When it comes to body language, there are some things that send the same message across cultures, like smiling or frowning, and there are some that are very different.

One example of the differences between Americans and the Japanese is using our hand to beckon someone closer to us. in the US, you keep the palm of the hand up, opening and closing the fingers, whereas in Japan it’s done with the palm down. If the palm is up, it means “Give me something”.

But that is a small difference… Imagine my surprise to discover a common body language that is very old in western culture, to essentially have the reverse effect of what I was trying to convey…

For an American child, you generally knew you were in trouble when you saw a parent, teacher, or other person in a position of authority looking down on you with a frown and their hands on their hips.

Seeing a superhero, or other hero, standing with the hands on their hips was also a sign of authority, bravery, and tenacity.

Not so in Japan, so it seems…

The dog was barking, for no good reason, and I went up to him in “The Pose” and he dropped his ears, and became submissive, meanwhile, the girls were nearly falling over with laughter. I thought they were laughing at the dog, but it turns out it was me.

“Why do you stand like that?” they asked between giggles. I explained to them the purpose of the body language, “It makes you look bigger, and gives you a position of dominance and authority.”

They told me in Japan, that’s how the smallest child in a kindergarten classroom stands. On the surface, it made sense, as the smallest child would want to look bigger amongst their peers. But apparently this position is let go of at a young age, and it’s only associated with very young children, or in adults, as rude or arrogant.

 

What Americans see...

What Americans see...

What the Japanese see.

What the Japanese see.

I’m curious if anyone reading this who has lived in Japan can attest to it, or if there are any other types of body language that are perceived very differently between the cultures. I imagine that there are a lot more out there…