Key body language to avoid being a victim of crime

Try to remember someone you know who has been mugged on more than one occasion. Now, he tries to remember someone else who has never been stripped of his belongings on the street. Remember how they look when they walk, how do they differ? Who looks more confident in his walk? Who seems more powerful and who seems weaker?

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

It is not unknown to us today the importance of our body language when communicating, because day by day, various theories about it are increasingly widely accepted by the scientific community. Like the fact that approximately 80% of our communication takes place through our gestures and expressions.

It is also through the latter that we can empathize and express our emotions and feelings more easily to others. But just as we can transmit a positive state of mind, we can also project: insecurity, fear, vulnerability and helplessness through our body language. Today we will explain how this powerfully influences the process of victimization and victim dynamics (that is, how we become victims of a crime or accident), especially if the last four characteristics mentioned are projected previously. In addition to giving you some tips to improve our body language.

Modern interest in the victim and the experiment

Since the early work of Benjamin Mendelsson in the process of how to become a victim of a sinister, attack or crime over the years sixties, victimology (discipline in charge of the study of victims) quickly became a source of interest for the social sciences as the criminology, the law and of course the psychology.

This interest in how people go from being simple pedestrians to victims of some crime caused that, in the decade of the In the eighties, the researchers Betty Grayson and Morris Stein proposed a simple experiment that produced a series of very individuals. The dynamic that Grayson and Stein carried out was the following: in a prison, a group of inmates (among whom were people who had robbed, raped and even murdered) they were shown, individually, a series of videos whose content was simply that of passers-by normally walking down a street New Yorker.

The only thing the inmates had to tell the investigators was tell them which people among all those who walked on the street they would choose as possible victims. The investigators estimated that the time in which they decided the possible victim was only seven seconds. When indicating their selections, the results were somewhat puzzling since the choice each inmate made was consistent, that is, despite the fact that each volunteer had seen the video separately, the inmates repeatedly chose the same ones victims.

Inmates choose their victims for 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, since some women whose constitution seemed frail, went unnoticed in contrast to some tall and relatively stocky men who were chosen.

When convicts were asked what such a choice was due to, they responded that they did not know exactly why, they simply limited themselves to saying that they looked at themselves as easy targets. And since none of the previous criteria was a reason for choosing a person, what was it that determined whether or not a person became aggrieved? The researchers carried out a much more exhaustive analysis arriving at 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 in what expressed the body language of the possible victims.

Characteristics of vulnerable body language

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

1. Step and rhythm

The "strides" made by each victim were somewhat exaggerated, and could be abnormally long or extremely short. Sign of insecurity or distress. On the other hand, those who were not selected registered normal “strides” in their walk. Regarding fluency in walking, natural selection taught predators to always look at the slowest of the herd. Usually a slow pace in walking, lacking in intentionality or purpose projects insecurity, fear and helplessness.

2. Discontent and indecision

Turn to see everywhere as if you were lost, doubtful looks and return for the same path through which he already traveled were common characteristics among some of the victims selected. An insecure person in his walk is, for criminals, easier to subdue. In the same way, if you stop to talk to strangers to ask for directions, criminals They will think you are a tourist or you are in an unknown neighborhood for you, which will make you much more vulnerable.

3. Luxury articles

Criminologists point out that criminals live under a distorted value scheme in which society is viewed as an unjust system in which only a few can enjoy privileges and luxuries, also experiencing rage against this society. So that publicly displaying your assets (for example, expensive watches, rings, gold pulses, expensive cell phones, etc.) often rekindles such anger. Many people who in the video showed various assets were frequently chosen as victims.

4. Torso and gaze

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

5. Whole

Last but not least, he stood out among the chosen victims who his gestures lacked symmetry and fullness in his movements. His limbs moved as if they were separate or independent from the rest of his 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 of the pack at a glance. Like a wild animal the human predator wants to make minimal effort when hunting, he does not want difficult and dangerous work, will look for the one who looks weaker, submissive and who probably does not battle.

Several practical tricks to improve body language

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

• Develop your awareness skills: there are several ways to be more aware of your surroundings, from familiarizing yourself with the routes you take every day on the way home, the peak hours in which people move the most, and those who frequently walk through your neighborhood, until practice yoga, meditate or practice a martial art (we will talk about this later).

• do exercise: Staying in shape 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 affect your body language positively.

• stay informed: it is scientifically proven that knowledge and information reduce our fear and increase our trust, remember that this is a quality that was expressed in the body language of those who were not victims. Reading articles on how to avoid being victims, self-defense and newspapers about what happens in your city can help you stay informed.

• Practice self defense: not to exercise it when an attacker asks for your belongings, since in this case, the most prudent thing is to avoid any confrontation, but because it has been shown that taking a course in self-defense powerfully affects our confidence in the face of a dangerous situation, this confidence has a very positive impact on our body language and increases your awareness of the environment. Therefore, it reduces the probability of looking like a potential victim.

More tricks to improve body language

According increase your confidence and feel better about yourself, the less likely you are to be a victim of a 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 up, parallel to the horizon keeping a steady gaze and sure, when someone sees you keep their gaze, but do not be defiant (many times this tactic deters criminals from messing with you).

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

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

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

• If you do not remember any street or you doubt your way, go to a cafe or store to ask for directions. Avoid asking strangers for help and talking to them.

• Move your arms in a natural and balanced way regarding your steps.

• Don't walk down the street with flashy 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.