41 Emotions as Expressed through Body

Language

Awed 

-Slack

-jawed, raised eyebrows, staring 

-Frozen, slack body language (Self? What self? There is only Zuul.) 

-Take a step back and put a hand to his heart

Amused 

-Smiling and throwing back her head laughing 

-Slapping her thighs, stamping her feet, clapping her hands 

-Shaking her head (That’s so wrong!)

Angry/Aggressive 

-Sharp movements, like shaking a fist, pointing, slashing, or slamming a fist on a table 

-Flushed face, patchy red blotches 

-Tension in neck—chords standing out, veins throbbing—and jutting or tucked chin 

-Arms akimbo, or clenching fists 

-Entering someone else’s space and forcing them out 

-Poofing up with a wide stance (I am big! Very big!), arms wide (Bring it!) 

-Lowered eyebrows, squinting eyes 

-Teeth bared, jaw clenched, snarling

Annoyed 

-Pressing lips together into a thin line 

-Narrowing eyes sometimes with slight head tilt (Why do you still exist?) 

-Rolling eyes, often paired with a long-suffering sigh

Anxious 

-Fidgeting, such as tearing grass into little pieces, playing with a ring, or chewing on a

pencil 

-Biting lower lip, swallowing unnecessarily 

-Quickened breathing or holding breath 

-Darting eyes 

-Pallor, sweating, clammy palms 

-Unusually high-pitched, “nervous” laughter 

-Hunched shoulders 

-Pacing

Attentive 

-Slow head nodding with a furrowed brow 

-Leaning forward, toward the speaker, and sitting up 

-Taking notes 

-Looking over the top of her glasses

Bored 

-Resting his head on his palm, peeking out between the fingers, maybe even slipping so

his head “accidentally” hits the table 

-Tapping toes, twirling pencil, doodling, and otherwise fidgeting 

-Staring out a window, or at anything remotely more interesting (Which is everything …)

Confident 

-Arms clasped behind body 

-Head lifted, chest out, standing tall 

-Walking briskly and making firm, precise movements

Confused 

-Tilting head with narrowed eyes 

-A furrowed brow 

-Shrugging

Contempt/Superiority 

-Lifted chin (The better to look down the nose.) 

-Pursed lips, sneering, slight frown 

-Circling a shoulder, stretching her neck, turning away—anything to indicate she doesn’t

see the person as a threat or worthy of her attention 

-Grabbing her lapels, or tucking her thumbs in her waistcoat (See this clothing? It is much

nicer than yours.) 

-Dismissive hand-waving

Cynical/Sarcastic/Bitter 

-Twisted lips or a half-smile 

-Sneering, sometimes with shaking the head and other defensive body language 

-Pressed lips with a slight frown 

-Eye rolling

Defensive 

-Crossed arms, legs, crossed anything, really (Well, maybe not fingers … or eyes …) 

-Arms out, palms forward (Stop!) 

-Placing anything (sword, shield, book, backpack) in front of her body

Disgusted 

-Crinkling his nose 

-Curling his lip and/or showing the tip of his tongue briefly 

-Flinching back and interposing a shoulder or turning away 

-Covering his nose, gagging, and squinting his eyes shut—hard—for a moment. (It

assaults all the senses.)

Displeased 

-A plastered-on fake smile (You suck; but I can’t tell you that. So here: a fake smile!

Enjoy.) 

-Pouting or frowning (I’ll cry if you don’t give me what I want—don’t test me, I will!) 

-Crossed arms and other defensive/frustrated body language (I will not let that terrible

idea influence me!)

Distressed 

-Wide eyes and shallow, rapid breathing 

-Beating the walls, or huddling into a corner 

-Clasping hands over his head protectively 

-Rocking himself 

-Handwringing 

-Running his hands through his hair

Earnest/Passionate 

-Leaning forward, nodding, wide eyes with strong eye contact and raised eyebrows 

-Hand on heart, or presented palms-up, or otherwise visible 

-A double-handed handshake (I really want to make sure you understand me!)

Embarrassment 

-Blushing 

-Stammering 

-Covering her face with her hands or bowing her head (I’m so embarrassed, I can’t

look!) 

-Difficulty maintaining eye contact, looking down and away

Excited/Anticipation 

-Rubbing hands together (I can’t wait to get my hands on it!) 

-Licking lips (It’s so close I can taste it!) 

-A vigorous, pumping handshake (I can’t wait to get started!) 

-Jumping up and down (Look at me being literal here! I am jumping for joy.) 

-A wide and easy grin

Flirty 

-Eye play, like winking, looking up through the lashes, over the shoulder glances, and eye

catching  

-Preening, like hair flipping or smooth, clothing straightening, spine straightening, etc. 

-Striking a cowboy pose, with his thumbs gripping his belt tight

Frustrated 

-Shaking his head (You are so wrong!) 

-Massaging temples (My brain—it hurts.) 

-Clasping his wrist in his opposite hand, behind his back (Bad arm! No biscuit.) 

-Running his hands through his hair (All this frustration is making my hair mossy. I can

feel it.) 

-Grabbing onto something like armrests, or white-knuckled interdigitation (Restrain

yourself!)

Happy 

-Smiling and laughing 

-Eyes and nose crinkling 

-Swinging her arms, spinning loosely, dancing, jumping

Impatience 

-Quick head nodding (Get on with it!) 

