Title: Top 8 Differences in Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures – Silver Sage Magazine
Headings: Top 8 Differences in Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures
Top 8 Differences in Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures
Top 8 Differences in Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures

Content: In parts of the E.U. it is common to kiss someone you greet informally on both cheeks but not in the U.S or other areas of the world. In the Middle East and India, the left hand is customarily used to handle bodily hygiene, so using the left hand to accept a gift or shake hands (or eat) is considered extremely rude. How to decide? It’s most likely better to keep your hands to yourself unless in a business setting and then a simple handshake will do. Gestures. Gestures are a common form of nonverbal communication whether we shrug our shoulders, give a high five or nod our heads (the most recognized gesture in the world). When traveling in Costa Rica, pedestrians give drivers a thumb up if they allowed the foot traveler to walk by. In the United States, the thumb and index finger in a circle means “Okay” but is seen as vulgar in other cultures and in Japan some even take the thumbs up as a deference to money; whereas in France it’s meaning is associated with worthlessness or zero. Snapping your fingers to get the attention of a waiter is okay in some parts of the world but is disrespectful and offensive in other areas of the globe.