend the largest portion of their supermarket dollar on
*beef*, *chicken*, *fish*, and *pork*.)\
\
*Neuro-notes*. **1.** We crave meaty taste because the **[amphibian
brain\'s](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/amphibia.htm){target="_top"}**
hunger for flesh is older than the **[primate
brain\'s](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/primate.htm){target="_top"}**
\"acquired taste\" for fruits and nuts. **2.** As it influenced the
pursuit, handling, and killing of game, the amygdala also stimulated the
release of digestive juices in preparation for eating the kill. Thus,
today, hidden *aggressiveness* in the meat-eater\'s code makes a
sizzling steak more exciting than a bowl of fruit. This explains, in
part, why (when possible and affordable) meals throughout the world are
planned around a meat dish.

See also
**[GLUTAMATE](glutamat.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/glutamat.htm"
target="_top"}**, **[HERBS &
SPICES](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/herb.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[SHELLFISH
TASTE](shellfis.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/shellfis.htm"
target="_top"}**.

Copyright **©** 1998 - 2001 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"})


MEN'S SHOES

**[MEN\'S SHOES]{#MEN'S SHOES}**\
\
![Neutral Shoes](mens.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/objects/mens.jpg" height="35%"
width="25%"}

*Three out of four women said their fellow has an old pair of shoes he
should throw out, but won\'t*. \--A Johnson & Murphy footwear poll of
U.S. women aged 25 to 44 (Bonino 1994:B1)\
\
Everyone *has a shoe fetish*. \--Sonja Bata, founder of the Bata Shoe
Museum in Toronto (Trueheart 1995:C10)\
\
***[Clothing
cue](adorn.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/adorn.htm"
target="_top"}***. A masculine style of
**[footwear](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/footwear.htm){target="_top"}**
marked with **[messaging
features](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/messafea.htm){target="_top"}**
designed to contrast with those of **[women\'s
shoes](womens.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/womens.htm"
target="_top"}** (see **[CONSUMER
PRODUCT](consprod.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/consprod.htm"
target="_top"}**).

*Usage*: In expressive style, men\'s leather shoes are **a.**
**[dominant](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/dominate.htm){target="_top"}**,
**b.**
**[submissive](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/submit.htm){target="_top"}**,
or **c.** *neutral*.

*Stomping I*. Dominant shoes are typified **a.** by thick, crepe-soled
\"beetle crushers\" worn by English Teddy boys of the 1950s; **b.** by
middle-class Desert Boots® of the 1950s and 1960s; **c.** by urbane
Timberland® boots of the 1970s; and **d.** by aggressive Doc Marten®
boots worn by alienated young men and women of the 1990s. Dominant
styles are *robust*\--wide, thick, and heavy\--to accent the size of the
foot and its ability to stomp (see
**[GOOSE-STEP](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/goose.htm){target="_top"}**).

*Stomping II*. The oldest stomping shoes are *sandals* from ancient
Egypt with pictures of enemies painted on the soles. More recently, by
popularizing thick, buckled motorcycle boots in the
**[media](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/media.htm){target="_top"}**,
Marlon Brando (*The Wild One*, 1954) and Peter Fonda (*Easy Rider*,
1969) furthered the role of footwear as a fashion statement (i.e., with
which to figuratively \"stomp\" the powers-that-be).

*Mincing*. Men\'s submissive shoes are narrow, with lightweight uppers,
thin soles, and tapering toes. Styles include **a.** pointed
\"winkle-pickers\" worn by British Mods of the 1950s; **b.**
pointed-toed Beatle boots of the 1960s; and **c.** Gucci® loafers, the
late-20th century\'s premier power slipper. Submissive styles are
*gracile* to suggest vulnerability, and to downplay the foot\'s size and
bluntness. Moreover, they stand wearers precariously on their metatarsal
bones in a tip-toed position. Unstable, high-heeled styles (e.g., the
Beatle boot) make it harder for wearers to stomp.

