Head Flashcards
HEAD ADORNMENT
Head adornment is used across all cultures for a variety
of reasons. It can communicate leadership status (Native American chiefs’
feather headdresses), occupation (a hard hat or miner’s hat), social status (a
bowler hat or an Yves Saint Laurent pillbox hat), hobbies (bicycle or rock-
climbing helmet), religion (cardinal’s cap, Jewish yarmulke), or allegiance
(favorite sports team, labor union). Head adornments may offer insight into
individuals: where they fit in society, their allegiances, their socioeconomic
status, what they believe, how they see themselves, or even the degree to
which they defy convention
Hair that is dirty, unkempt,
pulled out, or uncared
suggest poor health or even mental illness.
PLAYING WITH HAIR
Playing with our hair (twirling, twisting, stroking) is
a pacifying behavior. It is most frequently utilized by women and might indicate either a good mood (while reading or relaxing) or stress (when
waiting for an interview, for example, or experiencing a bumpy flight)
PLAYING WITH HAIR (PALM OUT)
When women play with their hair with
the palm of the hand facing out, it is more of a public display of comfort—a
sign that they are content and confident around others. We usually only
expose the underside of our wrists to others when we are comfortable or at
ease. This is often seen in dating scenarios where the woman will play with
her hair, palm out, while talking to someone in whom she is interested.
RUNNING FINGERS THROUGH HAIR (MEN)
When stressed, men will run their
fingers through their hair both to ventilate their heads (this lets air in to cool
the vascular surface of the scalp) and to stimulate the nerves of the skin as
they press down. This can also be a sign of concern or doubt.
VENTILATING HAIR (WOMEN)
The ventilating of hair is a powerful pacifier,
relieving both heat and stress. Women ventilate their hair differently than
men. Women lift up the hair at the back of their neck quickly when
concerned, upset, stressed, or flustered. If they do it repeatedly, most likely
they are overly stressed. Nevertheless, we cannot discount overheating due
to physical activity or ambient temperature as a cause. Men tend to ventilate
on the top of the head by running their fingers through the hair.
HAIR FLIPPING/TOUCHING
Hair flipping, touching, or pulling is common
when we are trying to attract the attention of a potential mate
HAIR PULLING
Hair pulling is more often seen in children and teenagers
who are experiencing stress, but it is also occasionally seen in adults. Men
tend to pluck hair from the corners of their eyebrows, while women are far
more wide-ranging: plucking their eyelids, head hair, eyebrows, and arm
hair
. HEAD NODDING
During conversations nodding serves to affirm, usually in
cadence, that the person is hearing and receptive to a message. Generally, it
signals agreement, except in those situations where the head nodding is accompanied by lip pursing , which might suggest disagreement.
HEAD NODDING (CONTRADICTION)
We usually see this in young children,
as when a parent asks a child “Did you break the lamp?” and the child
answers “No” but nods. This contradictory behavior betrays the truth. I
have seen this with kids, teenagers, and even adults.
HEAD PATTING, BACK OF HEAD
HEAD—When we are perplexed or mentally
conflicted, we often find ourselves patting the back of our head with one
hand, perhaps even stroking our hair downward as we struggle for an
answer. This behavior is soothing because of both the tactile sensation and
the warmth that is generated. Like most hand-to-body touching, this is a
pacifying behavior that reduces stress or anxiety.
HEAD SCRATCHING
scratching soothes us when we have doubts or
feel frustrated, stressed, or concerned. You see it with people trying to
remember information or when they are perplexed.
HEAD STROKING
Beyond the function of keeping one’s hair in place,
people will stroke their hair with the palm of the hand to soothe themselves
when stressed or confronted with a dilemma or while pondering how to
answer a question.
HEAD SCRATCHING WITH TUMMY RUBBING
The simultaneous rubbing of
the belly and the head indicates doubt or wonder. It can also signal
insecurity or incredulity. Interestingly, many primates do this as well.
INTERLACED FINGERS BEHIND HEAD, ELBOWS UP
The interlacing of the
fingers behind the head with the elbows out is called “hooding” because the
person looks like a cobra when it hoods—making the person seem bigger.
This is a territorial display we do when comfortable and in charge. When
we hood, the interlaced fingers behind the head are both comforting and
soothing, while the elbows out project confidence. Hooding is rarely done
when someone of higher status is present.
