Why Do Indians Wobble Their Heads?

[@warmcupofbatteracid]

Everyone is wobbling their heads while watching this

[@jamesmorris9957]

U got me...

[@imjasminerico]

lololol (head shaking)

[@goodsamaritan4521]

No but I do smell poop

[@justlivinglife...4495]

omw yeeees

[@teecinemayo]

Still going

[@mcrs821]

Having lived all my life in India, I thought this was a universal gesture, until i read about it somewhere. Strange, I am sure I can't communicate without it

[@AnpuLondon]

I hear you!

[@lino8592]

weirdo

[@michaelr.4878]

Tell me.....as an Indian, why do so many English speaking Indian people start conversations with, 'Tell me...'? It is kind of cute, in an odd way. I was just wondering why so many people say exactly the same thing.... So, tell me! hehe. Thanks.

[@beastplays4806]

@@michaelr.4878 I just realised I do it all the time😂😂. And i have no idea why I use tell me before asking something. But we usually begin with these words with our frnds or closed one but not with our managers or colleagues at work

[@aymanhood999]

@adrianaastarrpreach queen

[@billreal8692]

This was a great explanation. I had an Indian women wobble her head while I was talking to her and I had no idea what she was doing. Now I know. Thanks!

[@Carltonway1]

I met one guy and he was wobbling his head I though maybe he had a medical issue. Thanks for making this video.

[@tanishksingh3580]

Why... For us.. Indians it is common

[@ChattyCinnamon]

@@tanishksingh3580 Sorry, I don't know if they meant for that to be offensive, I assume not, the head wobble is completely unheard of among far westerners unless it is someone who knows Indian people... I grew up being good friends with an Indian brother and sister and often had dinner with their family so I got to see the gesture a little bit, not enough to know exactly what it meant or represented, but enough to know that it was a friendly gesture

[@ChattyCinnamon]

@@tanishksingh3580 I am from the UK, I assume there are lots of Indians who are not very fond of the British due to our ancestor's poor behaviour, however, there is quite a large population of Indians in the UK, more specifically England, so we are more likely to have been around Indians at one point or another during our lives. I am assuming the person who wrote the comment is American. On the other hand, there are the Americans, I don't think America is a very culturally diverse or accepting country in large, and for this reason, it is unusual to see this kind of behaviour, as it was likely their first and only time witnessing the gesture... I'm sure there are many mannerisms and behaviours that westerners have that would be confusing and bizarre to Indians and people of many other cultures too as people from different places behave differently, and often in ways you are not used to and have never seen before. You just have to be accepting and non-judgmental when in the presence of people from different backgrounds and cultures. In part, I believe that someone's ability to be accepting and non-judgmental of anyone is a key factor in deciding whether you are a good or bad person, but that's just my opinion.

[@CrustyUgg]

@@tanishksingh3580 not everyone is Indian. Do you know everything about everyone else's culture and why they do what they do? No. You don't. Use your head to think and not just wobble.

[@muhammadah6850]

@@tanishksingh3580 bruh read he said he thought

[@galeriaproductions70]

So about 11 years ago i worked for an amusement park here in the states. I was working at the popcorn stands we had anlot of tourist there so i gradually got used to the wobble. Being of hispanic descent i had never seen this as we use more hand gestures for non verbal communication. Now when i say i got used to it I dont just mean i just acknowledge it or simply accepted it. I mean that i got to gradually understand what it ment. For instance when someone came to the stand and asked: "May i get a bag of popcorn" while wobbling their head. I knew he was asking respectfully and in a polite manner. It definitely adds that feeling to what they are saying. After i would hand them their bag of popcorn they would simply wobble their head again. This is where i learned it was also as sign of gratitude or a simple way to say thanks. Our world is so beautifully diverse. Thanks for uploading this

[@welitonafilms2997]

Hey dude. I'm a travel agent here in Brazil and I got the pleasure to attend 2 girls from India specially from Tamil Nadu hahah. I've a close connection with India because about 3 years ago I started studying English and I have too a great friend in Utar Pradesh specially in "Alahabad" I suppose it's the old name of this city. Anyways during the attediment both girls did it during our great conversation.. and this video made me understand it very well. I'm intending to visit India in next 2 years I want to cross North India to South by train hahaha. My Utar Pradesh friend has shown me a country which has changed me for completely. My Indian "crush" a beautiful Tuticorin friend is sweet amazing and I really like her hahah I use to talk to her everyday hahah.. Thank you so much for this opportunity which I'm having here to express my love for this country.. Namastê.

