Many people know that the posture when arms are crossed indicates a person’s closedness and reluctance to communicate. The purpose of this provision is to protect chest and the heart area. What do crossed legs mean?
It is believed that in this way a person protects his genitals. In comparison, crossed arms indicate a more negative attitude than crossed legs. But also lower limbs you can draw conclusions about how your interlocutor is configured. There are two main variations of the cross-legged pose - standard and lock.
Standard cross-legged pose
The standard pose is when one leg is crossed over the other, usually right over left. This is a common posture used by Europeans, Australians and New Zealanders. It can be interpreted as an expression of nervousness, defensiveness, or reserve. However, this pose is also auxiliary, which should be considered solely in context and in conjunction with other gestures. For example, people often sit in this position during lectures or when they have to spend quite a long time in an uncomfortable chair.
If a person is cold, then he will also instinctively take this position. If crossed legs are combined with crossed arms, then the person adopting this pose clearly wants to avoid conversation. It would be very foolish for a sales agent to ask a buyer sitting with his legs and arms crossed to make a decision. It will be much more useful to ask some questions to find out the reason for the negative attitude. This position is also common among women in most countries around the world. This is how they show their disapproval to their husbands or boyfriends.
American cross-legged pose - "lock"
If a person crosses his legs in this way, i.e. one leg remains on the floor, and the other half-bent lies on the other leg, which means he is competitive and negative. This position is very common in the United States, especially among men who have a strong competitive spirit. Therefore, it is very difficult to determine the mood of an American who crosses his legs in this way, but if a British person adopts this pose, then his mood becomes completely obvious.
If we are talking about sales, it would be unwise to end the presentation and ask for an order if the buyer is positioned in this position. Most likely, the agent needs to change tactics and become more open. The American pose is often adopted by women who wear trousers or jeans.
"Lock" with hands fixing the thrown leg
This posture is characteristic of people who have a certain point of view, which is difficult to change during the discussion. As a rule, they sit with their legs crossed and held with one or both hands. This pose indicates stubbornness. To break the resistance of such a person, it will take a non-standard approach and quite a long time.
Crossing your legs while standing
The next time you attend a meeting or reception, notice small groups of people standing with their arms and legs crossed. You will probably notice that they are much further apart than everyone else. If they are wearing jackets or suits, they will most likely find themselves buttoned up. If you talk to these people, you will find that one or all of them are new to this society. This is exactly the position that people often take when they find themselves in the company of people they don’t know well enough.
Now pay attention to another group, whose members stand without crossing their arms, with their palms open, in unbuttoned jackets, in a word, they feel completely free. They lean slightly towards each other and boldly invade the intimate areas of their interlocutors, and also allow them into their intimate area. A closer acquaintance with these people will show that they have all known each other for a long time or are even friends with each other. Interestingly, those who stand with their arms and legs crossed often maintain a completely calm expression on their faces, and the conversation between them can go quite naturally. But their posture reveals that deep down they do not feel calm and confident.
"Revelation" technique
As people begin to feel calmer in the group and get to know their interlocutors better, they gradually move from a defensive position with crossed arms and legs to a relaxed open posture. This is evidenced by instinctive movements and gestures. Research shows that the “disclosure” technique is almost the same in all countries, writes Horoscope.ru.
Defensive position or simple coldness?
Many people claim that they cross their arms and legs not because they feel insecure, but simply because they are cold. Very often such a statement is not true. There are differences between defensive posture and posture frozen man.
First, if a person wants to warm his hands, he usually tucks them under his armpits, rather than placing his palms on his forearms, as in a defensive posture. Secondly, a frozen person usually wraps his arms around himself. His crossed legs are straight, they are tense and pressed tightly against one another. A more relaxed leg position indicates a defensive position.
Crossed Ankle Pose
Crossing your arms or legs indicates a negative or defensive mood on the part of your interlocutor. The same is true for crossed ankles. If a man chooses this position, then most often he will clench his fists, put his hands on his knees, or clutch the armrests of the chair with all his might.
Women behave somewhat differently: they bring their knees together, their legs either stand straight or are slightly to the side, their hands lie parallel on their knees or one is placed on top of the other. This pose indicates a negative attitude, negative emotions, fear or nervousness. For example, most people cross their ankles during an interview, that is, they try to control their emotions.
Women who were still teenagers during the miniskirt era cross their legs and ankles for obvious reasons. This position becomes familiar to them, but others may interpret it incorrectly and be wary of them. It is very important to take into account women's fashion trends, especially their impact on leg position. You can come to final conclusions only after considering all factors.
Why do men usually sit with their legs spread apart, and women with their legs closer together?
It signals that I am a male, I am in charge here and, not without pleasure, he pushes the woman, because the woman is not a male, then she can’t signal like that, she’s seduced anymore; sexually aggressive behavior by nature is not typical for women
I remembered a joke (my dad told me once): two friends were sitting in a cafe and one said to the other: Do you see the girl? She’s a virgin. Why did you decide this? - Asked another. She doesn't cross her legs - she's not spoiled.
The boy listened to his friend and went to meet her, overjoyed that she was clean. After sex, I realized that the girl was no longer a virgin and asked Why don’t you cross your legs?
The girl answers: With my experience? I haven’t had enough strength for this for a long time.
