State of Mind: The power of body language

It is well-documented that the mind and body are deeply interconnected. Research has consistently shown a link between mental and emotional problems and physical ailments and disease. Either can cause or exacerbate the other. It also has been established that our verbal communications, both internally and externally, can positively or negatively impact mental health. Interestingly, though, we seldom consider the ways in which our non-verbal communications, or body language, can have similar impacts.

It's commonly believed that 60% to 70% of all communication is non-verbal. Things like facial expressions, eye contact, hand gestures, posture and body movements can collectively communicate more than what specific words are being said. And just as verbal communication can convey our feelings and influence them, our non-verbal communications have the same power.

Verbally, we can get clues about someone’s mental health by the words they speak through their tone, volume, inflection and pitch of their voice.

Similarly non-verbal communication can suggest a great deal about one’s mental health. For example, someone making eye contact and standing with their shoulders back and chin raised may be reflecting a great deal of self-confidence. Anger might be revealed by standing with arms crossed and eyebrows creased. Avoiding eye contact and frequently fidgeting might indicate nervousness or worry. And happiness might be accompanied by smiling and raised eyebrows.

While these types of non-verbal cues can offer important insight, individual uniqueness when physically expressing emotions, cultural differences and even mental health issues can all mask or alter these body language signs, making it important to ask and listen to individuals rather than making definitive conclusions.

As much as non-verbal elements of communication can convey our emotions to others, they also can have a direct impact on our own emotions, similar to how positive self-talk can reduce stress and increase life satisfaction while negative self-talk can worsen feelings of anxiety and depression.

Experiments have shown that smiling can help relieve stress, lower blood pressure, improve relationships, boost the immune system, relieve pain and improve mood, including in those specifically dealing with depression. Other experiments have shown that walking in a “happy” way, with a straight back and light steps, leads to more positive emotions, while walking in an "unhappy“ way, with hanging shoulders and heavy steps, leads to more negative emotions.

With this knowledge, there are some important considerations when it comes to body language. It can be helpful when communicating with others to be mindful of what our body language is saying. From an internal perspective, focus on making small, intentional changes to your body language such as smiling or improving posture to reduce stress or improve self-confidence. It also is important to balance the authenticity of our communications with our ongoing efforts toward improved mental health, depending on time, place, context and intention. In other words, sometimes we might want to reflect genuine, full emotions. Other times we might want to use our body language to help influence our mood or convey specific messages. Regardless, simply becoming more aware of how our body language reflects and influences our daily experiences can be beneficial.

Thankfully, Oct. 6 will offer a reminder to do just that, as we

As we recognize National Body Language Day on Oct. 6 we are reminded to do just that. Coincidentally, World Smile Day is celebrated that same day. Perhaps it’s a serendipitous opportunity to remind ourselves of the vital connections between the emotional, mental and physical, and how we might be more intentional about using body language in a way that supports our journey toward greater mental health and well-being.

Bryan Busch is a licensed mental health counselor in Cedar Rapids. He also works at Folience, the parent company of The Gazette. He can be reached at bryan.busch@thegazette.com.