[@sk-lh7ur]

You are welcome in INDIA 🇮🇳♥️

[@VojvodaSloboda]

I find it really sweet. It is very nice when you are speaking to someone and they physically acknowledge what you are saying and with a soft smile. Makes for very welcoming feeling.

[@radekw-gh6ln]

But in western world you can do the same as well. But instead of wobling we just nod our head up and down like when saying "yes". The same with showing respect. Instead of head wobble we just nod our head down little bit.

[@suzysmith9247]

THANK YOU! I have been wondering about this for years. But honestly, I didn’t want to unintentionally insult someone by asking why people do this. Now I know! Thank you for this meaningful and educational video.

[@thelynns3830]

I'm in America and was watching a video of a deaf child from, I believe, India. As the child paid attention to his tutor; he wobbled his head and it made me curious. You explained the wobble so well! Thank You.

[@sacrebleuwhataworld]

One of the best descriptions of the wobble that I've heard, thank you. From a non-Indian's observation after enjoying several Indian movies: It was obvious that the wobble had infinite meanings. I was puzzled until I tried to catch the contextual clues. An accompanying smile, as you said, or a word, or certain look in the eyes, facial expression, hand gesture, body language. Some Indian actors are so adept at it (intentionally or not), they can carry an entire conversation in head wobbles, and I love those scenes :D (I'm thinking of Anirban Bhattacharya, for example). IMHO, the wobble is one of the most endearing, versatile, non-verbal forms of expression on the planet. Wobblers have a natural, unique gift of communication that is notoriously difficult for us non-Indians to master convincingly :D

[@unverifiedverified4418]

Except that the rest of us are so confused by it.

[@hawaiihammer]

Mahalo my friend. I’m late to this post but!!!! In researching how to best understand a couple of my students I ended up learning a lot about my late brother…. Many years before he past he spent close to a year in India and Nepal. When he got back home to Hawaii (which has many different cultures and their non-verbal communication) he continued the head shake. Which at the time obviously didn’t understand it. Sooooo thank you!!!!! Some thing I thought might be a mimic (I feel like an ass) was a lovely sign.

[@Wesmin]

Thank you for the explanation. I'm from the USA and was watching an Indian tv show tonight and was confused by/interested in this. Your explanation was thorough and clear.

[@sazji]

Ah, body language code-switching! Good explanation! So often it seems like a sort of polite “message received, I’m listening” gesture.

[@AnpuLondon]

Thank you! It's definitely a polite gesture, yeah :) And yeah, I've never really thought about it that way - you're right!

[@sazji]

Conquer British English [Anpu] I don’t know much about Tamil but some Asian languages have “politeness particles” that you can tag into a sentence or just use in isolation as someone speaks to you; Thai is a good example with krap for men and kaa for women. Khmer has them too, and both cultures are very much influenced by India. (Their writing systems are based on Tamil script too.) Do you have words like that in Tamil?

[@Opdf88]

I lived in US and I taught violin lessons for dozen of Indians families. Most of them would do it when I was giving them instructions after the lesson was done. Thank you for the video and hugs from Brazil to the fellow Indian people! I used to be mistakenly recognized as an Indian there and I liked it!

[@remkojerphanion4686]

This is the first time I have seen/heard an explanation on head-wobbling. I'm not Asian, but somehow I have always taken for granted that it is an affirmative gesture. I like it.

[@saucegaming285]

asians dont wobble their heads

[@girevka]

Thanks for this! I just watched an Indian movie where people were doing this gesture and it's good to understand what it's all about. Also FWIW as a westerner seeing it for the first time, I think it's really charming.

[@tophmedia]

I used to work at an apartment complex over summers, and the renters were predominately from India, I noticed the headshakes were always when they were agreeing with something I said, or when they understood something I was explaining. I love learning about other's cultures, the wobbles I would always get were very faint/not as 'aggressive' as the ones showed in this video however.

[@veggiesarefruits]

It's very hard to do if it's not something you've learned in an organic way! I can feel my brain hitting my skull even when I do it softly. 😂

[@Yeti122]

hahahahah same "

[@elmershertzer4197]

Anpu thanks so much for your explanation of the head wobble. I saw an elderly lady wobble her head at me and sort of slowly, and what you said made sense that she saw me as a friend: how encouraging. I also liked the sign of respect by closing the eyes and also for agreement.

