Power moves: complementarity in dominant and submissive nonverbal behavior.
Two studies examine complementarity (vs. mimicry) of dominant and submissive nonverbal behaviors. In the first study, participants interacted with a confederate who displayed either dominance (through postural expansion) or submission (through postural constriction). On average, participants exposed to a dominant confederate decreased their postural stance, whereas participants exposed to a submissive confederate increased their stance. Further, participants with complementing responses (dominance in response to submission and submission in response to dominance) liked their partner more and were more comfortable than those who mimicked. In the second study, complementarity and mimicry were manipulated, and complementarity resulted in more liking and comfort than mimicry. The findings speak to the likelihood of hierarchical differentiation.
Tiedens
Larissa Z
LZ
Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, California 94305-5015, USA. ltiedens@stanford.edu
Fragale
Alison R
AR
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002140:California; D004291:Dominance-Subordination; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D019370:Observation; D011187:Posture; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012938:Social Perception