Power moves: complementarity in dominant and submissive nonverbal behavior.

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Nonverbal Communication
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Social interactions involve complex nonverbal cues.
• Dominance and submissive behaviors are key components of social hierarchies.
• The interplay between dominant and submissive nonverbal behaviors is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether nonverbal behaviors exhibit complementarity or mimicry.
• To determine the impact of complementary versus mimicry on interpersonal liking and comfort.
• To explore the role of nonverbal behavior in establishing social hierarchies.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted involving participant interactions with confederates.
• Confederates displayed either dominant (postural expansion) or submissive (postural constriction) behaviors.
• Participant postural responses and self-reported liking and comfort were measured.

Main Results:

• Participants' postural stances adapted to complement the confederate's behavior (e.g., decreased stance to dominance, increased stance to submission).
• Complementary nonverbal behaviors led to significantly higher liking and comfort compared to mimicry.
• The second study confirmed that complementarity, not mimicry, fosters positive interpersonal evaluations.

Conclusions:

• Nonverbal behaviors tend to complement each other, reflecting and reinforcing social dynamics.
• Complementarity in nonverbal behavior is crucial for positive social interactions and relationship building.
• These findings support the theory of hierarchical differentiation in social interactions.