[@AnpuLondon]

You're welcome, and thanks for the comment!

[@Tygafttf]

Its seems so funny to imagine 1000 indians in a room at university wobbling there heads

[@kathpk]

I didn’t realize people would ask about this. Thank you so much for your explanation. I can now know when my Indian friends are wobbling, it’s a good thing^^

[@bruceyboy7349]

I work with a Tamil woman and she wobbles her head a lot. We have to talk about complex and varied things and as a result of our conversations I concluded that the wobbling I saw meant "Yes, I agree", "Ok", "That's fine" and "I understand... carry on talking". The last one is a fast wobble that seems to convey that she's keeping up with my explanation and is indicating that I can continue without having to stop and clarify anything. Watching this video is the first time I have "checked" my interpretation. It doesn't seem like I'm too far wrong, thankfully. I love the head wobble. Great video!

[@carmensavu5122]

I really love this head bobble way of communicating. I watched a couple of Bollywood series and picked it up, it makes perfect sense to me. I do it too sometimes, but I am not Indian, nor do I live in India.

[@bhdctn]

Thank you for explaining this gesture. I remember being on a plane (South Western) and I asked an Indian man if I could sit beside him as South Western doesn't have assigned seats and he did this exact gesture but was silent. By him moving to the window seat and smiling I realized he was okay w it. The head shaking was another way of saying yes and honoring me I guess. What a nice person 😄

[@mrkimolsson]

So it´s like a nod. A repeated up-and-down nod means yes. But a nod can also be a greeting if it´s a slight fast upwards nod. Or a sign of respect if it´s a subtle and slow downward nod.

[@miked3187]

That was a wonderful explanation. As an english person working with many Indian colleagues at work i've found it very confusing having Video conferences where my indian counterparts are shaking their heads but verbally agreeing. I did not realise how prevalent is. You video puts me at ease and allows me confidence in communicating with my colleagues. Such a shame that us westerners are not more communicative and supportive through gestures. its really powerful reinforcement during the conversation without disrupting conversation flow.

[@richardhill8969]

Fascinating. Thanks for making this video. I've often wondered what that head wobble meant. Decided to Google it and found your clip. Thank you!

[@BeyondIntention]

Love it! As a nurse I found this very helpful for communicating with my patients. I suspected this was the gist, but had no idea it could communicate so much. I’ll pay more attention next time and see if I can understand better what is being expressed. Thanks for making the video!

[@OscarEDodier]

It is such a wonderful nonverbal communication method. 🥰🥰🙌🙌

[@chiragsharma1556]

There is one more gesture of head wobbling When someone asks you to do something and you don't want to do that but you have to do, then keeping the eyes closed and wobbling the head will describe your state. (I hope you got what I meant)

[@harig8584]

Yeah correct!

[@hanma1705]

I have indeed become a huge fan of your British Accent when I accidentally came up on your video. Subscribed!

[@AnpuLondon]

Thank you!

[@Shane-nm7kr]

Thank you very much for this video. I live in Canada and work with quite a few people from India. I am 30+ years older than most of them and a few of them do the head wobble when speaking with me or even when just saying "hi". They are all extremely polite, very well mannered and great workers. I think their head wobbling with me is a sign of both respect (I'm older) and friendship. p.s....I love Indian food. Loaded with flavor.

[@fieldofvisionart]

Thanks for explaining. I often encounter Indians at my work and been asking this question for awhile. Now I can help people more effectively.

[@missjski]

I work for cps in texas and the mother grandmother i interviewed on my case made this gesture a lot. I was so curious about it I had to google this as soon as I got home.

[@CurtisEzell]

So I’m at this wonderful Vegetarian Indian Cafe in Houston, TX. I have been experienced different facets of the Indian culture through relationships cultivated over 20 years in the hospitality industry. I just noticed a fellow customer doing the “head wobble” and needed to understand the gesture. Thank you so much for this video….I didn’t know how to search for the answer, but your video popped up in anticipation of my request.

[@AnpuLondon]

You're so welcome!!

[@jdlk-ny5yo]

For a westerner, I thought this was actually a softer way of saying “no”, than the side to side motion, like “I am not sure you are right about that”… interesting that it actually means the opposite

[@florange3232]

This was very helpful and made me smile as I now better understand the nonverbal communication from past interactions. Thank you

[@markchiddington7055]

Thankyou. Good video. I grew up in West London, never knew the communication that was happening with the wobble. Thankyou. Subscribed. Cheers.

