Introduction
A gesture can be said to be a movement of the body or part of it and especially the limbs to express ones thought or put emphasis. A gesture may also not necessarily involve movement of the body or part of it but an action altogether, (for example: he sent her flowers as a gesture of intimacy). On the other hand, a facial expression involves change of position or motion of one or more muscles of the face as a primary means of conveying information. It is also common in other mammals. It therefore agreeable that gestures and facials expressions communicate what the words cannot communicate or/and at times where one does not want to communicate verbally.
Communication through Gestures and Facial Expressions
One of the main gestures is the nodding of the head. This can mean different things depending on the context and prevailing circumstances. Again it varies from one sex to the other. It is a very ancient way of communicating which shows approval or confirms something in question. However a person seen nodding slowly conveys a message that he is thinking hard or seriously about something in question like where one is given different options involving a certain issue and is required to make a choice. We can therefore see that the nodding of the head slowly does not bring an end to the issue of making a choice thus as such; the gesture is not an end in itself as the involved person is yet to give a comprehensive answer.
A look at how women communicate by nodding their heads have continued to generate a lot of debate as some people tend to interpret it differently. The famous stand up comedian Cris Rock has often in his shows, made us to be very aware of women doing their head toss; a woman will throw her head up and to the side so that her hair flies out of her face. To men, that means that the lady is definitely interested in him and hence has to make a move on her. The same gesture by a man would send a message that is totally different. For a man it would only seem that he is just being boastful.
Winking is another form of facial expression that is very common. It is achieved by intentionally closing one or both eyes. The meaning of a wink can easily be misinterpreted as its meaning varies a lot from a simple hello to a romantic or sexual invitation. To fully understand its meaning, we must evaluate the context and circumstances before jumping into conclusions otherwise, there may arise misunderstandings or confrontations.
Facial expressions however are usually used to give express emotions such as anger, happiness, confusion, surprise, sadness, excitement, fear etc. Many facial expressions are universal though, some may be shaped by culture and rules. The most common facial expression world over is the smile. A smile is involuntary, but some people manage to give fake smiles that are hard to tell from genuine ones. A smile involves the tightening of the muscles on the cheeks such that the lips are outstretched and curve upwards. A smile usually signifies happiness, affiliation or contentment. In most cases, a smile is a prelude to a conversation.