Body language crossing arms over chest. This is a behavior that everybody have seen, but do you know what it really means?
Depending on the situation crossing arms can mean different things but it’s always a sign of a negative feeling.
Arms crossed over chest
Arms crossed over chest shows you that a person doesn’t like what he see or hear. If someone is making a statement or proposal of some sort and someone crosses their arms upon hearing it. It’s a sign that they don’t like it or that they disagrees with what’s being said.
This can be valuable to know during a business meeting, if you’re making someone an offer and you see them cross their arms. It’s a signal that they don’t like your offer, this gives you an additional chance to change their mind before they tell you that they aren’t interested.
People that are uncomfortable in a situation also often crosses their arms. This is often seen when a shy person is around a lot of people and therefore crosses his arms because he are feeling uncomfortable.
Some people argue that they are crossing their arms because it feels comfortable. But that is how it works, if you feel uncomfortable around people, it’s going to feel comfortable to cross your arms. When you feel uncomfortable around people, your brain sees possible threats. Therefore you brain makes you cross your arms, which acts like a shield, defending you vital organs from a possible attack. This isn’t something that we are aware of, these things happen automatically in our subconscious mind. That’s why learning to read body language can be so powerful, because body language shows our true feelings.
With that said, it doesn’t mean someone are uncomfortable every time their arms are crossed over their chest. Some people do it more than others, a good thing to do is to spot the exact moment someone crosses their arms. Then you might get a clue to why he did it.
Look at their hands
When someone is crossing their arms you should also look at their hands. If a person has clenched fists it also shows you that he might be angry.
If someone on the other hand is tightly gripping their arms, it’s an even stronger indication of discomfort. You could see that as two different signs. First you spot him crossing his arms, indicating possible discomfort. Then you also see him tightly gripping his arms, this confirms what the arm cross already told you. If you also see him scratching his hair or neck a lot, you can be very confident that he is feeling uncomfortable at that moment.
Conclusion
The body language of crossing arms is a very obvious signal that you can’t miss and now you also know what it means. Remember also that if you want to look confident in front of someone you shouldn’t cross your arms. Even though a lot of people don’t understand what it means, their subconscious mind can sometimes pick up on it and then they get a feeling that you are insecure.
If you’re interested we also have an article about crossed legs and what it means.
