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Timothy Clary / AFP/ Getty Images
U.S. swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale (L), shown with Michael Phelps, demonstrates the universal and time honored signal for victory at the Beijing Olympic Games on August 11, 2008.
Flat screens, phones and laptops soon will blaze with a body-language blitz: sweaty palms clasping mouths in disbelief, muscled arms folded in disagreement and – the sweetest Olympic pose – two fists hoisted aloft in displays of golden bliss.
“That position – the arms raised high – evokes triumph and it’s very ancient,” says Margaret J. King, director of the Center for Cultural Studies & Analysis in Philadelphia.
That traditional victory stance, rooted in the older, limbic portion of our brains where base emotions are fueled, may have been flashed when the earliest humans celebrated their first conquests, King suggests. Simply put, it pretty much predates Rocky, "The Breakfast Club" and Notre Dame's "Touchdown Jesus."
“I’m a cultural analyst but I use anthropology and I would bet that comes from a good hunt, from having successfully hunted and killed prey,” King said. “The Plains Indians’ dances used this as well, where the arms were over the heads, and that’s really, really important for group morale: ‘We won!’ ”
Scholars speculate that Neanderthals some 30,000 years ago had neck structures that gave them the ability to produce sounds similar to modern humans. If that’s so, why is body language still such a rich and vital part of our communication? Why didn’t evolution long ago wean away our need to silently reveal our inner feelings through postures and gestures?
“We still use body language because that’s the way our brains worked (eons) years ago when we first became human,” King said. “That brain is still ticking away; all research based on evolutionary psychology demonstrates that we are living in the 21st century with that same ancestral brain. This is what is called hard wiring. We still have the same bodily workshop. We just do different stuff in that workshop.”
“Body language is not an either-or situation,” adds Dennis Kravetz, a Scottsdale-Ariz.-based psychologist who specializes in male-female communication and body language. “If speech is more sophisticated than body language, then why haven’t chimps, dogs, and other animals developed speech as part of their evolutionary history? Rather, body language enhances communication.”
Evolution may have stripped away many outmoded human parts and proclivities that we no longer need but body language remains an essential tool in our modern communication kit, both Kravetz and King contend.
“We send out signals because that's the way it has worked for millennia: anything human beings have been doing for that long is not likely to change anytime soon,” King said. “It’s the language of sociability: You can tell if someone likes you. Can we work together? Can I trust you?
“We’re looking at body signals all the time to tell, first of all, if people are safe or unsafe. That’s one of the first things we look for in business is trust - is this a safe person to deal with?”
Likewise, if someone is marrying into a family, that person’s initial body language is carefully scanned by the family, she added, as they “look for the signals that say this is a consistent person, or that his words and language are not matching his body language, meaning he is not a person you can trust.”
Fair enough, but according to Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, certain traits are passed from generation to generation that allow human offspring to be better suited to survive this world. How does unintentionally broadcasting your anger, sadness or frustration through “negative body language” help you – or your great-great grandchildren – endure? Why hasn’t evolution sapped those awkward poses (hands on hips, crossed arms) from our nonverbal playbook?
While those signals subliminally convey bad feelings, they also alert others around us – hopefully friends or colleagues – that the person fidgeting, fumbling or looking forlorn may be in some emotional trouble. These unintended expressions are, in a sense, silent 911 calls.
“Communicating anxiety or sadness is not bad at all,” said Kravetz, author of "Relating Effectively.” "These are just as important … as feeling happy, excited and other positive states of mind. Body language helps us more fully communicate with another humans irrespective of what we are (saying).”
And in the workplace, if such “negative” body language is expressed among close company allies, “the sense of the group is: this guy is frustrated; something is off base here,” King said. “It’s a signal that the group needs to address this issue together – that we need to do something
“We have to work in teams. Human life is highly social and highly territorial. It explains a lot of our behavior,” she added. But like our ancient ancestors, "body language helps us relate to other people.”
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If it's barely a sport, it's in the Olympics!
Congrats to these guys, but as far as body language, add lots of hair and make them less upright. Looks just like a chimp display!
transplantwest you nailed it. However much our cortex likes to think we are oh, so 'civilized', our brainstem (and hence our behavior) still lives in the jungle. I've been looking for an image I have seen of two groups of chimps standing up straight and challenging each other across a narrow river but can't find it right now. It flashed into my mind immediately I saw this image. As you said, all they need is a little more hair and slightly more prominent canines. What difference "Planet of the Apes" except for toxic pollution?
Ah the thrill of victory...My fear would be if the one finger salute ingrained in the current generation becomes the norm for the agony of defeat. That might be an issue. Hard wire this??? ...Cue jungle sounds.
What a bunch of BS. The only reason we do anything is because someone else is doing it or did it.
Hey MSNBC. Between this and the 2 years of extra life for not sitting it's pretty obvious either it's a slow news day or you've got way too many people working for you. Get rid of some of them and save some money.
Either that or create a section called: "Apropos of Nothing" and put this in it and all other crap like it.
Alright, just for laughs, How many people had to look up apropos in the dictionary
Hmm, I expected something like: we extend our arms above our heads to look bigger or that with extra stimulation, the excitatory neurons in the brains caused the arms to extend or something like that. This explanation was very weak.
Any proof that the raised arms did not come from making the loser smell your stinky armpits?
I usually pull my pants down in victory (and defeat) and in line at Dunkin Donuts. Usually everyone is pretty congenial about the whole thing and don't seem to notice.