*Hushing*. The third prototype in men\'s footwear is the neutral shoe,
which is neither dominant nor submissive, but fashionably bland and
introverted. It is neither wide nor narrow, neither pointed nor blunt;
the sole is neither thick nor thin, nor is the shoe obviously masculine
or feminine. The neutral shoe is personified by dark-gray,
brushed-pigskin Hush Puppies® (1950s-to-1990s \[see below, *Media*\]),
and by Ivy League saddle shoes and penny loafers (1950s-to-1990s), worn
by men and women alike.\
\
***[Media](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/media.htm){target="_top"}***.
\"When those
techni[**color**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/color.htm){target="_top"}
\[e.g., bubble gum pink, lemon yellow\] Hush Puppies appeared on the New
York runway, fashion wags went berserk. The shoes began appearing in GQ
magazine. Stylists snapped them up to dress musicians for videos. They
were used to accessorize pricey clothes with puffed-up designer labels.
Forrest Gump wore them. Fashion insiders began publicly proclaiming
their love for Hush Puppies\" (Givhan 1995:C2).

*Observation*. Neutral shoes are a successful family of footwear,
specialized neither for stomping, mincing, or showing attitude\--but for
comfort. The casual, low-profile, laid-back style makes neutral shoes
unsuitable for fast-track careers, but convenient for projecting a
non-rebellious, non-dominant, anti-corporate mood on campus or in the
workplace.\
\
See also
**[BOOT](boot1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/boot1.htm"
target="_top"}** .

Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"})


MINT

**MINT**

***[Aroma
cue](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/aromacue.htm){target="_top"}***.
Any of several plants of the aromatic genus, *Mentha*, used in diverse
consumer products (e.g., cakes, candies, cookies, and toothpaste).

*Usage*: Peppermint is used to flavor sweets, candies, and various
liquor drinks. Spearmint is often used in cooking. The distinct flavor
of mint does not blend well with other herbs. Mint adds a refreshing
taste to fruits, and to certain cooked meats such as lamb.

*Evolution*. Many plant-odor signals (e.g., pyrazines) evolved as
nontoxic warning signs (McGee 1990:311). Ever popular *true mints*,
including *sage*, *rosemary*, *marjoram*, *oregano*, and *thyme*,
evolved strong odors of *camphor*, *eucalyptol*, and *limonene* (see
**[COCA-COLA](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/cocacola.htm){target="_top"}**)
to keep insects at bay.

*Anatomy*. Menthol (a crystalline alcohol obtained from peppermint oil)
tricks heat-sensing organs (thermoreceptors) of the tongue and skin into
sending messages to the brain that the sensation tastes and feels
\"cool\" (Feldman 1991:192).\
\
*Consumer product*. Crest®, a toothpaste by Procter & Gamble, was
introduced in 1955. The flavor of Regular Crest is primarily
wintergreen, while Mint Crest is primarily spearmint. According to web
documents published by Procter & Gamble, \"Good flavor is important in
toothpaste since people will not brush regularly and carefully unless
they like the taste.\" (***N.B.***: Crest is advertised on network TV
and in family magazines. \"Our TV schedule is split between daytime and
nighttime programs. Daytime programs enable us to reach a sizeable
audience of homemakers, while nighttime shows provide broad exposure to
an \'all family\' audience.\" See
**[MEDIA](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/media.htm){target="_top"}**.)

Copyright **©** 1998 - 2001 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)


MOTION ENERGY MAP

**[MOTION ENERGY MAP]{#MOTION ENERGY MAP}**

*![Happy Cheeks Smile](motion.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/objects/motion.jpg"
height="40%" width="25%"}\
\
Observation tool*. **1.** A computerized rendering of facial energy
patterns used to read
**[emotions](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotion.htm){target="_top"}**,
feelings, and moods. **2.** A digitalized camera image with which to
display the facial-muscle contractions of specific emotions (e.g., of
**[sadness](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/sadness.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[anger](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/anger.htm){target="_top"}**,
and
**[fear](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/fear.htm){target="_top"}**).

*Usage*: Motion energy maps show which areas of the face move to express
given emotions. They may someday enable computers to recognize and
respond to **[emotion
cues](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotionq.htm){target="_top"}**
of the face.

***RESEARCH REPORTS***: **1.** \"In pilot tests with people making
deliberate expressions of emotions, the computer read the emotions with
up to 98 percent accuracy\" (Goleman 1997:C1). **2.** \"What we\'ve done
so far,\" said Georgia Tech computer scientist Irfan Essa, \"is just the
very first step in building a machine that can read emotions\" (Goleman
1997:C9). **3.** \"Dr \[Roz\] Picard and her associates at M.I.T.\'s
Media Lab are developing prototypes of . . . \[emotionally\] sensitive
machines that are not just portable, but wearable. \'A computer that
monitors your emotions might be worn on your shoulders, waist, in your
shoes, anywhere,\' Dr. Picard said\" (Goleman 1997:C9).

