University Scholars Programme Essay
You are in an interview room, facing a panel of interviewers. They asked a question about your previous boss, which you happened to detest. In order to not ruin your chances of landing this job, you decide to lie. By the end of the interview, you feel sure that you manage to ace this interview but unknown to you, your interviewer has sensed that you are not telling the whole truth. You have used the correct language but your actions have given you away. Welcome to the fascinating world of body language. Body language gives others an indication of the person’s emotional state. While the language you use can be trained or cultivated, the gestures that we use on meeting people is often unconscious and cannot be faked. Each action or gesture that someone makes, therefore, provides a valuable insight on how the person is feeling. However, it is a serious mistake to analyse each of a person’s gesture separately. Attention must also be paid to the circumstances the person is in. For example, the person that is crossing his arms may not be feeling defensive but just merely feeling cold.
In the case of the interviewee, it could be his body language that gave the others the impression that he is not telling the truth. Signs like refusal to meet the eyes of the interviewers or clenched fist are some common body language that shows dishonesty. A person is likely to flash his palms if he wants to be honest or open. Other gestures, however, are must harder to interpret. Take for example the nose touch. When a child lies, he is likely to immediately cover his mouth with his hands, in an attempt to stop the dishonest words from escaping. As he grows older, the mouth-covering gesture will become less obvious. Eventually, it will evolve into another gesture, like a nose touch or a finger-on-mouth gesture.
Is it possible to deceit others by showing fake body language? Although you may be able to fake some of the more obvious body language, it is only for a short period of time. Eventually, your body is going to start exhibiting unconscious contradictory signs that creates distrust in the receiver of your body language.
Through my study in body language, I came to realise the significance of the actions that many make. It has also trained me to be more observant of others and the gestures they make. In fact, people-watching has become a hobby for me. I strongly recommend that everyone learn more about body language as it allows us to be more perceptive.
I hereby pledge that the essay as written represents my own work.
I seriously think it is not that good.... hahahah. I send my application already so let's just hope for the best.