They throw their legs over the legs of a coquette - this makes it sexy. It’s more comfortable to sit this way, of course (I speak as a girl, but my legs get tired, over time, I need to get up or change my legs. And in heels in general.
In childhood and beyond mature age or your legs just hurt or are very tired and require regular rest - you can rarely afford a child or grandmother in such a position. This pose is also useful for the bones of the female pelvis.
Another thing is for men - they have balls. They not only interfere with bad dancers) Such a leg on a leg can cause discomfort and even harm to a man’s health. I don’t know how I feel - I’m not a man. But with his legs apart, a man can relax, but a leg on a leg, perhaps, relieves tension and that’s not very good because it only adds discomfort to the body. Especially if the size of the genital organ is at least average. - It’s so inconvenient for boys.
This is not something at the level of instincts, but a real instinct from ancient times, when people did not yet dress, but walked naked or covered their genitals with animal skins.
In ancient mythology, a man demonstrates his penis
I once read that men showed their penis in case of danger and aggression towards their family. That is, as a symbol of protection.
Nowadays, psychologists interpret this position of a man as a sign of subconscious self-confidence and sexual attention to a woman.
And the woman sits with her knees together, also at the level of instinct - in defense.
Nowadays, if a woman sits with her legs spread, she looks easily accessible. It is indecent, ill-mannered, unfeminine and even vulgar.
But you can sit like this! Even naked
For men, this is physiology. For normal blood circulation. But some bend their legs wider, like males, to show their, so to speak, imaginary superiority, especially in minibuses, where it’s already crowded. This is already at the level of etiquette and education.
But in women, physiology does not require such a wide range of scope; on the contrary, it is necessary to hide it, and according to etiquette, too, without shining underwear.
This happens in men and women involuntarily, on a subconscious level. The nature of this habit probably lies in the fact that men historically always wore pants, and women wore dresses. For men, their intimate parts are always covered (no matter how you bend over in your pants), but for women, the wind can lift the dress (additional measures are needed to cover it).
And when there is something hanging between your legs, then in order not to constrain you, it is more comfortable to sit with your legs spread, in contrast to when there is almost nothing between your legs.
This is probably why there is such a layout when sitting for women and men.)
Typically, according to the rules of etiquette, women should and are required to sit in a position that involves moving or crossing their legs.
Men can sit very imposingly with their legs spread and even crossing their legs. This position is acceptable for a man and is most likely dictated by the constitution of the body. Shifted legs will not allow a man to relax and the lack of freedom in certain parts of the body will create tension and discomfort.
Although, there are exceptions. Women with a brutal physique often shock with their wide stance, and tall men with an ascetic physique can twist their legs into pigtails.
Instincts have nothing to do with it. The main reason is clothes. Women most often wear short, tight skirts, which make it impossible to sit with your legs wide apart, otherwise the skirt would ride up to the waist and expose your underwear. This forms the habit of always keeping your legs closed. In the case of men, on the contrary, when the legs are closed, the material of the trousers becomes tense, especially if the trousers are tight and now men experience discomfort. It is no coincidence that when we see a woman sitting in trousers, she also does not always sit with her knees closed.
This is not physiology at all, it’s all about clothing and those rules of decency that have been developed over centuries.
Traditional clothing for women is dresses or skirts. For a long time, women were generally forbidden to wear trousers - in the Middle Ages, doing so could even get you killed at the stake... This is partly due to the fact that a man is a warrior, so men’s clothing is adapted, in particular, for sitting on horseback, and women didn’t need it (for the same reasons, women didn’t have the right to vote - but that’s a completely different story). And according to the rules of behavior that existed in society, and in many ways that still apply today, it is indecent to show one’s underwear. Moreover, this is unacceptable for ladies. Therefore, in all the books for girls on the topic of how to behave, it was especially emphasized that sitting with your legs spread apart, so as to show off all your petticoats and even everything that is under them, is the height of indecency. Why sit there... When double-decker omnibuses appeared, still horse-drawn, women were forbidden to ride on the second tier, because they had to climb a narrow staircase, which was impossible to do without lifting their skirt and thereby involuntarily demonstrating that which was absolutely impossible to demonstrate.
This taboo, ingrained over centuries, is manifested in the fact that women sit with their legs together. It’s easy to guess what will happen if she, especially in modern short dresses, spreads them even a little...
For men - facilitating blood circulation and normal oxygen absorption (I don’t want to shock anyone - so as not to pinch the balls).
For women - protection of a vital organ or the desire not to show underwear.
This man (pictured) shows his bad manners; it is not customary for either men or women to spread their legs so wide. I lived in a village for a couple of years and was amazed at how women behaved in public transport, although the skirts were long, they nevertheless spread their legs impermissibly wide. A man is allowed to keep his legs slightly apart, but so as not to disturb others. All in my humble opinion.
What do you think?.. A woman, by definition, is a female who can copulate with any male of a given species - a man, and produce offspring from the same type of male. But only she is allowed to decide with whom she will mate and continue her genetic line, comparing all the necessary qualities of a given candidate for reproduction.
This implies the behavior of these individuals: - the man wants to show that he is fully mature and capable of the act of fertilization, and the woman shows with her pose her shyness, which confirms her chastity.