BodyLanguageBrazilianshave a relaxed body language. They are a tactile people, and putting a hand onsomeone when talking to them is simply an indication of interest in theconversation, nothing more. A handshake between men may well be accompanied bythe other hand being places on the shoulder.In terms ofbody distance, people can be in close proximity to each other and not feel thattheir private space is being invaded. On the contrary, backing away can beconsidered rude. Brazilians also maintain eye contact both when listening ortalking to someone. They accompany their conversation with a whole series ofgestures. Across cultures, the same gesture may have different meanings and theone to avoid in Brazilis the thumb to index finger ring sign that means good in Anglo-Saxonsocieties. It has a rather rude meaning that can get you into trouble in Brazil. It isalso considered bad manners to yawn or stretch in public.Hellos andgood-byesIntroductionscan be quite formal. Men will shake hands and women will kiss on the cheek(twice if they are single, three times if they are married but just once inSao Paulo), as will men to women. In groups, people will often introducethemselves to each member in this way. The same ritual is repeated when leavingand is accompanied by quite long statements about how much the meeting wasenjoyed, how it was good to see you, and how you should take care, as well aspassing on best wishes to family (or friends or partners) who were unable to bethere. In the middle of good-byes, someone can remember to say something andrestart a conversation. In this case, once the topic is finished, the farewellproceedings will start again from the beginning. This good-bye ritual is oftenmaintained in phone conversations as well. Even among close friends, the hosttends to accompany the guest to the door. Announcing you are leaving and simplywalking to the door (without waiting for your host to accompany you) can beconsidered rude.ConversationstyleConversation,especially in groups, is lively, dynamic, and often noisy. Normally everybodyseems to be talking at once. Interruption is frequent often people do not getto finish what they are saying before someone else jumps in. However, no one isoffended by this (and there are no ritualistic expressions, as found inEnglish, to ask permission to interject). Conversations may become wide-rangingand stray across many different points before returning to the original one.Brazilianshave a flirty way of talking, which generally applies to communication betweengenders. They normally compliment each other about their looks, hairstyle, orchoice of clothes. Sometimes they even imply something more sexual, or suggestgoing out together without really meaning it. Unfortunately, the onlydifference between a real flirtatious conversation and a pretend one seems tobe in the latters slightly more jokey tone of voice.HumorBrazilianshave a vivid and often quite black sense of humor, which is not always politicallycorrect. They will make jokes about most things (including themselves) andthere is a thriving wave of satire aimed at whichever politician is in power.Making fun of religion, though, is a delicate issue and should be avoided.Lesseducated people can have a simpler sense of humor: the differences can be seen in TV comedies,which can vary enormously