Key body language to avoid being a victim of crime

Can we avoid becoming a victim of assault or robbery simply by using good body language?

Try to remember someone you know who has been assaulted on more than one occasion. Now, try to remember someone else who has never been robbed on the street. Remember how they look when they walk, how do they differ, who looks more confident in their walk, who looks more powerful and who looks weaker?

Robberies, aggressions... and how to prevent them with an imposing body language.

We are no strangers today to the importance of our body language the importance of our body language when it comes to communicating with others.The scientific community is increasingly accepting different theories about body language. Such as the fact that approximately 80% of our communication is carried out through our gestures and expressions.

It is also through the latter that we can more easily empathize and express our emotions and feelings to others. But just as we can convey a positive mood, we can also project: insecurity, fear, vulnerability and helplessness through our body language.. Today we will explain how body language has a powerful influence on the process of victimization and victimodynamics (i.e. how we become victims of a crime or an accident), especially if the last four characteristics mentioned above are projected. In addition to giving you some tips on how to improve our body language.

The modern interest in the victim and the experiment

Since Benjamin Mendelsson's early work on the process of how one becomes a victim of a loss, attack or crime in the 1960s, victimology (the discipline responsible for the study of victims) quickly became of interest to social sciences such as criminology, law and, of course, psychology.

This interest in how people go from being simple bystanders to victims of crime led researchers Betty Grayson and Morris Stein to propose a simple experiment in the 1980s that produced a series of very particular results. The dynamic that Grayson and Stein developed was as follows: in a prison, a group of inmates (including people who had robbed, raped and even murdered) were shown, individually, a series of videos whose content was simply that of passers-by walking normally along a New York street.

The only thing the inmates had to tell the investigators was to tell them which of the people walking down the street they would choose as possible victims.. The investigators estimated that the time it took them to decide on a potential victim was only seven seconds. When they indicated their selections, the results were somewhat puzzling since the choice made by each inmate was consistent, i.e., even though each volunteer had watched the video separately, the inmates repeatedly chose the same victims.

Prisoners choose their victims by their (bad) body language.

Another equally curious fact turned out to be that the selection of each one did not depend on race, age, size or physical constitution, as some women whose constitution seemed fragile, went unnoticed in contrast to some tall and relatively stocky men who were chosen.

When the convicts were asked why they were chosen, they replied that they did not know exactly why, they replied that they did not know exactly why, but simply said that they looked like easy targets.. And since none of the above criteria were reasons for choosing a person, what was it that determined whether or not a person became aggrieved? The researchers conducted a much more exhaustive analysis and came up with the following results.

Our body language indicates whether we are vulnerable or strong

It seems that much of the predator / prey selection process is unconscious and this is because the inmates were more oriented to what the body language of potential victims expressed.

Characteristics of vulnerable body language

The researchers found that the group of "victims" chosen in the video shared a number of characteristics with each other with respect to their body language highlighting the following points.

1. Pace and rhythm

The "strides" taken by each victim were somewhat exaggerated and could be abnormally long or extremely short. Sign of insecurity or anguish. On the other hand, those who were not selected registered normal "strides" in their walking. Regarding the fluidity of walking, natural selection taught predators to always look for the slowest in the herd.. As a general rule, a slow walking pace, lacking intentionality or purpose, projects insecurity, fear and helplessness.

2. Discontent and indecision

Turning to look around as if lost, hesitant glances and returning the same way as before were common characteristics among some of the selected victims. A person who is insecure in his or her walk is easier for criminals to subdue.. Similarly, if you stop to talk to strangers and ask for directions, criminals will think you are a tourist or in an unfamiliar neighborhood, making you much more vulnerable.

3. Luxury items

Criminologists point out that criminals live under a distorted scheme of values in which they see society as an unfair system in which only a few can enjoy privileges and luxuries, experiencing, in addition, rage against this society. Therefore, publicly displaying your publicly displaying your assets (e.g., expensive watches, rings, gold bracelets, expensive cell phones, etc.) often rekindles this anger.. Many people who showed various assets in the video were often chosen as victims.

