Gesticulation: Guilty as Charged

Today I realized I’m a hand gesture-er when I talk . Or rather, I’m a gesticulator…

It’s the kind of gesticulation where as if I’m talking about passing me the salt shaker I demonstrate the movement that a salt shaker does. Or when i talk of blowing in the wind I make a hand gesture that (to me) means blowing away. It’s a really odd quirk now that its been bought to my attention. Or when just talking about matters that don’t have demonstrable gestures I move my hands a lot. I’ve caught myself interlocking my hands when trying to avoid using gestures at work, and it makes me very aware of my hands.

I wanted to find out what this says about me as a person.  Some have said that hand gestures may imply that the story teller is involved with a story. Or that a gesticulator is  characteristicly artistic, an actor, or eccentric. Some have said that it can typically mean that you’re nervous. Much like people who have a nervous laugh (I definitely have that!)

There was an article, from 2005, on www.sciencedaily.com that said that hand gestures are linked to better speaking in a study of bilingual children.  I also found this tidbit on www.corticowhat.blogspot.com (they did the reserach and found it in a University of Chicago study )

According to a new study, talking with our hand is actually beneficial. This makes thinking easier. A research conducted by the University of Chicago revealed that people who moved their hands more frequently while talking have higher retentive memory compared with those who kept their hands still.

So maybe I’m not being offensive when I demonstrate to the waiter what a salt shaker is, maybe my brain is just really working over time to keep me smart? Maybe?

If anyone has more info on this please share. Where is a pyschologist??