THE NEURAL BASIS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION: HOW THE BRAIN PROCESSES BODY LANGUAGE CUES

Social interaction is often formed according to the way a person stands or moves; that is, it has a great influence on our perception of emotions, our opinion about other people, and the conversation between people. Although it is a huge factor in our everyday lives, most of the interpretations are merely generalizations and some basic body language tips. This article is aimed at discussing the scientific ways in which our brain participates in nonverbal communication, incorporating the latest discoveries in the fields of neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and evolutionary theory.Considering the triune brain concept developed by Paul D. MacLean, this paper will examine how the distinct yet functioning together parts of the reptilian brain (survival), the limbic system (affect), and the neocortex (refined thinking and social interaction) contribute to the comprehension of nonverbal language. The amygdala is featured in the quick identification of meaningful emotions, the mirror neurons are linked with reflecting and empathy of emotions of other people, and the prefrontal cortex is involved in suppressing intense emotions. This discussion demonstrates, with the help of the results of neuroimaging and lesions, and various tests, how the participating brain areas interact to correctly perceive and interpret body movements and gestures.This article attempts to give a better understanding of the fact that nonverbal communication is biologically and evolutionarily grounded by integrating empirics and theoretical approaches. By taking this measure, it also expects to enhance scholarly literature as well as distinguish itself among veneer-thin explanations by demonstrating, in detail, how the brain processes body language signals.