Submissive, Inhibited, Avoidant, and Escape Motivated: The Correlates and Consequences of Arm-Crossing

Some scholars of nonverbal behavior contend that arm-crossing indicates a defensive orientation to the social environment, but relevant evidence is sparse. Three studies (N = 242) sought to investigate whether there is truth to this idea. Consistent with it, Study 1 found that people reporting highe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Motivation science 2015-03, Vol.1 (1), p.37-46
Main Authors: Fetterman, Adam K, Bair, Jessica L, Robinson, Michael D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Avoidance
Consequence
Female
Human
Inhibition (Personality)
Male
Nonverbal Communication
Obedience
Social Behavior
Social Environments
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Summary:Some scholars of nonverbal behavior contend that arm-crossing indicates a defensive orientation to the social environment, but relevant evidence is sparse. Three studies (N = 242) sought to investigate whether there is truth to this idea. Consistent with it, Study 1 found that people reporting higher arm-crossing frequencies scored higher in interpersonal submissiveness and were more inhibited in their social decision-making. To investigate causal processes, Studies 2 and 3 manipulated arm-crossing using a hypothesis-disguising cover story. Study 2 found that arm-crossing activated thoughts of the self's submissiveness and social vulnerability. Study 3 focused on activated strategies for handling potential interpersonal violence. Participants in an arm-crossing condition, relative to a control condition, indicated that they would be more inclined to escape and less likely to attack. The studies converge on the idea that arm-crossing can signify and cause a defensive social orientation.
ISSN:2333-8113
2333-8121
DOI:10.1037/mot0000013