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I read a study that compared brain activity when a person views isolated right hand movements, body movements, and expressive gestures. Each type of gesture stimulated different section so of the brain relating to perception. Though perception occurs on both hemispheres, certain sides are more stimulated than others depending on the gesture. Expressive gestures, in particular, involve emotional and social perception.

After reading this study, I noticed how in depth the study discussed expressive gestures. The neural activity was much more intense and wider spread in the brain. I supposed it makes sense how complicated it is to properly interpret a person’s physical gestures. Body language can sometimes be easy and natural to interpret while other times it becomes more difficult. Do people who have difficulty interpreting gestures have the same amount of brain activity, but do not consciously process it?

Communication is extremely strenuous on the mind. Learning a new language involves not only understanding of the foreign words but also of the gestures. Different cultures have unique gestures to portray a certain type of feeling or opinion. How does the brain react when in a foreign country and trying to communicate?

On the other hand, there are universal forms of communication such as laughter. Laughter has a positive connotation as does nodding the head. A head shake from side to side implies a negative or oppositional stance. How does the brain handle the similarities and differences of communication across cultures?

Differential cerebral activation during observation of expressive gestures and motor acts
Neuropsychologia, Volume 44, Issue 10, 2006, Pages 1787-1795
M. Lotze, U. Heymans, N. Birbaumer, R. Veit, M. Erb, H. Flor and U. Halsband

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