Nod (gesture)

An early survey of nodding and other gestures was The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, written by Charles Darwin in 1872.

Darwin wrote to missionaries in many parts of the world asking for information on local gestures, and concluded that nodding for "yes" was common to many different groups.

[1] There are several exceptions: in Greece, Cyprus, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria,[2] a single nod of the head up but not down indicates a "no".

[3] Specifically in Greece and in Cyprus, the single nod of the head up that indicates "no" is almost always combined with a simultaneous raise of the eyebrows and most commonly also with a slight (or complete) rolling up of the eyes.

It has been claimed that "many men feel a great deal can be intuited from the gesture [...] replete with all sorts of little nuances.