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[youngwerther]

I'm not entirely sure where I first came across this idea; I believe it was Tolstoy. He says somewhere that it is bad manners and a sign of poor breeding to use hand gestures for emphasis while speaking. It is a described as a bumbling resort, offensive to the refined mind, stupidity grasping at meaning. The 19th century "like" if you will.

I thought it was an interesting notion because it was something I had never heard before or even thought about. And in fact, I don't believe I've ever met a person who did not gesticulate at all.

Personally I think hand gestures for emphasis impart a kinetic, visceral sense of the merging of the physical with the intellect. It can be both amusing and profound, and when someone does it just right it can seem as though you are feeling their words rather than mentally processing them. In short, I think it's a component of effective, and at times beautiful, communication.

Does anyone have any thoughts on such a thing?
These are the types of things I think about at 6 in the morning.
Please respond.

 

[ComputerMKII]

Some will tell you that not using gestures is a sign of autism...

 

[IdreamofHIME]

So you're calling Italians low-class?

 

[ЯAW]

Never heard of this. Maybe a cultural and a time era thing?

 

[Thunder Monkey]

It's only okay if you're deaf.

 

[Elchele]

all latin people do it
I can see it being "wrong" in other cultures.

 

[Conor_Fool]

I have a terrible habit of nodding my head back and forth when I am in an uncomfortable conversation. I'll just have a huge smile on my face and nod. Adults almost always love me, but that isn't to say I haven't been mocked for it many times.

 

[Alx]

It will depend on culture, and context. For a speaker on a stage, most would expect at least some controlled gestures to strengthen the message, while on a casual discussion some will be mostly motionless while others can't help moving more than necessary. The latter will be appreciated differently depending on the country in which it is happening.
For myself I prefer "quiet" people (both in sound and motion), but I'm from the northern part of Europe.

 

[teruterubozu]

The Victorian era was anal about everything.

 

[pants]

My mom always told me never to marry those low class, gesturing, poors.

 

[akira28]

Is your last name Mussolini? Gesticulating might mean that you're da Boss.


I only gesticulate like Darth Vader. Lots of gauntleted fist shaking, finger pointing, and implied throat gripping.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

So you're calling Italians low-class?

First thing I thought of. Some countries just really like their hand gestures while talking, presumably both upper and lower class.

In English, I think they're a little bit odd. I mainly associate hand gestures with those things politicians do, they just look awkward and phony:

 

[sqwarlock]

I like to talk with my hands, and I'm going to keep doing it. I don't consider myself "high-class" anyway, nor do I want to.

 

[jet1911]

It's called body language. Everyone I know moves and gesticulate a bit when talking.

 

[dapperbandit]

A conversation isn't worth having if I can't appear to be performing a complex enchantment with my hands.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Never heard of this. Maybe a cultural and a time period thing?

Yeah, me neither. I don't think it's low-class to use hand gestures while speaking, at all.

 

[bro1]

In public speaking it is essential to use hand gestures.

 

[Septimius]

If gesticulating is wrong, hey, I don't wanna be right.

 

[b&jy77VjiKn$#F]

 

[verbum]

No.

 

[Mumei]

If it is, I'm really low-class.

 

[FOOTE]

Maybe this is some sort of culture thing. I know I don't feel right if I'm not using hand gestures, this is even more true for public speaking.

 

[akira28]

It could be a sign that you're of the magi class.

 

[youngwerther]

I only gesticulate like Darth Vader. Lots of gauntleted fist shaking, finger pointing, and implied throat gripping.

:lol

A conversation isn't worth having if I can't appear to be performing a complex enchantment with my hands.

Yea!
And isn't that really what it is though!

I'm really fascinated with gesticulation right now lol.
It seems as though the simple, nearly automatic act of moving one's hands to emphasize the spoken word tells such a grand story about our evolution and what we are.

 

[jason10mm]

Certainly while giving a presentation or something I would consider excessive hand motions to be both distracting and unprofessional, an indication of nervousness, unpreparedness, or discomfort.

But almost all of the presentations I attend are death by powerpoint, so the speaker himself is secondary. Something like a motivational seminar where it is just the speaker, then appropriate hand motions can stimulate interest and retain attention.

If you refer to just casual "on the street" conversation, then I'd say Tolstoy was coming from an era where the upper class valued suppression, repression, and "stiff upper lip" kinda stuff , so no doubt he wanted everyone to speak with hands clasped behind the back.

 

[DBT85]

Every world leader is low class confirmed.

also

 

[siddx]

Well then Tolstoy is a fuckhead.
I have used hand gestures all my life, to the extent that I actually get made fun of for it by some of my friends. Growing up overseas in various countries with friends from all over the world while trying to interact with people who didn't speak the same language as me led me to rely on hand gestures heavily to help communicate. Spending several years in Argentina where they use a lot of hand gestures in every day life only reaffirmed that. Hand gesture have been extremely useful for me.

 

[On The Edge of Insanity]

Having spent a lot of time in Spain over the last couple of years I've noticed that I have started to gesticulate more in conversation than I did before, although often it is when I'm searching for the right word in Spanish - a visualisation of my thinking process.

