What is the study of body communication and nonverbal cues called?

The study of body communication and nonverbal cues is specifically referred to as kinesics. Kinesics focuses on the various ways in which body movements, gestures, posture, and facial expressions convey messages and emotions in interpersonal communication. This field examines how individuals communicate not just with words, but also through their physical demeanor, which can include everything from eye contact to the way one positions their body in relation to others.

While nonverbal communication is a broader category that includes any form of communication without words, kinesics is a specialized subset that concentrates on the movements of the body specifically. Paralanguage refers to the vocal aspects of communication that are not words, such as tone, pitch, and volume, rather than body movements. Somatics involves the study of the body as it relates to awareness, movement, and physical sensation, but it does not focus specifically on communication. Thus, kinesics is the most accurate term for the study of body communication and nonverbal cues.