A big part of communicating with other is non-verbal communication. How does non-verbal communication influence how people receive our message? Non-verbal communication differs from culture to culture.
Many have commented for instance on eye contact or lack of eye contact in other cultures. In Asia, direct eye contact is considered rude, while in America, direct eye contact communicates honesty and sincerity.
In this blog post, I will talk about how different cultures react to body odor. What does your body odor communicate about you as a person? What kind of impression do people have of you from your body odor?
"Americans represent an example of a culture that tends to be uncomfortable with natural smells (like body odor). Many other cultures regard natural smells (like body odor) as normal." (Sanovar, 62)
It is true that in other cultures, body odor is considered a normal part of life. When I was in Europe, I remember it was summertime and it was hot and humid. I was inside a crowded bus. People had to raise their arms to hold on to the rings in the bus. As an American, not used to body odor of sweat, I felt like it stunk in the bus. My American friend who was with me at the time thought the same.
However, for Europeans, body odor is normal. None of the Europeans on that crowded hot bus seemed the least bit bothered by the extreme smell of sweat like a guy's locker room in the States.
In America, people wear deordorant to mask body odor. People judge you as not having good personal hygiene if you have a strong sweaty musky body odor.
When I was in Middlebury College Study Abroad Program for France, we American students were given a cultural to do list of how to behave in Europe. We were told "Do not shower every day. Europeans only shower 3 times a week. If you shower every day, your European host family will think you are wasting water."
Meanwhile, the Middlebury Study Abroad Program Student Exchange Cultural List for Europeans about to study in the US said to the European students, "You must shower every single day. If you do not shower every day, Americans will find your body odor offensive."
While I was in Europe, I showered less than when I was in the United States. In the summer, I did have a strong body odor due to lack of showering, but nobody noticed.
If you have students with strong body odor, be aware that in those cultures, strong body odor is considered normal and non-offensive, so don't be put off by your students' body odor. Also, in other cultures, instead of showering frequently, some cultures like to wear perfume to complement body odor. Some cultures find it normal for people to smell musky and wear perfume.
"As with all of our other examples of non-verbal messages, not knowing cultural variations in attitude towards smells can create uncertainty and even ill-feeling. As we move from culture to culture, it is important we pay attention to the scents around us and the way they influence our communication. (Sanovar, 162)
Sanovar, Larry A, Potter, Richard E., Stefani, Lisa A. Communication Between Cultures. Watsworth Publishing. 3rd Edition.
No comments:
Post a Comment