Have you ever wondered why you sometimes take an almost immediately liking to a person you have just met? We often get the first impression of a person based on the color of a person's skin or the manner in which he or she is dressed. Meaning is conveyed not only by words or verbal(用语言的)languages but also by nonverbal communication systems, such as body behaviors.
Nonverbal communication is important because we use the action of others to learn about their affective emotional states. Our emotions are reflected in our posture, face, and eyes—fear, joy, anger or sadness—so we can express them without even saying a word. For this reason, most of us rely heavily on what we learn through our eyes.
Nonverbal communication is significant in human interaction because it is usually responsible for the first impressions. More importantly, those first messages usually influence the perception(观点,看法)of everything else that follows. Even how we select friends and lovers is grounded in first impressions with nonverbal communication.
Nonverbal communication is important because it is culture-related. It is based on different beliefs, religions, values and customs in different cultures. When, where, how, and to whom people display his or her specific nonverbal behaviors is greatly affected by culture and context. Culture determines what the appropriate nonverbal behavior is. For example, feelings of friendship exist everywhere but their expression varies. It may be appropriate in some countries for man to hug each other and for women to hold hands; in other countries these displays of affection may be shocking. Each culture has its own specific interpretation on nonverbal communication. What is acceptable in one culture may be completely unacceptable in another. One culture may determine that snapping fingers to call a waiter is acceptable; another may consider this gesture rude.