4. Torso and look

Another thing that the people chosen in the video by the inmates had in common was the position of their torso and the direction of their gaze. Frequently, people who walked with their heads down, shoulders slumped and inward, hunched over, and with their gaze directed to the floor, distracted or lost were chosen. The above-mentioned gestures are unmistakable signs of helplessness.. They strongly project weakness.

5. Completeness

Last but not least, it was noted among the chosen victims that their gestures lacked symmetry and fullness in their movements. their gestures lacked symmetry and fullness in their movements.. Their limbs moved as if they were separate or independent from the rest of their body. On the other hand, the "non-victims" enjoyed balance in relation to their movements.

How does this theory apply to crime prevention?

As we emphasized earlier, much of the victim selection process is done unconsciously by criminals. Perhaps it is a trait inherited through millions of years of evolution to find the weakest in the herd at a glance. Like a wild animal, the human predator wants to make the minimum effort when hunting, he does not want a difficult and dangerous job.It will look for the one who looks weaker, more submissive and who is unlikely to put up a fight.

Several practical tricks to improve body language

Our body language is largely unconscious, so modifying it is extremely difficult, but not impossible. Some signals and attitudes can help us to emit a more powerful and positive body language, which will will make us less vulnerable to crime.. Here are some recommendations.

• Develop your awareness skillsThere are several ways to become more aware of your surroundings, from familiarizing yourself with the routes you take every day on your way home, the rush hours when people move around the most, and who frequently walks in your neighborhood, to practicing yoga, meditating or practicing a martial art (more on this later).

• Exercise: Keeping fit not only impacts your ability to physically repel aggression but also causes your body to release dopamine and endorphins that make you feel better about yourself, which will make you develop more self-confidence and increase your self-esteem which will positively affect your body language.

• Stay informedIt is scientifically proven that knowledge and information reduce our fear and increase our confidence, remember that this is a quality that was expressed in the body language of non-victims. Reading articles about how to avoid becoming a victim, self-defense and newspapers about what is happening in your city can help you stay informed.

• Practice self-defenseSelf-defense: not to exercise it when an attacker asks you for your belongings, because in this case, it will always be wiser to avoid any confrontation, but because it is proven that taking a self-defense course powerfully affects our confidence in a dangerous situation, this confidence has a very positive impact on our body language and increases your awareness of your surroundings. Therefore, it reduces the likelihood of looking like a potential victim.

More tips to improve body language

As you increase your confidence and feel better about yourself, the less likely you are to become a victim of crime, since your body language will express well-being, power and confidence. As you gradually change your body language, you can choose to add the following gestures that can prevent you from becoming a victim:

• Always walk with your chin upAlways walk with your chin up, parallel to the horizon keeping a steady and confident gaze, when someone sees you keep their gaze, but do not be defiant (many times this tactic deters criminals from messing with you).

• Raise your shoulders and keep them straightstick out your chest a little, this is a sign of power.

• Walk with firm, normal steps.. Neither too fast nor too slow. Neither too long nor too short. Try to make them harmonious and not "robotic".

• Maintain a harmony in relation to your steps, your arms and your gestures.your arms and your gestures.

• If you don't remember a street or have any doubts about your routeIf you don't remember a street or have any doubts about your way, go into a café or store and ask for directions. Avoid asking strangers for help and talking to them.

• Move your arms in a natural and balanced way in relation with respect to your steps.

• Do not walk in the street with ostentatious jewelry.. Avoid talking on your cell phone, listening to music, and appearing distracted.

Bibliographic references:

• Grayson, B. and Stein, M. I. (1981), Attracting Assault: Victims'Nonverbal Cues. Journal of Communication, 31: 68-75. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.1981.tb01206.