Tawnia Page 02/25/2017 FHS 2400 Marriage and Family U4E2: Nonverbal Communication

Question:

Reread the sections on proximity, eye contact and touch in our textbook. Visit locations were
groups of singles congregate (dances, church, the school cafeteria, etc.) and watch the non-verbal
behaviors of the singles. If married folks are in the room, it might be interesting to compare their
nonverbal behaviors to those of the single people. What types of nonverbal behaviors do you
observe? Are there any differences in the nonverbal behaviors of the males and the females?
Are there singles from different cultures in the room? Do the males and females from those
cultures have any unique nonverbal behaviors? This does not have to be done in one sitting and
may involve several locations.

Answer: Word Count: 522

During my day at work, I began to be more aware of my surroundings. Paying more

attention to those around me. I attend a weekly staff meeting and over the last month I watched

how individuals selected seats and who they sat next to and how they communicated with the

group and how certain individuals would break of topic and carry on their own conversation.

The non-verbal expressions that I found most interesting was watching the proximity of certain

people. Girls seems to sit closer to each other, especially the ones that wanted to have their own

meeting. But more so interesting with these same girls that I found interesting was the way they

used their eye contact. It was almost like they were having their own conversation (or more like

gossip) about others in the room. The men seemed to sit with enough space between them to

have enough room to reach out and touch but not rub.

The next place I observed was in the break room during lunches. This got very interesting, as

there are a few more diverse individuals. There are several couple that are in courtship or flirting

and a few that are married. The interesting non-verbal communication was how the proximity
said the most. When a girl was flirting, I noticed she would touch her hair and then the guy

whose attention she was after. The guy reached out and touched her leg and sat closer. There

were two married couples that I paid closer attention too. Both in there mid to late 40s had

brought their own lunches. She served him and then herself. They sat across from one another

and didnt talk too much. They had short conversations through their meals. When finished she

cleaned up and followed him out the door. The other couple were a bit younger, I would say,

early twenties. Oh my, she practically sat on his lap, touching him and gazed into his eyes

almost to say lets get out of here! His body language was proud and very involved into what

she was expressing. They were approached by some friends who sat between them. The

separation seemed too much for them, as they reached across the table to hold hands. He gently

rubbed to top of her hand with his thumb.

After observing the different non-verbal communications in the two different settings, I

noticed the difference between the males and females. Guys seem to like to keep a comfortable

distance whereas the females were much more comfortable sitting closer to each other. I also

observed that age seems to have a big impact on the willingness to show non-verbal touch more

freely. As stated in the text, touching is a universal part of social interaction (Strong & Cohen,

2014 p. 235). I would have to agree as I observed the way these individuals used touch as a way

to communicate especially with the older couple and the even more so, with the younger.

References

Strong. B., & Cohen, T.F. (2014). The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationships

in a changing Society (12th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.