The human head can do remarkable things. Perched atop the neck and spinal column, the head is really a very heavy part of the body. It is equipped with the nerve center - literally and figuratively - of the body and is capable of experiencing each of the senses. The head can think, feel, see, hear, taste, and is armed with the ability to compute, speak, and display great logic......or the lack thereof.
The head can move in a rather large radius but, as a rule, does have somewhat limited movement beyond one-hundred and eighty degrees. The head can rotate from side to side, can nod up and down, can tip an ear towards each shoulder, and can shake from side to side.
Teachers and parents learn very quickly that the favorite head movement of some children is to shake from side to side, in what is universally known as "NO!" The preferred head movement is to nod up and down in agreement, although occasionally throwing in a "NO!" movement can indicate individuality and confidence.
For some, the early years of head movements morph into life-long habits. Some children are generally affable and agreeable into adulthood and others remain "NO!" headshakers their entire lives. I'm certain that each of us knows at least one of each of these personalities that manifests itself in movements involving the head.
I know people who begin nodding in agreement the moment another person opens up his or her mouth. Just observe a crowd or group of listeners when a leader is speaking. This nodding habit is just that, for some, and may not actually indicate agreement.
The headshaker is another animal all together. Every musical group, professional meeting, or social gathering seems to have at least one instinctive headshaker who has to be taught to stop, encouraged to stop or forbade to shake - period. The headshaker can call attention to goofs, mistakes, miscues, snafus, and mess-ups that the audience, public, or assembled might otherwise have never noted. In general, these people tend to be "Negative Nellies" in their lives and are simply prone to disagreeing with just about anything someone else says or does. I pity the headshakers because, after a while, people either dismiss them as cranks, or avoid them as often as possible.
I suppose, in the grand scheme of things, that even the headshakers are preferred over the 360-degree head movement that Linda Blair's character displayed in the 1970's movie, "The Exorcist".
I'll bet you are nodding in agreement right now.
Ancora imparo
