A Comparative Study of Body Language Between Chinese and Western Cultures

Abstract

The rapid development of globalization has led to the interweaving of people of different cultural backgrounds, which has not happened before. Body language is an important form of non-verbal communication, which plays an important role in the process of information sharing and emotional expression. Compared with language, body language can convey some information that can not be expressed by language through touch, eye contact, posture, facial expression and other ways, and there is no intention. However, due to the differences in cultural background, the same gesture or facial expression may have different meanings in different cultures, which is the root cause of misunderstanding and even conflict in cross-cultural communication. This paper focuses on the typical body language of the East and the West, systematically reviews the differences and similarities between the two, and puts forward reasonable suggestions for college students to use body language in cross-cultural communication, including improving their overall communication ability, mastering non-verbal skills, and enhancing their cultural awareness. In this way, this paper enriches the literature on cross-cultural communication, and also promotes theoretical research, and can provide reference for the communication between the East and the West.