Anger

When someone is extremely angry, they will tend to yell, scream, and shout while making threatening gestures toward whoever or whatever is the source of their frustration. However, as this is not socially acceptable behavior - especially in a work environment - people will try their best to mask their anger, but depending on how upset someone is, this can be increasingly difficult to do.

Anger in the workplace is relatively easy to detect if you think of a wild animal about to attack its prey. Before an attack, our brain's limbic system automatically prepares us to fight, which leaks out in our body language no matter how hard we try.

When we are angry our brains release adrenaline to ready us for action, causing us to breathe more heavily, and even sweat. To help us get more oxygen, our nostrils flare. Our feet move underneath us as if we are ready to leap at whoever is making us angry. We make ourselves look bigger and claim more territory by spreading out our chest, arms, and legs. We show our teeth, like an animal that is about to bite. We narrow our eyes, and lock onto our target in an unblinking stare, like a tiger stalking its prey.

Locking our eyes on to someone is an aggressive nonverbal, which is why in most societies on earth, staring at a stranger is usually only tolerated for a few seconds at most. If you'd like to test this phenomenon, the next time you meet someone new, lock your eyes on theirs and never look away no matter what they do. They will most likely call for police assistance after a few minutes.

Note that there can be a bit of confusion around making eye contact as it relates to paying attention. Looking at someone - and not at your phone - is an important aspect in signaling to someone that you are paying attention. However, a locked-in stare, as some people might do in an interview to communicate that they are paying attention, is unsettling and unnerving. Breaking eye contact, as you might if you were contemplating the answer to a question, breaks that tension. This is a tricky balance to strike, but just know that the more you look at someone like you are a predator locking onto their prey, the more uncomfortable you will make them, but if you don't look at them at all, they will think you are disinterested in them and not paying attention.

Another nonverbal sign of anger and aggression is finger pointing, when just the index finger is used to point at someone. This gesture is one that is universally hated no matter what the society or culture, and should not be used under any circumstances. It would seem that humans are hardwired to not like being pointed at, as it signals, "You're to blame," or "I'm going to get you," or "That's the person we should make fun of."

The visceral effect of finger pointing is so severe that politicians are taught to never point with their index finger, especially when giving speeches. Instead, you will notice other gestures, such as pointing with the thumb with the hand closed, as well as gesturing with an open hand.

Interestingly, the effect of gesturing towards someone with an open hand changes dramatically depending on the angle of the hand, with palm down, palm sideways, and palm up all sending different nonverbal messages.

Try gesturing with an open hand in the mirror, while repeating the same phrase such as, "We must act now," holding your hand at different angles while repeating the phrase with the same intonation and cadence. You may find that with the palm down, it seems like you are trying to calm someone down; with the palm up, it seems like you are pleading with them; with the palm vertical, it's as if you are being decisive.

If ever you are in a meeting, and someone locks eyes with you, is breathing hard, has flared nostrils, has bared their teeth, is leaning forward in their chair as if they are about to leap towards you, has spread themselves out to take up as much space as possible, and points at you with their index finger; even if they are not yelling and their words are delivered calmly, the situation is getting out of control, and someone should immediately start the process of de-escalation.

Even just the flaring of the nostrils or the baring of the teeth by themselves can indicate that someone is getting angry. If you are ever delivering bad news, keep your eye out for the more subtle nonverbal signals of anger - sometimes called "micro-aggressions" - as you may need to check on people who seemed angry - to see if they were actually upset, or if you caught them as they were trying to suppress a sneeze, or while they were fighting the urge to use the restroom.

As with reading all types of body language, the picture is most clear when multiple parts of the body are reacting together. Still, if even one of the nonverbals of anger is present, you should pay close attention, and potentially also be on your guard.

Of all the types of body language, detecting anger is the most critical for our survival. Fortunately, survival is where our brain's limbic system shines, and when it does detect anger, it makes us freeze to see if not moving de-escalates the situation, and if it doesn't, prepares us to run, and if running is not an option, prepares us to fight. All of this is happening without our conscious thought, and makes us very sensitive to the nonverbal signals of anger, provided we are in-tune enough with our animal instincts to detect a threat.