Why is it okay for two heterosexual men to hold hands in Saudi Arabia, but not America? Why is it that when Americans hold up two fingers to signify peace, it means,"go to hell" in Greece. For many years these different meanings have held true to unique cultures in different countries. As time proceeds on, many cultures are loosing their unique authenticity with their body language and are becoming more "americanized". As USA television and movies have become more and more popular world wide, younger generations are picking up on our body language.
If a British woman in her 60's saw a kid holding up two fingers, she would take it as an extreme insult. On the other hand, if a British teen sees two fingers up, they just think of the number two as one would think in America.
Greeting people is also very different for different countries.
If an American were to shake a German's hand, they would think the German was distant with their brief handshake, while the German would think the American is going overboard with shaking hands up and down repeatedly 5-7 times.
Have you ever been in a situation where you have seen body language that doesn't mean what you think it does?
To read a truly fascinating article about body language in different countries, click here.
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