Imagine that you’re driving to an appointment and someone is riding right on your bumper. Scowling at the offender in your rearview mirror, you’re tempted to raise your middle finger and show it to the other driver, but you restrain yourself. The raised finger is an example of a gesture, a hand motion used to communicate messages (Streek, 1993). “Flipping” someone “the bird” falls into a category of gestures known as emblems, which represent specific verbal meanings (Ekman, 1976). With emblems, the gesture and its verbal meaning are interchangeable. You can say the words or use the gesture, and you’ll send the same message.

Unlike emblems, illustrators accent or illustrate verbal messages. You tell your spouse about a rough road you recently biked, and as you describe the bumpy road you bounce your hand up and down to illustrate the ride.

Regulators control the exchange of conversational turns during interpersonal encounters (Rosenfeld, 1987). Listeners use regulators to tell speakers to keep talking, repeat something, hurry up, or let another person talk (Ekman & Friesen, 1969). Speakers use them to tell listeners to pay attention or to wait longer for their turn. Common examples include pointing a finger while trying to interrupt and holding a palm straight up to keep a person from interrupting. During online communication, abbreviations such as BRB (“be right back”) and JAS (“just a second”) serve as textual substitutes for gestural regulators.

Adaptors are touching gestures that serve a psychological or physical purpose (Ekman & Friesen, 1969). For example, you smooth your hair to make a better impression while meeting a potential new romantic partner.