Agesture is a form ofnonverbal communication. Unlike verbal communication, which uses words, gestures use movements of the body.
Gestures aredeliberate acts with apurpose, not just any movements. They are handled in the humanbrain by the same centres which handle language. In theneocortex,Broca's andWernicke's areas, are used byspeech andsign language.[1]
Other movements of the body havemeaning, but are not gestures. They may be done by actors deliberately, but normally they are automatic, unconscious signals which express various feelings or states of mind.[2] Many animals communicate extensively using such behaviours. Thedog, a companion to humans for a long time, is good at reading both gestures and behaviours.Multi-touch computers have been made to read gestures.
Gestures have acultural significance (meaning). The same gesture can mean different things in different cultures and different parts of the world.
These are not gestures, because they are not voluntary, deliberate actions. They are inherited automatic reactions or reflexes.
Humans can modify these reactions to some extent with training and practice, but they are fundamentally caused byhormones and brain centres which are very ancient.