See also
**[FACE](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/face.htm){target="_top"}**.

Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"})


MUSIC

**MUSIC**

*[![Arboreal Musicians](music.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/music.jpg" height="50%"
width="25%"}](tree1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/tree1.htm"
target="_top"}\
\
Music hath charms to soothe a savage beast,\
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak*. \--Congreve (*The Mourning
Bride, I, 1*)\
\
*\
Auditory signals*. A usually pleasing, sequential arrangement of vocal
or instrumental sounds.

*Usage*: Music produces a highly evocative,
[**emotional**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotion.htm){target="_top"}
message through harmony, melody, rhythm, and timbre.

*Amusia*. \"Cases of amusia, i.e., loss of ability to produce or
comprehend music\--an abnormality as regards music analogous to aphasia
as regards the faculty of
[**speech**](speech1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/speech1.htm"
target="_top"}\--conclusively demonstrate that the musical faculties do
not depend on the speech faculty \[i.e., one may suffer from amusia
without aphasia, and vice versa, though some may suffer from both\]\"
(Reiling 1999:218).

*Anthropology*. So diverse are the world\'s musical \"languages\" that
some sociocultural anthropologists specialize entirely in
*ethnomusicology*.

*Head bangers*. **1.** In a study of early-childhood head bangers,
mothers described their children as \". . . prone to rhythmic activity
in response to musical stimuli\" (De Lissovoy 1962:56; see
[**SELF-TOUCH**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/selftouc.htm){target="_top"},
*Neuro-notes*). **2.** \". . . all of the \[33\] subjects had a history
of other rhythmic activities, such as head or body rolling, prior to the
head banging\" (De Lissovoy 1962:56). **3.** Girls head banged 19-to-52,
while boys head banged 26-to-121, times per minute (De Lissovoy 1962).\
\
*Lullaby*. \"A Chinese lullaby is just as soothing to a child as a
German song or any other. When listening to lullabyes, breathing becomes
shallow and regular like that of a sleeping person. The characteristics
of this form of breathing are also in the structure of the lullaby\"
(Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1970:439).\
\
*Prehistory*. \"During the last two decades many
investigators\--Kussmaul, Stumpf, Preyer, Oppenheim, Knoblouch, Charcot,
etc.\--have conclusively demonstrated that the musical faculty is older
than that of speech; that music is a primary and simple phenomenon,
while speech is secondary and complex\" (Reiling 1999:218).\
\
*Symphony*. \"The highs and lows of emotional experiences are touched in
an ever-changing pattern that cannot be experienced in everyday life\"
(Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1970:440).\
\

------------------------------------------------------------------------

***FIELD NOTES***: To study the special role music plays in human
[**courtship**](court1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/court1.htm"
target="_top"}, CNS conducted field observations at a large outdoor rock
concert--*Endfest 2000*--held on Saturday, August 5, 2000, on the Kitsap
Peninsula, west of Seattle, Washington, USA.