-Toe/finger tapping (Hear this? These are seconds. Wasted. Listening to you.) 

-Sighing, checking the clock/sundial/freckles (Time. It is moving so slowly.)

Jealous 

-Tight lips, or a sour expression 

-Narrow eyes locked on the perpetrator, to the point of a stare down 

-Crossed arms, and additional frustrated, angry, possessive, or bitter body language

Lying 

-Scratching their nose, ear, neck, miscellaneous part of face 

-Sudden change in behavior or demeanor, including shifty eye contact, lots of long

blinking, shrugging

-Ill-timed smiles or laughter (This is how I normally smile, right? Right???) 

-Additional anxiety body language 

-Shaking head no while saying “yes” (I can’t believe I just lied.) 

-Licking lips, covering mouth, touching mouth, etc.

Overwhelmed 

-Both palms to forehead, fingers splayed (This gives me a headache.) 

-Covering eyes with one hand (If I can’t see the world, it can’t see me …) 

-Eyes wide and staring into space, hands gripping the table in front of her (… Woah.)

Playful/Friendly 

-Winking 

-Waggling eyebrows 

-Tiny shoves or nudge

Pleasure 

-Head tilted back, lips parted slightly, eyes wide or closed 

-Slow, languorous movements, stretching (such as arching her neck or back) 

-Slight flush, quickened breath and pulse

Possessive 

-Handshake with arm clasp 

-Putting hands on or around someone’s shoulders, neck, waist, back, or even just the wall

near them 

-Standing in someone’s personal space, body positioned toward that person 

-Any one-sided act of intimacy, like running a knuckle down someone’s cheek 

-Staring down any who get too close

Proud/Dominant 

-Chin up, chest out, shoulders back 

-A painfully hard handshake that not only squishes the bones, but also forces his hand on

top 

-Leaning back with his hands behind his head, and his feet up 

-Strong, unblinking, focused eye contact

Reluctance/Resistance 

-Arms crossed, sometimes with fists (Not happening.) 

-Dragging feet (But I don’t wanna!) 

-Pinching nose (You want me to do what now?) 

-Clamping hands over ears (La la la la!)

Sad/Upset 

-Droopy body (and anything held, like a sword), bowed in shoulders, wrapping arms

around self 

-Slow movements with hesitation 

-Bottom lip jutting out and/or quivering 

-Crying, sobbing, body shaking, sniffling, wet eyes

Secretive 

-A tight-lipped smile (My lips are zipped.) 

-Hiding her hands in her pockets (What has it got in its nasty little pocket?) 

-Looking away

Scared 

-Hunched shoulders, shrinking back from others (Don’t hurt me!) 

-Wide eyes and lifted eyebrows (The better to see them coming.) 

-Shaking, trembling, or freezing 

-Rocking from side to side, sometimes holding self (It’ll all be okay, self, it’ll all be

okay.)

Shame 

-Slumped shoulders (Don’t look at me.) 

-Trouble meeting your gaze, looking down and away 

-Burying her face in her hands or bowing her head (I can’t face the world right now.)

Shocked 

-Hands covering her mouth, or mouth hanging open, sometimes with a gasp (If I had

words, I would be saying them.)

-Freezing and staring with wide eyes and eyebrows raised (Diverting all resources

toward staring.) 

-Smacking a palm into his forehead (Clearly, my head isn’t working right, or I wouldn’t

have seen that)

Shy 

-Avoids eye contact, or has only fleeting eye contact (Eye contact means you

might speak to me.) 

-Keeps a fair distance from everyone, and will back away if someone steps closer (Space

invaders!) 

-Folded arms, head down, and other defensive body language (If I make myself small,

they can’t see me.)

Smug 

-Slight, close-lipped smile (occasionally one-sided) and sometimes one raised eyebrow (I

know something you don’t know.) 

-Chin slightly tucked, Mona Lisa smile, raised eyebrows (I know better.) 

-Finger steepling (I am so smaaaht.)

Suspicious/Skeptical/Disbelief 

-Narrowed eyes, sometimes with a sidelong glance or raised eyebrow (Perhaps if I look

at it out of the corner of my eye, I will catch it unawares.) 

-Rubbing his eyes (I can’t believe what I’m metaphorically or literally seeing!) 

-Shaking his head (I—I don’t believe it.) 

-Blowing out cheeks (Well , I don’t know …)

Tired 

-Rubbing his eyes, eyes staring into space, raised eyebrows (Raising my eyebrows helps

keep my eyes open.) 

-Yawning and/or stretching (I am tired—see? Tired! Too tired to care!) 

-Almost nodding off and jerking awake (Cannot. Stay. Awa—snnnnurzzzz.) 

-Gritting teeth to stay awake (Cannot—yawn—dang it!)

Thoughtfulness/Thinking 

-Steepling fingers (I will think better if I center myself and focus.) 

-Pinching nose, sometimes with closed eyes (Focus, focus—I just need to focus.) 

-Tugging on an ear (This will help me remember!) 

-Stroking a real or imaginary beard (People with beards look smart.) 

-Furrowed brow, narrowed eyes, sometimes tilted head and pressing lips together (I can’t

see it—I will try harder!) 

-Resting his chin on his hand (Thinking makes my head heavy.)

Triumphant 

-Hands clenched and held above head while grimacing (She is invincible!) 

-Head tilted back with a yell (She is fierce!) 

-Arm pumping in the air, jumping (Woohoo!)