How normal is copying... such as a friend copying your mannerisms, or hand behaviour?

Answer 1

Many professional business people study a concept called neurolinguistic programming. There are many branches, and it is concerned with speaking directly to a persons inner workings.

A concept called mirroring is what you are thinking of.

People build rapport through mirroring.

On a basic level, we like people who are like us. One way to help rapport to develop is to mirror the micro-behaviours of those we wish to influence. Any observable behaviour can be mirrored, for example:

Body posture
Hand gestures
Head tilt
Vocal qualities (pace, rhythm, tonality)
Key phrases
Blink rate
Facial expression
Energy level
Breathing rate
Anything else that you can observe…

This concept has many applications as you may have already noticed. A prime example is bipersonal communications. Any conversation that involves two people. Rapport is accomplished by mimicing physical behaviours. On a subconcious level this shows that the two persons have spent a considerable amount of time in the company of a person of similar traits and family characteristics.

Answer 2

When somebody copies or "mirrors" your mannerisms it is usually because they like you.

Many people study body language, especially salespeople, and use this method to make the client feel that they are getting along well with each other. Try it out, mirror someones actions and you will then find that they begin to copy yours.

Answer 3

I used to be very insecure. In fact, I hated myself. I smoked a lot of pot. I moved across the country. I tried to reinvent myself. Over and over and over. After spending so much time hanging out with somebody getting high with them I would start to use the same words/behavior. It was very unorginal. You know what though? I had no idea of who *I* was.

Anyway, that as best as I can relate it. When I was a kid people used to copy me all the time. It pissed me off. Guys acted like b*tches. It really made me dislike them. I still meet people like that sometimes. You learn to deal with it.

Answer 4

I know that's a weird thing, i think if people admire somethings about someone they will mock them, but we know that people do violent things copy cat actions of others. Its not normal on that front but if you do it in the right way without hurting others, like fads i cant stand everytime on tv the word like right now is gone crazy, its like, like like. bad mannerism!

Answer 5

Pisces or major pisces placements or a good neptune... I easily have a pisces moon and that i have a tendency to reproduction mannerisms and that i hate that.. Its something in the subconscious, I basically p.c.. it up... Aries sunlight Pisces moon Taurus midheaven

Answer 6

it just shows a very impressionable personality.