Our face is a mirror of our emotions. Though there are cultural differences in the use of various non-verbal cues, facial expression of basic emotions i.e. surprise, fear, anger, disgust, happiness and sadness remains universally same. Facial expressions are dynamic. Although it is impossible to indulge in any conversation with blank face, facial expressions are not always a reliable indicator of true emotions. People learn to hide their emotions when they are socially unacceptable or inappropriate. The more skilled the person in doing so the more difficult it becomes to judge his real feelings from his face. However, if you watch carefully "micro expressions" help in judging true feelings. These are very short; fleeting expressions, which reveal true feelings but are immediately, replaced by more suitable expressions.
For example take this situation, you receive a gift which you do not like much. Since you do not want to hurt the giver's feelings you pretend that you liked it. But this response comes slightly later than your spontaneous response.
Interpersonal distance: Anthropologist Edward Hall was the first to point out and study the role of interpersonal distance in communication.
According to Hall we have three type of zones;
1) Personal distance zone: It extends from 1 ½ to 4 feet. It is the distance that we maintain with friends or acquaintances.
2) Social distance zone: It is used for business or casual social interaction. It ranges from 4 to 12 feet.
3) Public distance: It ranges from 12 to 25 feet. These are very formal, public gatherings.
The physical distance that you maintain while being with others indicate various aspects like the intensity of relations, familiarity, status etc. This distance is also affected by cultural norms to the great extent.
Consider this situation: You are travelling in a bus. A stranger gets in at the next stop and though there are many vacant seats he/ she sits right next to you. You certainly do not approve it. You feel as if someone has intruded your personal space. But on the other hand when the bus is crowded your personal space becomes narrow and you do not mind if someone touches you accidentally.
Every person has his or her comfort zone. Some people are happy with less personal space while some need more. Generally we tend to stand or sit closer to people who are familiar, people whom we like and people of same status. The interpersonal distance between opposite sex strangers is more than the same sex strangers. We tend to reduce our personal space while in love or in aggression.
