One simple trick can make you seem more persuasive when you're talking to people.

This is the discovery of University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Pennsylvania and University of Southern California (USC) researchers, who have revealed that while words are important, talking with your hands could hold more power.

In fact, "purposeful" hand gestures-and one type in particular-can make you appear both more convincing and competent. 

Building on previous research exploring speech patterns and facial expressions, this is the "first" study to examine hand gestures at scale, according to the team.

Audiences can interpret illustrative gestures as a sign of mastery, explains paper author and information systems researcher professor Mi Zhou of UBC.

"If a person uses their hands to visually illustrate what they're talking about, the audience perceives that this person has more knowledge and can make things easier to understand," Zhou said in a statement. 

Disponível em: https://www.newsweek.com/hand-gesturesscientists-reveal-simple-trick-more-persuasive-11003419)Acesso em 25/10/2025