But if there's one area where you should tread lightly, it's anything concerning your health and wellness. In TikTok's latest wrong turn, mouth taping to promote nose breathing (and prevent snoring) has recently surfaced as a viral trend on the platform—somewhere to the tune of 24.7M views.
Covering mouth
What It Means: When someone covers their mouth, it can mean that they are trying to pacify themselves2. This may be because they feel high amounts of stress or are uncertain about a situation.
Chris Ulrich, a senior instructor at the Body Language Institute in Washington D.C., said by covering your mouth or putting your hands on your head is a response that helps make people feel safer and smaller from a perceived threat.
Covering The Mouth
The hand covers the mouth as the brain subconsciously instructs it to try to suppress the deceitful, or in other cases unintended, words that are being said. Sometimes this gesture might only be several fingers over the mouth or even a closed fist, but its meaning remains the same.
It's a cultural habit. Chinese traditional etiquette dictates when women smile/laugh, their teeth should not be visible. So I was told as a kid that I need to cover my mouth when smile or laugh. In fact this is a pretty common etiquette through out East and Southeast Asia.
Lips which are pulled inwards from all directions are an indication of tension and may indicate frustration or disapproval. Pursed lips are a classic sign of anger, including when it is suppressed. It is effectively holding the mouth shut to prevent the person saying what they feel like saying.
He is looking at your lips
If his gaze keeps slipping down to your lips while he's talking to you, it's a sign that he is admiring you, fantasising about you and might even want to start a stable, long-term relationship with you," says Madan.
A red hand over the mouth has become the symbol of a growing movement, the MMIW movement. It stands for all the missing sisters whose voices are not heard. It stands for the silence of the media and law enforcement in the midst of this crisis.
You may notice her glaring at you without a trace of a smile on her face, which implies she's upset or annoyed at you in some way. Other signs that she's upset include giving you the silent treatment or speaking sarcastically (and sometimes with deliberate rudeness) when she does talk to you.
Closed smile
If he smiles with closed lips, showing no teeth or gums, you could have reason to worry. Maybe he is self-conscious about his teeth or breath. However, a closed mouth also can be considered a sign that he's hiding something. Is he lying about something or just not showing you his true self?
It's a cultural habit. Chinese traditional etiquette dictates when women smile/laugh, their teeth should not be visible. So I was told as a kid that I need to cover my mouth when smile or laugh. In fact this is a pretty common etiquette through out East and Southeast Asia.
For example, older adults may begin mouth-opening movements earlier to compensate for greater lowering prior to food consumption. A larger lowering gesture may result from various sensorimotor changes associated with eating/swallowing.
It is common to cover one's mouth during a yawn to conceal the action in many regions of the world in the process of others. In Italy, for example, most individuals cover their mouth while yawning (Schino & Aureli, 1989).
Slightly open lips signal he is drawing attention to them. You might even notice his lips parting when you first make eye contact. This is a nonverbal way of saying, “You just took my breath away from me.”
Yawning Without Covering Your Mouth
It may be hard to suppress that yawn—they are contagious, after all—but leaving your mouth uncovered is undeniably rude. "Yawning is a sign that you're tired, so it is polite to cover your mouth and even apologize for yawning while talking to someone," says Chertoff.
Men: If a woman seems focused on your face and chest, she sees romantic potential. A gaze that wanders from your chest to your hips to your legs reveals that she's interested in you—but it could either friendship or something more intimate.
The eyes most definitely get all the attention, especially when a man first meets a woman. The shape, size and color can easily tempt a man into wanting to know who the woman is behind those eyes. Yes, a smile is one of the things that a guy will first notice about you.
If she looks at you and then instantly turns away, it may be because she is shy or doesn't want to get caught looking at you. If she looks back at you and smiles, that's an invitation for you to go introduce yourself.
The shaka sign, sometimes known as "hang loose" or "right on", is a gesture with friendly intent often associated with Hawaii and surf culture.
Emoji Meaning
A yellow face with open (non-smiling) eyes and a hand over the mouth, used to convey shock or surprise.
Fingers in the Mouth - Morris's explanation of this gesture is that the fingers are placed in the mouth when a person is under pressure. Whereas most hand-to-mouth gestures involve lying or deception, the fingers-in-mouth gesture is an outward manifestation of an inner need for reassurance.
Men also tended to look at a woman's chest and hip regions if they were showing romantic interest, which Bahns noted aligns with previous research that says this is due to men's evolutionary focus on women's ability to reproduce.
"We lick our lips in anticipation when we see something we desire," she says. That anticipation might even be making him feel uneasy. "When we get nervous, our saliva glands stop secreting, and our mouths get dry—leading to lip-licking," says body-language expert Patti Wood.
He's attracted to you.
This is the most common reason why a guy would look you up and down: he likes what he sees, and he wants you to know it.
If she's attracted to you, she'll lick her lips to make her lips shinier and more “inviting.” Licking also makes her tongue make movements that draw attention to them. Licking lips can also mean that her mouth is drying out.