The question: \"*Why is the sound of music so important in human
courting rituals?*\"\
\
*Ethnographic background*. Thousands of Endfesters arrived, who were
17-to-30 years old, mostly unmarried, urban, white, heterosexual fans of
alternative rock music. Showing up in groups of 2, 3, and 4\--all-male,
all-female, or mixed female-and-male\--they were visibly excited and
definitely ready to rock.\
\
***[Adornment](adorn.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/adorn.htm"
target="_top"}***. Endfesters dressed to show off their essential male
or female gender cues, and to display individuality, personality, and
allegiance to the alternative lifestyle. Fans wore identity-proclaiming
belts,
[**boots**](boot1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/boot1.htm"
target="_top"}, bracelets, caps and hats, cut-through
[**jeans**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/bluejean.htm){target="_top"},
dark glasses, earrings, necklaces, foot-revealing sandals, conspicuously
displayed underwear, idiosyncratic watches, and screaming tatoos. Band
members dressed mostly in black (see [**COLOR
CUE**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/color.htm){target="_top"},
**BLACK**).\
\
*Hair*. Endfesters went to great lengths to display head hair (see
[**HAIR
CUE**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/haircue.htm){target="_top"}).
The most outstanding display was that of a young man\'s very
well-groomed, magenta topknot, projecting stiffly above his
close-cropped hair\'s jet-black sidewalls. Clearly visible from a
distance of over 100 yards, his nonverbal message was aposematic, like
the coloration of a stinging insect: \"Danger, danger, danger!\" (see
[**HAT**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/hat.htm){target="_top"},
*Cap III*).\
\
***[Media](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/media.htm){target="_top"}***.
In poster photographs published in the August 5, 2000 Bremerton *Sun*
newspaper, unsmiling,
[**blank-faced**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/blank.htm){target="_top"}
band members of Third Eye Blind [**lean
away**](bendawa1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/bendawa1.htm"
target="_top"} to the side to show a defiant attitude. Unsmiling,
blank-faced members of 3 Doors Down stare menacingly straight ahead (see
[**EYE
CONTACT**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/eyecon.htm){target="_top"},
*Usage*). Unsmiling, blank-faced members of Papa Roach pose with their
heads [**tilted
sideward**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/headside.htm){target="_top"}
in a posture popularized by the method actor, James Dean (see
[**SHOULDER-SHRUG**](shoshrug.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/shoshrug.htm"
target="_top"}, *Media*).\
\
*Motion I*. Because both our auditory and vestibular senses involve
sensors housed within the ears, music powerfully suggests movement. The
phrase \"rock and roll,\" e.g., is a vestibular metaphor for the sound
of music. The loud rock music at Endfest joined listeners as psychic
\"fellow travelers,\" and thus enhanced the
[**rapport**](http://members.aol.com/doder1/rapport1.htm){target="_top"}
of strangers in the crowd.\
\
*Motion II*. Set to music, Endfester body movements took on a more
palpable, emotional appeal. Submerged in the loud electronic beat, group
[**isopraxism**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/isoprax.htm){target="_top"}
bourgeoned and enhanced as well.\
\
*Emotion I*. Not only were the rock-music lyrics spoken in heightened
emotional voice tones, but the guitar and organ sounds, which mimic the
sound-range of the human voice itself, also \"spoke\" to the crowd\'s
feelings and moods.\
\
*Emotion II*. Singers used aggressive, angry voice tones to scream and
shout\--in order to target negative emotion centers of the brain\'s
[**amygdala**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/amygdala.htm){target="_top"}.
Threatening sounds, venomous shrieks, and harmful, biting words put into
the summer air, very amplified, from tensed throats, touched off
feelings of group belonging and \"togetherness\" via the biological
principle of *aggression-out*. Just as monkeys mob outsiders, by sharing
dislike for and distrust of mainstream (i.e., non-alternative) values,
Endfesters became a close-knit group in which courtship could take
place.\
\
*Speech*. Amplified (16 coaxial cables fed into the main stage), the
words of the rock musicians fully engaged listeners\' brains. Addressed
to the crowd through eye contact, listeners felt emotionally and
personally connected\--not only to the singers but to each other as
well.\
\
*Sound*. In mating rituals throughout the world, auditory cues play a
tactile role as they pave the way for physical touching itself (see
[**AUDITORY
CUE**](auditor1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/auditor1.htm"
target="_top"}, *Courtship*).\
\
***[Touch](touch1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/touch1.htm"
target="_top"}***. In the crowds surrounding Stage A, men formed ad hoc
combat circles and pushed each other to and fro, with their hands held
in aggressively pronated (i.e.,
[**palm-down**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/palmdown.htm){target="_top"})
positions, as Harvey Danger played its hit song, \"Flagpole Sitta.\"
Surrounded by women, the pushing and shoving was not unlike the ritual
clash of elk antlers in the season of the rut.\

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Neuro-notes I*. Research on amusia suggests \". . . that there is only
one musical center in the cerebrum, and that it is situated in the
anterior two-thirds of the first temporal convolution and in the
anterior half of the second temporal convolution of the left lobe, i.e.,
in front of the \[speech-comprehension\] center of Wernicke\" (Reiling
1999:218).

