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Why Do We Move Our Hands When We Talk?

Tom Scott | August 10, 2026



Gestures are a really important part of language. But how do we use them, and why? MORE LANGUAGE FILES: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL96C35uN7xGLDEnHuhD7CTZES3KXFnwm0

Written with Gretchen McCulloch and Molly Ruhl, with an assist from Lauren Gawne.

Gretchen’s podcast Lingthusiasm is at http://lingthusiasm.com/ – and Gretchen’s new book, BECAUSE INTERNET, is available:

🇺🇸 US: https://amzn.to/30tLpjT
🇨🇦 CA: https://amzn.to/2JsTYWH
🇬🇧 UK: https://amzn.to/31K8eRD

(Those are affiliate links that give a commission to me or Gretchen, depending on country!)

REFERENCES:

Kendon, A. (2004). Gesture: Visible action as utterance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bernard, J. A., B Millman, Z., & Mittal, V. A. (2015).
Lederer, J. (2019). Gesturing the source domain: The role of co-speech gesture in the metaphorical models of gender transition. Metaphor and the Social World, 9(1), 32-58.
Gawne, L. & McCulloch, G. (2019). Emoji as digital gestures. Language@Internet. 17(2). http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0009-7-48882
Kendon, A. (2004). Gesture: Visible action as utterance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lederer, J. (2019). Gesturing the source domain: The role of co-speech gesture in the metaphorical models of gender transition. Metaphor and the Social World, 9(1), 32-58.
McNeill, D. Gesture: a Psycholinguistic Approach.
Kendon, A. (2000). Language and gesture: Unity or duality? In D. McNeill (Ed.), Language and gesture: Window into thought and action (pp. 47-63). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kendon, A. (2004). Gesture: Visible action as utterance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Iverson, J., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (1998). Why people gesture when they speak. Nature, 396(6708), 228-228.
McNeill, D. (1985). So you think gestures are nonverbal? Psychological Review, 92(3), 350-371.

🟥 MORE FROM TOM: https://www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
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Written by Tom Scott

Comments

This post currently has 27 comments.

  4. @volume10industries...24_7

    August 10, 2026 at 3:19 am

    Q. " Why Do We Move Our Hands When We Talk? " …
    A. because everyone does that now, and we are so unsure of ourselves we were needy enough to follow a trend.
    Instead of starting one.
    So, how about not doing that, just to stop the trend of easily distracted and very needy copy-cats thinking they're learning some new way of expressing themselves, just because everyone else did.
    no offense…{ i said that with my right shoulder blade 😉

  5. @Asgaia

    August 10, 2026 at 3:19 am

    Sorry. I am German not Italian. For me a lot of gestures, even of some German speakers are artifical.
    I am German. I cannot do gestures. I hold my beer in the hand.

  6. @FyreStarting

    August 10, 2026 at 3:19 am

    Waving your hands around proves you don’t have full faith in your words and are trying to convince others that your words carry more weight. It’s not a good look to look like a whacky inflatable arm waving tube man.

  7. @abirch3301

    August 10, 2026 at 3:19 am

    When watching this video I thought “This video would make a great topic for Lingthusiasm – it’s definitely in the writing style of the show, if only Lingthusiam weren’t a podcast show.” And then I saw that Gretchen McCulloch was one of this video’s writers…😊

  8. @grahamdixon645

    August 10, 2026 at 3:19 am

    I find gesticulation very distracting and counterproductive, I find myself watching the hands instead of listening to the narrative. Newsreaders and some of the most eloquent speakers rarely gesticulate and if it was necessary we wouldn't bother listening to the radio or talking on the phone. I always find it really strange seeing people use hand gestures whilst on their mobile phones .

  21. @Fewshin

    August 10, 2026 at 3:19 am

    I often gesture to help with my stutter. I often use pushing motions and circular motions to 'pull' the words out of my mouth without getting tripped up.

  24. @MicroSpaceCoin

    August 10, 2026 at 3:19 am

    I use gestures when I cant thing of words. I asked where the spray bottle is but I forgot what it was called, so i air-sprayed with my fingers until i remembered. I do this a lot when i cant think of/remember words and i think its funny

Comments are closed.

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