世界各地的身体语言：无需开口的交流

Britain, along with much of Northern Europe and the Far East, is classed as a “non-contact” culture, in which there’s very little physical contact in people’s daily interactions. Even accidentally brushing someone’s arm is grounds for an apology. By comparison, in the high-contact cultures of the Middle East, Latin America, and southern Europe, physical touch is a big part of socialising.
英国以及大多数北欧和远东国家，被归为“没有身体接触”的文化，因为人们的日常互动中几乎没有身体接触。甚至不小心擦到别人的手臂也必须要道歉。与之形成对比的，是中东，拉丁美洲和南欧等这些人与人之间有着频繁身体接触的国家——身体接触是社交活动中的很大一部分。

What’s more, there are different standards for who touches whom and where. In much of the Arab world, men hold hands and kiss each other in greeting, but would never do the same with a woman. In Thailand and Laos, it is taboo to touch anyone’s head, even children.
此外，关于谁和谁接触以及接触哪个部位都有不同的标准。在大多数阿拉伯世界，男性之间会在问候的时候握手并亲对方，但绝不会对女性做同样的事情。在泰国和老挝，触摸任何人的头部，甚至小孩子，都是禁忌。

In South Korea, elders can touch younger people with force when trying to get through a crowd, but younger people can’t do the same. Naturally, these different standards of contact can lead to misunderstanding. An Argentinian may see a Scandinavian as cold and aloof, while the Scandinavian may see the Argentinian as pushy and presumptuous.
在南韩，年长者想要穿过人群时可以使些力气去碰触年轻人，但是年轻人不能这样做。这些不同的标准自然可能引发误解。一个阿根廷人也许认为斯堪的纳维亚人冷漠，然而这个斯堪的纳维亚人则可能认为阿根廷人自大冒昧。

Eye Contact
眼神接触

In most western countries, frequent eye contact is a sign of confidence and attentiveness. We tend to assume that a conversation partner who looks away is either disengaged or lying. Of course, this is not the standard around the world.
在大多数西方国家，频繁的眼神接触是自信和专注的表现。人们倾向于认为眼神飘离的谈话者要么不在意，要么在说谎。当然，这绝不是世界标准。

In many Middle Eastern countries, same-gender eye contact tends to be more sustained and intense than the western standard. In many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, however, this unbroken eye contact would be considered aggressive and confrontational. These cultures tend to be quite conscious of hierarchy, and avoiding eye contact is a sign of respect for bosses and elders. In these parts of the world, children won’t look at an adult who is speaking to them, and nor will employees to their bosses.
在很多中东国家，同性间的眼神接触比起西方国家会更多更久。然而，在很多亚洲，非洲和拉丁美洲国家，这种不间断的眼神接触会被认为是充满侵略和对抗意味的。这些国家很在意等级，避免眼神接触是对老板和年长者表示尊重。在这些地区，孩子不会盯着对他们讲话的大人看，员工也不会这样看老板。