It is funny to see people talking on their mobiles hands free and still gesticulating despite the fact that the person on the other end of the phone cannot see them.

 

[miek]

Sometimes when I get really enthusiastic about a topic I put on a dance performance.

 

[gutter_trash]

different cultures have their own things

like Italians gesticulate with more than other Euros

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

It's annoying I guess

 

[Fudgepuppy]

Try working customer-support without waving your hands like a chimp.

 

[youngwerther]

If you refer to just casual "on the street" conversation, then I'd say Tolstoy was coming from an era where the upper class valued suppression, repression, and "stiff upper lip" kinda stuff , so no doubt he wanted everyone to speak with hands clasped behind the back.

Well, which brings the conversation to the next question -

Given the obvious efficacy and ease of gesticulation, what are the reasons for it ever being considered improper, in any culture? I don't think a casual diagnosis of era-spanning suppression can be an adequate explanation for such a thing. But maybe it's impossible to say truly.

 

[Thorakai]

I don't even know what I do with my hands but I do it all the time when I present. Nobody ever giggles or mentions my hand gestures after a job well done so it must not be that distracting.

 

[b&jy77VjiKn$#F]

No hand gesture (unless you are doing something) and too much hand gestures while speaking kinda bother me. Otherwise I don't see why hand gesture is a bad thing (maybe cultural thing?).

 

[KingofGourds]

I use hand gestures all the time. They were particularly useful when I was living abroad but I had picked up the habit long before.

Never heard of it being an unrefined/low-class thing before. Maybe I'm biased but I prefer it, has a passion to it.

And are we talking only about hands? Because Emelia Clarke's eyebrow gesticulations are mesmerizing.

Also I apparently cannot talk without furrowing my brow/wrinkling my forehead, which has gotten more "what are you doing" reactions than my hands ever have.

 

[RaikuHebi]

WTF I've always thought of it as high-class.

I do it a lot because of influence from watching E3 conferences loool.

 

[youngwerther]

WTF I've always thought of it as high-class.

Damn then you are WAAAAAAAY down there at the bottom!

 

[Alx]

Given the obvious efficacy and ease of gesticulation, what are the reasons for it ever being considered improper, in any culture? I don't think a casual diagnosis of era-spanning suppression can be an adequate explanation for such a thing. But maybe it's impossible to say truly.

Well for one, some cultures like to keep more distance between people, getting too close or too physical can be perceived as an invasion of privacy. Cultures where people don't gesticulate much usually aren't too fond of hugging or slapping one's back either.

Considering Tolstoy and his time, I think intellectuals may also have considered that you should be able to convey all the subtleties of your speech without needing additional input. If you need more than speech to reach your objective, then you're not a very good speaker.
Speech is related to the mind, while gestures are related to action, which is closer to work, so associated to lower class ; in those times signs of physical activity weren't a sign of success, rich people should be pale and not muscular. Only the pleb had to do physical work in direct sunlight.

 

[RaikuHebi]

Damn then you are WAAAAAAAY down there at the bottom!

loooool. It's not too bad down here, it's got its moments:

 

[Sickboy007]

 

[Bony Manifesto]

I don't do it when I'm having a normal conversation, but I wave my hands all over the place when I'm trying to explain something complex.

 

[raindoc]

 

[Apoptomon]

I've never heard of/thought of this as being high or low class. As someone who does tend to move while talking, I have been told it's very distracting/annoying, however.

 

[Foshy]

I'm Italian and I gesticulate a lot when talking. It just feels normal.

 

[Clevinger]

I do it without realizing it

 

[Koozek]

I read somewhere that using hand gestures while talking is a sign of intelligence. I guess because your brain is combining several cognitive aspects by moving your hands to „describe“ an abstraction or a visualisation of what you're trying to say, or something like that.

 

[MIMIC]

I am flailing my hands about as I type this post.

But seriously, as far as being "low class" is concerned....I've never heard of such a thing.

 

[youngwerther]

I read somewhere that using hand gestures while talking is a sign of intelligence. I guess because your brain is combining several cognitive aspects by moving your hands to „describe“ an abstraction or a visualisation of what you're trying to say, or something like that.

That's an interesting counterpoint to the 2nd post in which it's said that non-gesticulation may be a sign of autism.

Very nice mandala btw.

 

[dapperbandit]

To take the topic seriously, hand gestures are an integral part of human body language and have meaningful interpretations for other people who consciously or sub consciously understand your body language.

For example, you and two friends are sat down in a cafe across from each other having a discussion. You've just made a point and there's a pause but you're not finished. Holding your hand flat, palm up above your knee in the direction of the person(s) you're talking to indicates that you haven't stopped talking.

In a way you don't need your hands; people gesticulate with their faces by tilting and nodding their head and pulling certain expressions. For example, a friend has just told you a story: you purse your lips a little, tilt your head a little to the side and raise an eyebrow - you are skeptical.

Things get interesting again when you think about how certain expressions and gestures hold different meanings between different cultures: how and when did this become the case?