In chapter 5 of What Every Body is Saying, Joe Navarro argues that the arms are an underused but highly revealing part of body-language reading because they’re closely tied to survival instincts, comfort/discomfort, confidence, boundaries, and status.
Why Arms Matter in Nonverbal Communication
Navarro explains that once humans walked upright, arms became versatile tools for protection, work, and social connection. Because they’re strongly governed by the limbic system, arm movements often reflect genuine reactions more reliably than facial expressions. He also notes that instinctive defensive arm reactions can be so automatic that people will raise arms to protect themselves even when it can’t truly stop danger—highlighting how reflexive and honest these behaviors can be.
Gravity and Emotional State
Arm movement tends to track emotional “up” or “down” states:
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Positive emotion and confidence often produce freer, more expansive, sometimes upward arm movement (celebratory, energetic gestures).
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Negative emotion, disappointment, or shame tends to show up as arms and shoulders sinking, drooping, or becoming smaller and restrained.
These changes appear immediately after good or bad news and often spread through groups (for example, crowds reacting together).
Arm Withdrawal and Self-Protection
When people feel threatened, worried, or upset, they commonly pull the arms inward—close to the sides, across the abdomen, or toward the torso. Navarro frames this as protective and also self-restraining:
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It can protect the torso and reduce exposure.
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It can keep a conflict from escalating by preventing arms from moving into striking range.
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It can also be soothing when someone is in physical pain or distress, with arms drawn toward the affected area.
Restricted Arms and Red-Flag Contexts
Navarro notes that restricted arm movement can sometimes be an important warning sign, especially in children. In his experience, abused or intimidated children may “freeze” their arms around an adult they fear—an adaptive survival strategy that minimizes movement and attention. He encourages attentive adults to treat major changes in a child’s arm behavior (especially paired with suspicious bruising patterns) as a reason for careful concern and further observation.
He adds that adults may also restrict arms when anxious or when trying not to draw attention, including in suspicious contexts such as shoplifting.
Using Arm Behavior to Read Mood
With a baseline for how someone normally moves, you can infer shifts in mood:
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After a hard day, a person may return home with low, heavy arms and drooped shoulders.
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In warm reunions, arms often open wide and invite contact.
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Partial, constrained “welcome” gestures can quietly signal lukewarm feelings even when words remain polite.
Navarro emphasizes that arm gestures often function as universal communication tools—greeting, directing, refusing, inviting, and signaling disbelief—sometimes bridging language barriers.
Arm Positions that Create Distance
Certain arm behaviors communicate separation and untouchability. A key example is placing arms behind the back, which often signals higher status and discourages approach or contact. Navarro points out that this can feel rejecting in close relationships and even animals may react negatively to the “I won’t touch you” message.
More broadly, people instinctively keep unpleasant things—and sometimes unpleasant people—at “arm’s length,” using arms as barriers in crowds or social settings.
Territorial and Status Displays with the Arms
Arms also claim space and announce rank:
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Armrest battles, elbow spreading, and table-sprawl are everyday dominance contests over territory.
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High-status or highly confident people often occupy more space with arms, while lower-confidence people keep arms tight and small.
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Arms akimbo (hands on hips, elbows out) is presented as a strong dominance/authority posture; it can help assert boundaries but may also escalate tension if used in the wrong setting.
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A seated dominance variant is hands interlaced behind the head with elbows out, which enlarges the body and often appears in hierarchical “pecking order” moments.
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Navarro stresses that confidence and comfort often look “wide,” while discomfort tends to collapse the arms inward—sometimes instantly when a person is challenged.
Arms in Courtship and Affiliation
In dating contexts, arms can signal claiming, protection, and connection:
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Men may position an arm around a date or behind them to mark affiliation and deter rivals.
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Couples who are comfortable will allow arms to be close, with incidental contact feeling acceptable.
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As relationships cool or discomfort rises, arms are more likely to separate, creating physical distance.
Adornments on Arms as Social Signals
Navarro discusses how watches, bracelets, uniforms, scars, and tattoos can signal identity, status, history, or group membership. He notes that tattoos are widely used but may still be judged negatively in many professional or evaluative contexts, meaning people should consider how visible markings influence others’ perceptions.
Touch, Rapport, and Cultural Norms
Navarro highlights arms as conduits of warmth—hugs, brief touches, and open relaxed arms can reduce threat perception and build trust. But he also cautions that touch depends on culture, situation, and personal boundaries. He recommends careful observation before initiating contact and points out that some cultures use familiar greetings (like brief embraces) as a normal sign of goodwill—so refusing or awkwardly resisting can be read as coldness.
Core Takeaway
Chapter 5’s main message is that arms offer a rich, often honest stream of information about emotion, confidence, threat perception, boundaries, dominance, and connection. By tracking changes from baseline—especially shifts between expansive vs. withdrawn arm behavior—you can read comfort/discomfort more accurately and manage your own signals to build rapport without escalating tension.