And in the workplace, if such “negative” body language is expressed among NOT close colleagues, it can result in a pretty unpleasant work setting, possibly leading to you losing your job. Daxxed if you say it, daxxed if you don't and aren't good at hiding it (you have an "attitude problem").
I believe the practice should be stopped by the U. S.
I can envision it being offensive to some people.
So move to France.
We do it because, "We are Spartacus!"
I didn't notice this with my children, however I have noticed this in my 2 and 4 year grandchildren,,,,arms raised in victory, joy and elation,,,,I just love those little chimps!!!!!
There's a difference. When a person is elated and joyful, s/he does raise the arms, but they're usually straight, and the hands are open with fingers stretched out, with the palms facing forward or outward.
In this aggressive victory display, the arms are slightly bent, the hands are clenched into fists facing inward, and the mouth is stretched as wide as possible, with the lips drawn back to show the teeth.
This seems gender-related to me, mostly used by males, though I've seen some female athletes do it too. There was another photo of Michael Phelps some months ago doing that display in which he didn't even look human, but more like a caricature of a werewolf or something. You also often see photos of victorious soccer players running with their mouths stretched open in an aggressive display like this, all their muscles tense, and the tendons and veins in their necks standing out.
and your point? lol Men are really werewolves waiting to eat you? Yes, even my 8 yo son has done this after a tennis match and we actually don't watch any pro sports or anything that is not PG rated at our house so he has never seen it before and is hardly an aggressive kid. This is really kind of a silly article
i'd like to express some body langauge to my boss in the form of flippin' the bird
Ooooh, the Jersey state bird.
I think "Rural" has it right. The posture is a threat meant to demonstrate to a potential adversary "I'm big and bad, don't mess with me." The winner of an athletic event is the person who demonstrates he's bigger and badder (or faster or stronger) than the competition, so the posture is transferred by the victor to the end of the conflict/competition when he acknowledges the outcome, "Yes, I am the biggest and baddest, and I've proven it." The winner has acquired a "right" to the posture, and can be fairly confident he will not be challenged for displaying it.
Body language is what we (as well as all animals) "do."
We're not all "certified" academics trying to say what we have to -- to trick the government funding agencies for infinitely more funding to study this subject further.
That picture at the top looks like they are either trying to attract women or catch flys. Just saying.
When you stand like that you are vulnerable, you expose your ribs, your vital organs, etc.. It's a way of saying I have vanquished my enemy, and no longer have anything to fear. The struggle is over, I have won.
I don't know but the pic above is kind of hilarious to look at!
It simply says that 'victory is sweet'!!! These kids work hard to make it to the Olympics. Why shouldn't they show their excitement when they win? You all need to get lives and stop being so critical.
I think it's a little simpler than a Plains' Indian victory dance - which be as much or more a cultural activity than an evolutionary display.
Like any ape (or for that matter cat on the street) this display just shows an opponent who is attempting to look as large and intimidating as possible. The flexed muscles are again meant to show strength and intimidation. [The arms are just bent slightly to achieve the flexed muscles.] The fists are clenched (for humans at least) to show how ready the individual is to fight. The teeth are bared which is an evolutionary aggressive display. The shouting that goes along with this is also meant to intimidate and scare the opponent.
Besides this stance making them look as large as possible it also (somewhat paradoxically) is meant to frighten by opening up and showing vulnerable spots. It's the complete opposite of a cowering position. "I'm so threatening I have nothing to hide!" Or as some would say these days - "Come at me bro!"
I should add that this display is as much a natural response to the individual themselves as it is to their opponents. It is visual proof of their dominance to both the winner and the loser.
Hmm raising the arms.... raising the arms.
You know one of the most innate functions of any creature is to look bigger when threatened. Such as the puff fish, peacock, and grizzlies when they stand up. This is to ward off any attack or threat. And in many cases this is highly successful in the animal kingdom. Maybe by raising our arms we conclude that we have successfully warded of any threat and that acquiring victory somehow activates an ancient innate reaction. By raising the arms we create an image of us being larger, bigger per se thus enabling the innate function of our brains that used to produce such results when we were apes throwing our arms up in the air to only slam them down onto the ground to create noise in a violent manner to ward off attacks.
Because you know, throwing up arms isn't he only physical signal we produce... sometimes we throw our arms into that body building stance flexing our muscles with that warrior roar...
It's Olympic Bullying. It must stop or someone's feelings are going to be hurt.
Are the Olympics the only non-professional sport where not everyone is a winner? If so, then I take back my bullying comment.
This posture, complete with open mouth, is exactly what you should do when confronted by a mountain lion. This language says I am on top of the food chain and the mountain lion better watch out. On the other hand if you are confronted by a grizzly bear, it will be the bear assuming this posture and you had better run like a deer.
Queue sound effects...?
Good advice.
There seem to be a few misconceptions in the article as to how evolution works. Nature does not strip off behaviors or body parts that are "no longer need[ed]" there would have to be an active disadvantage to limit thriving--passing on of the genes. I wonder if this includes the bull dance? Riding the bull, feeling the flow.
Hmmm... You seem surprised (?) by misconceptions regarding Darwin's theory of Natural Selection... This IS an article on MSNBC.
Some of the body language gestures are meant to intimidate, some to indicate victory, and some to ask for help.
When man first arrived on the North American continent 13,000 years ago, his brain was, for all practical purposes....identical to the one we all have today.
Well....ahhh, OK, so..... so maybe it's not quite like yours! :)