Zoom calls have made us all more animated when we communicate and more than 14 million Brits now communicate more with their hands than they did pre-pandemic. According to the study by INEOS Hygienics it’s been revealed that every day, 44 per cent of us are aware that we're now more animated when we speak, with men reporting the biggest increase in talking with their hands.
It also emerged the average Brit now uses four different hand gestures in a conversation as we re-acclimatise to face to face chatting. Common gestures include the 'tumbleweed', the 'steeple', 'fanning tears' and 'I'm on your side'. Body language expert Darren Stanton, who teamed up with INEOS Hygienics on the project said: “Technology has driven an interesting shift in physical behaviour - where people have definitely become more animated due to the pandemic.
“Public speaking ignites fear amongst so many of us, and the rise of video calls has forced us to perform at the centre of attention - whether we like it or not. Psychologically we’re all on stage more - which is stressful. And our hands can feel like a good way of diverting attention.
