Body Language Expert Vincent Harris Talks About Using the Finger

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Body Language Expert Vincent Harris Talks About Using the Finger

Actress Sharon Stone Gives Us the Little Bit Gesture

Actress Sharon Stone reacts as she answers a question during a news conference of the Singapore Sun Festival, in Singapore November 5, 2010. Stone, who is visiting Singapore for the first time, will host an event called Up Close and Personal with Sharon Stone during the Festival on November 6.◦

Actress Sharon Stone Gives Us the Little Bit Gesture

This Gesture is a Favorite of Modern Politicians.

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This Gesture is a Favorite of Modern Politicians.

Inglorious Bastards Teaches us How People Count

Quentin Tarantino's newest film, Inglorious Bastards, stars Brad Pitt.

 I finally got around to watching the entire movie, it was good maybe great.  There is a scene in a basement bar where a SS agent determines that the others are really spies by the way one of them orders drinks.

Most British and American people begin counting with their index finger. Many Europeans begin counting with their thumb.

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Inglorious Bastards Teaches us How People Count

Hamzi Mansour Gestures by Pointing Upward

Jordan's Islamic Action Front Party leader Hamzi Mansour gestures during a news conference in Amman August 2, 2010. The Islamic Action Front, the political wing of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest political grouping, said on Monday that it has decided to boycott the November election in protest against a new voting system which it says damages democracy.

This is one of the most common political gestures in this part of the world. In western cultures the politicians rarely raise their hands above their shoulders when gesturing.◦

Hamzi Mansour Gestures by Pointing Upward

The Two Finger Point

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard gestures during a press conference following the Labour leadship spill which saw Gillard call a leadership ballot for the role of Prime Minister at Parliament House on June 24, 2010 in Canberra, Australia. Gillard demanded the ballot as party support for current PM Kevin Rudd collapsed. However no votes were cast in the caucus held this morning at 09:00 AEST, as Rudd conceded and stood down, making Gillard Australia's first female Prime Minister, with current treasurer Wayne Swan moving into the role of Deputy.

We all know that pointing is one of the most negative gestures we can do or see, you'd think adding a second finger would heightened the effect, but it actually reduces the negativity (it still is negative, just not as much), to further lessen the negativity you could employ the whole hand as a pointer...◦

The Two Finger Point

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega: Pointing to Forehead Signals Thinking

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega gestures during a news conference in Managua June 2, 2010. The Nicaraguan goverment on Tuesday suspended diplomatic relations with Israel in protest at the attack against a fleet of human rights activists sought to bring humanitarian aid to the occupied Gaza Strip. ◦

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega: Pointing to Forehead Signals Thinking

Finger Pointing to the Crowd

You will usually see this gesture used by politicians, especially when entering the stage in front of a crowd. they all do it to appear they are connected and actually see someone they know, which is usually not the case. It just makes for a good photo op.

Here we see it on the red carpet, which is a bit unusual because photographers are not usually yelling hey point at me, they are just making noises and saying things like 'over here' so they get a good shot of the star looking into the camera.

Mimicking is likely going on, where one of the stars starting doing this and the other follow suit. Mimicking gestures is a way to build up a bond if you are doing this with someone you are talking and interacting with; in this case it is likely the coolest of the group started doing it and the others joined in...



Alec Baldwin.arrives at the A Star is Born Restored Print World Premiere , part of the Turner Classic Movie Channel Classic Movie Festival.Grauman'S Chinese.Los Angeles, CA.April 22, 2010



Ernest Borgnine.arrives at the A Star is Born Restored Print World Premiere , part of the Turner Classic Movie Channel Classic Movie Festival.Grauman'S Chinese.Los Angeles, CA.April 22, 2010.2010



Buck Henry.arrives at the A Star is Born Restored Print World Premiere , part of the Turner Classic Movie Channel Classic Movie Festival.Grauman'S Chinese.Los Angeles, CA.April 22, 2010.◦

Finger Pointing to the Crowd

Gag Me

Here we see the gesture that means I want to throw up/purge...◦

Gag Me

Abdullah Gul meets with Amir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul meets with Amir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah of Kuwait during his official visit to Kuwait, on December 21, 2009.

Here we see two powerful people, who are both happy, with the confident and often times negative finger pointing gesture.

While it is still perceived as negative what is important is how neither wants to be perceived as weaker, so they match each others gesture.

In this case whomever holds it higher wins. Based on the picture it would be likely Amir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah of Kuwait was first to make the gesture and Turkey's President Abdullah Gul followed suit.

In a way it is gesture gamesmanship, and in politics it is important to master- especially in the Middle East.

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Abdullah Gul meets with Amir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah

Making a Point

MOSCOW, RUSSIA. NOVEMBER 20, 2009. State Duma member Nikolai Kolomeitsev attends the State Duma’s plenary session.

Even though he is making a point, and is pointing to the sky- and not pointing directly at someone else- this is still considered negative by those who see it.

He is showing his dominance and is linking the point symbolically to the Almighty.◦

Making a Point

Finger in Front of the Mouth

MAGAS, RUSSIA. NOVEMBER 11, 2009. Ingushetia's leader Yunus-bek Yevkurov gives a press conference at the Magas headquarters of Interfax news agency. (Photo ITAR-TASS / Amirkhan Khakiyev)

This is either a sign that he doesn't like what he is hearing; is consciously sending a message for others to speak; doesn't want to speak freely.◦

Finger in Front of the Mouth

Rep. Barney Frank's Props or Gestural Slip?

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 3: Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill November 3, 2009 in Washington, DC. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) held the news conference to speak to reporters about the pending mark up of regulatory reform legislation for the American financial industries. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images).

Glasses are props, and we will fiddle with them when bored, to draw attention to them (instead of the conversation) or ourselves. We could clean them when we are hearing something we do not like...

Notice what finger stands out as he adjusts his glasses? Yes the naughty one... If you wear glasses be sure to not push them up on your nose with this finger... at the very least it could send a message you do not want to send.◦

Rep. Barney Frank's Props or Gestural Slip?

Finger in Front of His Mouth

Robert Kelly of Bank of New York joins executives from the financial institutions who received TARP funds testifying before the House Financial Services Committee about how the the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds were used on Capitol Hill in Washington on February 11, 2009.

This is a gesture that needs to be evaluated in the context of the interaction.

If he just has spoken it could mean that hes has been deceitful.

It could mean that he is signaling that he is done talking and he is turning over the conversation to another, the same as placing an entire hand in front of your mouth.

If he is listening to others speak this could be a sign he does like what he is hearing, it looks like a backward gesture used to tell another to be quiet.◦

Finger in Front of His Mouth