In Communication Mosaics, Julia Wood speaks of various communication concepts. The majority of these concepts can be considered non-verbal ways of communicating. I am going to specifically discuss and experiment with just a few of them. For this assignment, I have chosen to experiment with space, eye contact and gaze, and physical appearance. I will explain how Julia Wood describes these concepts in the text and also talk about my own personal observations.
             According to Wood, proxemics refers to space and how we use it. The text goes on to say that in the US, we interact with "social acquaintances" at a distance of 4-12 feet, but with friends or intimates we feel comfortable at 18 inches. I think that I might have proven her a tad bit wrong. I decided to try these numbers out in a little experiment. While engaging in conversation with my girlfriend (whom I have been dating for over a year), I began to slowly move closer to her. Her immediate reaction was to cease talking and stare at me like I wasn't human. She continued to ask what I was doing, stick her hand into my chest, and move away. So instead of being comfortable with just "18 inches of space," she pushed me away because I was apparently frightening her. I think that it's different if you are just being intimate, and not suddenly moving closer to someone.
             To continue on the same concept of space, I decided to use a different person to experiment on: my little brother. In the middle of a conversation with him, I slowly took steps away from him. At first, he didn't even respond. He acted as if he didn't notice that I was doing anything. Then, after about 5 or 6 steps, he stopped talking and asked if I was all right. He proceeded to ask me what I was doing, so I responded with, "nothing." As he continued the conversation, I took two more steps away. (This is my favorite part) When he noticed that I had s...