Should You Cross Your Arms in Headshots?

The most common headshot pose you’ll see across every industry is the arms crossed pose. As I’ve been learning a lot about body language and applying it to intentional posing within branding photos, I’ve been wondering why this is the most common pose?! Most of the time I think photographers are going with the flow and doing what they see others doing for poses.

First let’s dissect from a body language point of view what others can read this pose as:

1. Uninterested or bored: Think about the last time you were sitting and listening to a presentation or watching a movie that wasn’t keeping your attention. Did you sit back in your seat and cross your arms? Bored can also look like slouching posture and resting your chin on your palm if your chair has arm rest or if you have a table in front of you. 
2. Disagreement: I have a little funny story that I’ll ask you to see for yourself. Bring up the GIF search anywhere and type in “arms crossed” the GIFs that are at the top are of people or characters in complete disagreement and giving an attitude crossing their arms.
3. Intimidating: What I read from Joe Navarro a former FBI agent and multi book author on body language suggests that it is a power pose with intentions to intimidate, look authoritative and larger. Think bouncers and police officers crossing arms to intimidate the other person.  
4. Intimidated, self soothing, protecting: Crossing our arms protects a very vulnerable area in our body. This position also brings your arms close to your core so you can rub your arms or rub the suprasternal notch (the notch between your collarbone and just above the ribs) for self soothing comfort.
5. Cold: In first aid for a hypothermic person you want to warm their core first. We cross our arms over our core and then rub our arms to warm ourselves up. Typically shoulders will all round inwards when you're trying to stay warm.
6. In thought: When you cross your arms, you activate both the left and right hemispheres of the brain and then typically you’ll look either up or down as you try to think or process. When you’re by yourself optimize this body position and cross your arms. If you’re with other people, it’s best not to hold this position for very long. You can add in the pointer finger and a touch to your lower face to exaggerate that you’re in thought and give you a moment. 

As you can see crossing your arms has lots of different purposes and should be used intentionally.  When a person is crossing their arms in their headshot photos then they are they trying to be perceived as authoritative? Is this the right message to communicate in your headshot for your business? Is this the best pose that asks people to get to know your business more to then trust you?

When it comes to your headshot or any of your branding photos, you need to evaluate what is your intention of the photos and what are you trying to communicate? 

• If you want to communicate authority or intimidation, then yes, by all means cross your arms. 
• If you want to create a talking point of how thoughtful you are, then cross your arms and add in a face touch to show how much thought you put into doing x for your clients.

I think those are the only few I’d suggest using crossed arms within photos, the others make you appear weak or someone with an attitude. Clients don’t want to work with these types of business owners.  Unless you have a product or service that problem solves and takes someone from scared, cold, bored or disagreement, then an arms posture crossed would help to communicate a specific feeling. This is when you’d have an client model come in and pose for this type of storytelling. 

A note for when you are in person: What you don’t want to do is cross your arms because it is comfortable when you're talking with your clients or in a networking situation. In these in person exchanges you want to come across as warm and approachable, so always keep your arms uncrossed.  Unless you disagree with someone and need to make a point.

What do you do instead of crossing your arms?

In short, anything else. Keeping your arms down by your side (which feels unnatural at first), loosely holding your fingers, putting something in your hands (but not hiding behind it, position slightly off to the side if it is larger), or put your arms up on a table.  Never tightly clutch anything, another dead giveaway for discomfort and also try to keep your hands visible and not shoved into pockets.

Kristina’s Opinion

I won’t pose clients in this arms crossed pose. I do believe our headshots are meant to attract our ideal clients, to put them at ease, to show a warmth and approachable intention. Especially for health and wellness professionals, the arms crossed pose is not a pose for your headshots. Like everything there will always be exceptions, if the storytelling is what supports that specific narrative.   Overall, I will not direct a person to cross their arms for their headshot, I will pose the hands and arms in different positions that work for the person's body.