Cultural: People from Brazil stand relatively close when waiting in lines

People from Brazil stand relatively close(r) to each other when conversing or waiting in line as we see here.



People wait in line to vote at a polling station during Brazil's general elections, at the Rocinha slum in Rio de Janeiro, October 3, 2010. Brazilians go to the polls on Sunday to choose a president to succeed the hugely popular Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has overseen a long economic boom and raised the country's international profile.◦

Cultural: People from Brazil stand relatively close when waiting in lines

Leaning In Has Meaning

MOSCOW, RUSSIA. JULY 11, 2010. Opposition leader Eduard Limonov (R) pictured before a conference where The Other Russia coalition was transformed into a new political party of the same name.

Does the person want:
- more privacy
- is excited about the subject
- is showing dominance, entering their personal space
- is wanting to be closer to the other

Any lean towards or away has meaning...◦

Leaning In Has Meaning

As If They Need To Appear Bigger: Sumo Wrestlers

A file photo dated 06 January 2010 shows Mongolian sumo grand champion, or Yokozuna, Asashoryu performing dohyo-iri, or the ring entrance ceremony at Meiji Shrine in central Tokyo. Asashoryu announced his intention to retire from professional sumo wrestling on 04 February to take responsibility for his drunken assault on a man.

Dohyo-iri is is a ring-entering ceremony where the wrestler will make himself bigger by widening his stance and as we see here opening his arms. It is done to intimidate their opponent.

We can see variations of this in everyday life: people will place their hands on their hips, arms out to the sides with bent elbows.

Most people feel most comfortable when they are standing with their feet shoulder width, if you see them out farther, it is to appear larger.

Men before a fight will often take in a large breath expanding their torso which serves both the purpose of taking in oxygen, and to appear larger; sometimes this is done at a night club to impress the object of their attraction.◦

As If They Need To Appear Bigger: Sumo Wrestlers

James Cameron and His Wife Suzi Amis Shows Ownership and Closeness

James Cameron and his wife Suzi Amis arrive at the 62nd annual Directors Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles on January 30, 2010.

When we are a couple and our arms wrap around the each other it is a clear sign to others that we are a couple, a close couple.

This is further shown here by Suzi Amis, who places her hand on her husbands torso; we clearly would not expect this between two people unless they were very "close" emotionally.◦

James Cameron and His Wife Suzi Amis Shows Ownership and Closeness

Intimate Space and the Eye Contact Rule

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: (L-R) Shane Sutton and Dave Brailsford attend the Team Sky Launch at Millbank Tower on January 4, 2010 in London, England.

These two people are standing very close to each other by any standards of territory. When we are standing so close to someone else, and they are not someone we feel extremely comfortable with- like a spouse or a very close friend- the amount of eye contact with that person goes down.

We look elsewhere to avoid more eye contact. In normal conversation with someone about 2-4 feet away, normal eye contact involves looking at the eyes about 30% of the time, the remaining time is spent looking towards the general direction of the person. 60+ percent eye contact is a usual sign of either attraction or aggression.

It is important to note that levels of appropriate eye contact differ from culture to culture.◦

Intimate Space and the Eye Contact Rule

Anger with Dominance

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 21: Tigers team owner Seamus McPeake argues with referee Michael Aylen during the round nine NBL match between the Melbourne Tigers and the Cairns Taipans at the State Netball Hockey Centre on November 21, 2009 in Melbourne, Australia.

Obvious Anger, bet we are looking at much more, DOMINANCE. Seamus McPeake is invading personal space, head tilted downward (this is a clear sign of willingness to continue raising the level of anger.)◦

Anger with Dominance

Talking to People Side by Side

Got something important to say to someone and you know it is going to be a difficult conversation, or one that could get emotional really quick, or a sticky situation... do not talk to each other face to face.

This actually limits the amount of body language and other nonverbal message(s) that add to the conversation, and often end up igniting conflict. Eye contact can actually make the problem worse as you each respond not only to the content of the communication, but the differences in emotions, and vested interest.

Talking side by side allows both people to concentrate on the words, digest them at a slower pace, and respond more intelligently.



If you are in a business setting, and you have difficulties with certain individuals; or they don't like your prototypes; are negative; are snakes- try the side by side approach.◦

Talking to People Side by Side

Signs of Danger and a Crime: Store Robbery Caught on Video

Aug 24, 2009

Watch this video a couple of times.

Watch the two people at the counter, they pick up on a couple of things that make them a little wary because they check out the two people that have just entered the business.

What we see are two people enter the store with their hands in their pockets, and the first one is fidgeting with what turns out to be a gun.

They are "friends" yet enter in a single file line with several feet between themselves. You'd expect them to be walking together as they approached the store, only separating as they entered through the doorway. Then it would be normal for them to stand together.

See the intensity of how they look towards their destination, when we enter a business it is more normal to glance at all parts of the area, to quickly gain an understanding of the space and to see if their are friends or foes around.

The leader is walking around, adrenaline is running through his system. He turns his back, this is to gain the courage... it is at this point where he will either chicken out or make his move...

Even though we do not see it is this case a couple of other signs of immediate danger are: are balling up hands into fist; some sort of slap of hands, chest thump, stomp of feet- something to get the blood going, eye intensity, sweat developing on the upper lip or brow, deep intake of breath.

It turns out these two victimize the clerk and still remain at large in the LA area.◦

Signs of Danger and a Crime: Store Robbery Caught on Video

Why Raymond Clark Killed Annie Le: Territory

It is being widely reported that Co-workers told police that Clark was a "control freak" who viewed the laboratory and its mice as his territory, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing and many details remain sealed.

This is why he killed her.

Territorial parameters are the norm in our society, as they are in every society. We respect our neighbor's property lines because each of us is King of our own castle, and in our castle we have the right to be dominant and protective.

Raymond Clark wrongly believed the lab was "his" and he had full control of this area.

There have been similar stories of people protecting his territory, like the man who shot a boy for simply walking across his front yard...

It is normal to feel confident and comfortable in our own territory, but when we stake out a territory that technically is not our own there can be a great deal of conflict because everybody is not under the same impression of who is in charge and who has the right to be the most dominant and in control of the territory.

If someone believes they are in charge and others do not, their will be a feelings of disrespect and the social norms of dominant and submissive body language that we accept as we interact in different territories are challenged.◦

Why Raymond Clark Killed Annie Le: Territory