"We respond to gestures... in accordance with an elaborate and secret code that is written nowhere, known by none and understood by all" - Sapir, 1927, p.892

The COBOL project – Communication with Emotional Body Language

The computer crashes. What do we do? Self-consciously scratch our heads, fruitlessly fiddle with the computer, tear our hair and nervously bite our lips. Even though we don't utter a single word, anybody watching would know exactly what's going on inside. Our body language is part of us. Because emotions, gestures and facial expressions are linked up in the brain, even people who were born deaf and blind will turn down the corners of their mouths to express sadness and smile to show that they are happy.

COmmunication with Emotional BOdy Language (COBOL) was launched in 2006 by the the European Commission as project, in the 6th EU framework programme. The Commission will be supporting this Specific Targeted Research Project for three years, to the tune of €1.8 million.