At a dinner, on the subway or during a conversation, sometimes crossing your arms is enough to give the impression of being closed or unapproachable. However, this gesture is much more ambiguous than one imagines. Stress, concentration, need for reassurance or simple habit: crossed arms can reflect very different states. So what does this posture really say about us?
Crossing your arms: why this gesture is so often misunderstood
In 2008, a study published in the journal European Journal of Social Psychology scrutinized the behavior of different groups. In detail, the volunteers had to solve anagrams, that is to say words whose letters had been mixed.
The researchers found that participants who kept their arms crossed persisted longer and performed better. In a first experiment, they continued to look for a solution even though certain anagrams were impossible to solve. In a second, this posture was also associated with better performance.
Even more surprising, participants did not feel more tense, more uncomfortable or in a worse mood. Crossing your arms therefore did not necessarily seem to reflect discomfort or rejection. In certain situations, posture could on the contrary be associated with more perseverance.
What Science Really Says About Sitting Arms
Other works move towards a more nuanced interpretation. A study published in 2015 in Science Motivationconducted among 242 people, associates crossed arms with a defensive social orientation: more avoidance than attack.
In 2011, researchers also observed, in the journal
BREADthat crossing the arms could slightly reduce the pain felt during stimulation applied to the hands.
These results do not mean that a person who crosses their arms is necessarily more persistent, defensive, or less sensitive to pain. Above all, they show that the same gesture can have several functions and that it would be risky to draw an immediate conclusion.
Cross your arms without being mistaken about the meaning
On a daily basis, it is therefore better to look at the whole posture: are the hands visible or hidden? Is the bust turned towards you? Is the gaze supported? Does the tone of voice seem relaxed or tense? Because while crossed arms can give the impression of less warmth during a conversation, this perception is not enough to determine what the person really feels.
We also cross our arms more when we listen than when we speak. The gesture can simply be used to place your hands, to stabilize yourself in your chair or to maintain warmth. It can also be a self-soothing movement, like a little hug to calm your stress. But a simple crossing of the arms does not tell with certainty what a person is thinking or feeling.
The next time someone crosses their arms in front of you, there is no need to immediately assume that they are closed off or unfriendly. He may simply be listening to you, concentrating or reassuring himself.