The head bobble, head wobble, or Indian head shake refers to a common
gesture
A gesture is a form of nonverbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or othe ...
found in
South Asia
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
n cultures, most notably in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The motion usually consists of a side-to-side tilting of the head in arcs along the
coronal plane
The dorsal plane (also known as the coronal plane or frontal plane, especially in human anatomy) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into Anatomical terms of location#Dorsal and ventral, dorsal and ventral sections. It is perpendicular t ...
. A form of
nonverbal communication
Nonverbal communication is the transmission of messages or signals through a nonverbal platform such as eye contact (oculesics), body language (kinesics), social distance (proxemics), touch (Haptic communication, haptics), voice (prosody (lingui ...
, it may mean ''yes'', ''good'', ''maybe'', ''okay'', or ''I understand'', depending on the context.
Usage
In India, a head bobble can have a variety of different meanings. Most frequently it means ''yes,'' or is used to indicate understanding. The meaning of the head bobble depends on the context of the conversation or encounter. It can serve as an alternative to ''thank you'' or as a polite introduction, or it can represent acknowledgement.
Head bobbles can also be used in an intentionally vague manner. An unenthusiastic head bobble can be a polite way of declining something without saying no directly.
The gesture is common throughout India. However, it is used more frequently in South India.
See also
*
Head shake
*
Nod
References
External links
East vs WestThe myths that mystifyTED talk (ends with a reference to "the Indian head shake")
Human communication
Head gestures
South Asia
{{India-culture-stub