Despite the contemporary taboo to place men and women in specific gender
roles, societal influences are somewhat reflected in the way men and women
communicate non-verbally. From childhood, women are taught to be demure. They
take up as little space as possible by crossing their feet, folding their hands
on their laps, and keeping their limbs close to their bodies. In contrast, men
assume relaxed positions with their legs apart. When men are standing, they
will keep their stance further apart then women, and when they lean against
something, they will take on a larger angle. In general, women will naturally
assume what is called a ‘closed’ position. Folded arms and feet give a
non-verbal cue of non-interest.
Since men are natural space-hogs and naturally assume ‘open’ positions,
their non-verbal cues may be somewhat forthcoming to women.
Differences in Facial Expressions
Women are more likely than men to stay focused on a speaker’s face. They
will watch for emotional cues, and sometimes mirror the speaker’s expression to
show that she is paying attention. Psychological studies using images of
various faces have shown that women are much quicker than men at recognizing
emotional features of facial expressions. In contrast, men are less likely to
look at a speaker’s face. Verbal responses to facial expressions are minimal
for men. Men will normally look at a speaker’s face only to gauge appropriate
timings for responses. Because of these differences, a woman might assume that
the man is not paying attention to her, and may internalize his non-verbal cues
to mean that he is really not interested in her. She may simply stop speaking
and close herself to him.
Another response that a woman might have to the perception that he is not
really listening to her is to repeat or clarify herself. Her repetitions and
clarifications will create a persona of someone to rambles, or talks too much.