Examples of Nonverbal Meanings

Some examples of non-verbal displays that take different meanings in other countries are; the peace sign in England, it’s the same as flipping someone off. Another example is, in Costa Rica it’s rude to make a thumbs up. It’s also rude to fidget your hands and feet. Slurping is appreciated in Japan. Actually being as loud at the dinner table as possible is appreciated.

I’ve never had the opportunity to move around the country. All of the non verbal displays I listed were things that my roommates had told me about from their travels.

I have encountered local regional differences in nonverbal meaning. One of the differences I encountered was slurping. I’ve sat in many Japanese restaurants and have sat near people that slurp their food and make (in my opinion) obscene noises. Come to find out, it’s appreciated. Of course I didn’t find out it’s appreciated until I actually started in on the idea of meanings behind nonverbal messages.