*Neuro-notes II*. \"Larionoff has made numerous ingenious experiments on
dogs, with a view of defining the localization of the auditory centers,
and has come to the following conclusions: There are several sensory
musical centers situated in the posterior halves of the hemispheres, and
several motor centers situated in the anterior halves of the hemispheres
of the cerebrum. Of the sensory, two tone centers are situated in the
temporal lobes, and one optic center, for the reading of notes, situated
alongside of the center for ordinary reading, in the gyrus angularis.
The motor center of notewriting probably develops alongside of the
center for ordinary writing, in the second frontal convolution. The
singing center is situated a little behind the motor center of speech of
Broca, in the third frontal convolution, and is otherwise known as the
center of Krause. The motor center presiding over the functions of
performing on various instruments develops on exercising, in the
anterior part of the central convolution alongside of the motor center
of note writing. The center for playing wind instruments is developed in
the region governing the movements of the lips, a little above the
center of Krause . . .\" (Reiling 1999:218).\
\
*Neuro-notes III*. PET studies of listening to familiar melodies show
involvement of the right superior temporal cortex, the right inferior
temporal cortex, and the supplementary motor area (Halpern and Zatorre
1999). Retrieval of a familiar melody activates the right frontal area
and right superior temporal gyrus (Halpern and Zatorre 1999). No
significant activity was observed in the left temporal lobe (Halpern and
Zatorre 1999). \"It is concluded that areas of right auditory
association cortex, together with right and left frontal cortices, are
implicated in imagery for familiar melodies\" (Halpern and Zatorre
1999). \"Retrieval from musical semantic memory is mediated by
structures in the right frontal lobe\" (Halpern and Zatorre 1999).

See also
[**DANCE**](dance1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/dance1.htm"
target="_top"}, **[TONE OF
VOICE](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/tone.htm){target="_top"}**.

Copyright **©** 1998 - 2001 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"},
and *Journal of the American Medical Association*)\
Photo of The Youngbloods in a tree in Marin County, California, by Linda
McCartney (copyright 1992 by MPL Communications Limited; McCartney:
\"There were huge fungi growing around, and I remember we were breaking
pieces off and carving
[**faces**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/face.htm){target="_top"}
in them.\")


NEO-SAVANNAH GRASSLAND

**LAWN DISPLAY**

![lendh-, \"open land\"](lawn.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/lawn.jpg" height="35%"
width="30%"}\
\
*The poetry of earth is ceasing never*. \--Keats, *On the Grasshopper
and Cricket*\
\
*Damn, I poured my whole life into this lawn, my heart, my soul, the
tender feelings I\'ve held back from my family . . . . Look, some people
hoist a flag to show they love their country. Well, my lawn is my flag*.
\--Hank Hill, *King of the Hill* (quoted in The *Spokesman-Review*, May
28, 2000, F1)\
\
\
***[Spatial
cue](proxemi1.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/proxemi1.htm"
target="_top"}***. A plot of carefully groomed grass, and any of several
decorative artifacts (e.g., white pickets or plastic pink flamingos)
placed upon its surface.

*Usage*: Lawns mark territory and betoken status. Each year, Americans
buy an estimated 500,000 plastic pink flamingo ornaments to mark their
yard space\--and to provide tangible evidence that, \"This land is
mine.\"

*Evolution*. Two m.y.a. the first humans lived in eastern Africa on hot,
flat, open countryside with scattered trees and bushes and little shade,
known as *savannah grasslands*. (***N.B.***: At this time, the human
brain was expanding faster than any brain ever had in animal history,
and in the growing process seemingly locked in a fondness for level
grassland spaces.)

*Verbal prehistory*. The word *lawn* itself may be traced to the ancient
Indo-European root, lendh**-**, \"open land.\"

