Animal body language

First, remember that humans are just another kind of animal. So if you want to understand body language, start by looking at other animals.

Animals show their feelings with their faces and bodies—if they show their teeth and raise their backs, that means they’re angry. Humans do many of these things, too. You can usually tell whether someone is happy or angry, relaxed or nervous, proud or ashamed, just by looking at them. Words are not always necessary.

We only have to watch our pets to see how close animal and human body languages are. When a cat is feeling confident, it will stand very tall and point its nose into the air. Humans do the same thing when they are feeling proud. They lift their heads and push out their chins.

Chimpanzees (黑猩猩) are very similar to humans. For example, children often put their hands together and point the bottoms up when they want something. Chimpanzees use the same gesture to beg for food from other members of their group. The way chimpanzees greet each other is also close to human behaviour. They slap (掴；拍) their companion’s hand or back. It is similar to the way we shake hands or slap our friends on the back.

So you see, studying animal gestures teaches us a lot about ourselves.