Body language: What do our finger gestures say?

In meetings I intersect my fingers nestling them in a “bumper” position in front of me

This gesture roughly corresponds to creating a self- protective “chainmail” – face-to-face, when we are under pressure (fingers are rarely crossed when you are alone or with friends), and when we feel we must argue and defend our point of view and our objectives… Symbolically, fingers intertwine to symbolize alliance of our two cerebral spheres, with the rational left hemisphere, the seat of analytical thinking and language, and the more emotional and intuitive right… “Crossing your fingers is in some way joining your hands and giving yourself a dose of affection and/or reassurance when undertaking in a situation of tension or stress,” wrote Joseph Messinger, psychologist, expert on body language, and author of numerous books.

Variations:
“Elbow on the table, I rest my chin on my thumb, index and middle fingers glued to my lips as if I am smoking.”
This imaginary cigarette expresses your scepticism to whatever you are listening to. Avoid if your colleague – or your boss – is the target…
“I cross my fingers, my palms turned upwards as if lending someone a hand.”
This gesture betrays dismay.
“What if I twiddle my thumbs?”
Either we is overworked, or we are panicking – the action of the thumbs symbolise the “loss of the pedals”!

At an appointment my client listens to me, fingers crossed, thumbs against each other as if they were “glued”…

This position expresses neither desire nor pleasure, but clear refusal. If, in the course of the discussion, the fingers are crossed, but the thumbs tap against each other, treat it with suspicion – this gestural code often betrays a lack of conviction on the topic. The person is probably simulating an interest he or she does not feel.

Variations: “They intersect their fingers, keeping them straight in the form of a harrow…” The message is clear: a harrow is difficult to overcome – decidedly, the current is not flowing in your favour…

Dinner with friends of friends. At the table, during conversations, I rest my head in my hands and mechanically slip my little finger into the corner of my mouth…

This body micro-post reveals your interest in your partner. You are captivated, and admit it…you like him! “This signal, which is part of the “arsenal” of unconscious female seduction, is often accentuated by a slight inclination of the head,” says Isabelle Duvernois, psychologist and author of “Décoder le langage du corps”(Decoding body language) (ed. Larousse).

Variations: “And if he starts to listen, his index and middle fingers stretch across of his mouth, curling his little and ring fingers? Uh-oh, with this “double barrel” gesture, he is putting you symbolically at gunpoint… Do not go further in your attempts to approach him.

Isabelle Soing