*Today I*. To make earth more to our liking, we flatten and smooth its
surface to resemble the original rolling plains our ancestors walked
upon during the critical Pleistocene epoch two m.y.a. *Neo-Savannah
Grassland*\--with its scattered bushes, trees, and lawns\--is the
dominant theme of housing tracts, campuses, cemeteries, entertainment
parks, and shopping malls in almost every city today.\
\
*Today II*. So important are lawns as [**consumer
products**](consprod.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/consprod.htm"
target="_top"} that, at the University of Florida, a \$700,000 campus
laboratory\--known as the
[**TurfGrass**](http://www.turfgrass.org/){target="_top"}
Envirotron\--was fabricated so horticulturalists could watch grass
grow.\
\
*Today III*. \"Despite the view in some circles that lawns are a symbol
of suburban conformity and repressed individualism, Americans
traditionally have equated a green space around the home with freedom
and power, said Washington State University horticulturalist Ken
Struckmeyer\" (Turner 2000:F8).\
\
*Flatland, China*. In 1999, Chinese leaders planted a few hundred square
yards of grass from seed (shipped from USA\'s Inland Northwest) on
Tiananmen Square. \"Across China, cities are planting thousands of acres
of lawns, parks and golf courses \[\'to reverse decades of environmental
ruin and make drab cities more livable\'\] . . .\" (McDonald 1999).
(***N.B.***: On Tiananmen square, knee-high metal signs warn visitors:
\"Please don\'t enter the grass.\")\
\
*Flatland, USA*. Taking the U.S. as a whole, 40 square feet of perfectly
level shopping-center space has been constructed for every child born
since 1986. Due to our prehistory on grasslands, we prefer to conduct
our lives on plane-paved surfaces. In Los Angeles, \". . . 70 percent of
the land area is devoted to the use of cars . . .\" (Mathews 1974). Some
100,000 acres of land are now occupied, e.g., by vast, table-terraced
superstores. (***N.B.***: Inside air temperatures average 72 degrees F.,
the warmth of the primeval savannah.) And spreading in front of houses
and apartment buildings are closely cropped *micro-savannahs*, occupying
an estimated 7.7 million acres of level, home-lawn plots.\
\
*Interior design*. \"Grass
**[green](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/color.htm){target="_top"}**
\[in the home environment\] is not particularly popular in rural areas,
where presumably people see a lot of it. But for those from inner city
areas, green ranks high on their list of favorites\" (Vargas 1986:142).\
\
***[Media](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/media.htm){target="_top"}***.
\"Like the interstate highway system, fast food chains, telephones,
televisions, and malls, the lawn occupies a central, and often
unconsidered, place in America\'s cultural landscape.\" \--Georges
Teyssot (\"The American Lawn,\" quoted in *Spokesman-Review*, May 28,
2000:F1)

*Neuro-notes*. Like the cylindrical, filamentous projections covering
our scalp, we respond to grass blades as we do to our own hair. The
compulsion to feed, clip, and groom our yard space is prompted by the
same preadapted modules of the **[mammalian
brain](mammal.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/mammal.htm"
target="_top"}** which motivate personal grooming and **[hair
care](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/haircue.htm){target="_top"}**
(see **[CINGULATE
GYRUS](cingulat.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/cingulat.htm"
target="_top"}**). Like thick, healthy locks, well-groomed lawns bespeak
health, vigor, and high status.\
\
See also
[**GOLF**](golf.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal3/golf.htm"
target="_top"}.

Copyright **©** 1998 - 2001 (David B. Givens/**[Center for Nonverbal
Studies](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"}**)


NEW CAR SMELL

**[NEW CAR SMELL]{#NEW CAR SMELL}\
\
![Touch and Scent in Tandem](newcar.jpg){border="0"
tppabs="http://members.aol.com/doder1/objects/newcar.jpg" height="35%"
width="40%"}**

*In their language they do not say \'Give me a kiss\' but they say
\'Smell me\'*. \--Rother\'s 1890 description of the Khyoungtha hill
people of India (Stoddart 1990:10)

***[Aroma
cue](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/aromacue.htm){target="_top"}***.
A scented **[consumer
product](consprod.htm){tppabs="http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/consprod.htm"
target="_top"}** designed to mimic the leather, rubber, plastic, and
**[vinyl](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/vinyl.htm){target="_top"}**
aromas of a show-room-new motor vehicle interior.

*Usage*: We find the synthetic odor of new car smell
**[pleasant](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/emotion.htm){target="_top"}**
because it contains chemical analogs of natural plant resins, animal
esters, and sexual steroids.

*Evolution*. New car smell, which may be sprayed from aerosol cans, was
developed by [International Flavors and
Fragrances](http://www.iff.com/){target="_top"} of New York, which
supplies odor cues for Downey Fabric Softener® and Colgate\'s Irish
Spring® soap.

See also **[APOCRINE
ODOR](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/apocrine.htm){target="_top"}**,
**[ARPEGE](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/arpege.htm){target="_top"}**®,
**[BIG
MAC](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/bigmac.htm){target="_top"}**®.

Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/[**Center for Nonverbal
Studies**](http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/index.htm){target="_top"})