[@giovannigiorgio4622]

OMG i just started a new company, my new boss is named Baburaj i do not know his nationality but would assume Indian, Great guy! the whole meeting he was doin a head wobble... Im as Aussie as they get, and work in mental health and noticed this, i got fast ones and slow ones and ones with laughter, this is good i was curious and NO have never seen the head wobble.... Much respect and gratitude to you, thanks mate for clearing that up. Good on you for recognition to cultural differences and to give information without prejudice to ignorance, Kudos to you.

[@TzarinaMystra]

One of my upper managers was once having a slightly confrontational conversation with my team and he was doing the head wobble afterwards. We'd never seen it before and found it confusing, so several of my work friends joked about him being a "bobblehead" in a private chat afterwards. It was only recently, when I was watching RRR, that I realized it was a cultural thing! And now I feel terrible for making fun of the guy, even in private. 🥺 Thanks for the explainer video!

[@AnpuLondon]

You're welcome! and thanks for sharing your experience. And thanks for recognising that it's not kind to making fun of cultural gestures. Sending love!!

[@VTSifuSteve]

Sooo funny! I'm an old American from Arizona with less contact with South Asians than most and never really noticed this ...until watching RRR. Now I'm remembering having seen this a number of times in the past when we had Indian guests and I never really took notice. Now, like everybody else here, I'm practicing the gesture just to see what it feels like. I think I have a stiff neck!!!

[@stanmclean6218]

I am reading a book about life in Bombay... First time I have heard about the head wobble. Brought up a big smile. What a great gesture. Western society would greatly benefit from adopting a way to show respect to each other. Thank you for your explanation. I will be on the lookout for it now. 🙏

[@shanteljohnson6129]

This is helpful! I’m in clinical and the doctor is from India so we have tons of patients from India. I thought I was tripping but I realized the patients were definitely wobbling their heads lol this explains it! Thank you!

[@AnpuLondon]

Hahaha you're not tripping! Glad the video was helpful.

[@jackonsville]

I was recently talking to a young Indian women who lives with my girlfriend here in the UK and she suddenly started a very pronounced head wobble. I found it very charming but I did go online to see what it meant.

[@DocM.]

*QUESTION!* So I work in pest control, in big apartment complexes I've notice many of the middle easteners SHAKE their head left and right like while we say NO, when I'm explaining something them. Why is that? It's not the wobble it's a shaking head No motion. For example I'll explain "I'm going to put the bait down for the unwanted insects to eat but I won't put any sticky glue boards down because we want them to take the poison back to the nest." Throughout my explanation they shake their heads NO while they're listening. I'm confused! Some times they'll even ask questions and then shake head no when I respond

[@Briansantiago11]

When i see them wobble the head after hearing a sentence, i usually presume that the wobble means information processing before answering. Cool to see thier processing power showing

[@yazeedalrasheed5295]

Thanks Anpu for explain to us this .. I living in India one year .. awesome people really I like them I have alot of Indians friends.From different religious and culture still contact with them until now … I’m Yazeed from saudia Arabia

[@brklynz_finest6383]

Thank you for your clarity on the matter. My lineage does have southern Asian roots, but I never understood this gesture.

[@AnpuLondon]

That's awesome!

[@doriangibbons2624]

Thank you for your tutorial. I live in Northern California and recently saw a doctor who was of S. Asian descent. She had a slight head wobble and it made me curious as I had seen it in actors and in documentaries. I didn't ask her about as I didn't want to be rude. Your explanation was great and very interesting. Thank you!

[@gatorsminks]

I was confused too but if you think about it we have head movements in the USA that others may not understand too Kind of the same thing.. like if we're in the middle of a conversation and a waiter/waitress brings us a drink refill we just give a cowboy nod to and say thank you..women will accompany it with a smile. Men here also do the cowboy nod to acknowledge strangers and women and some men will accompany it with a slight smile. When we're listening to someone and we want to show that we understand we will do a fast slight up and down vertical nod. We also do the up and down vertical to say yes. When we are listening to someone and don't like what they're saying we will slightly shake our heads left to right about 3 or 4 times and we will do the same to simply say no. When we believe someone is doing or saying something wrong we will do that same back and fourth left right head motion. I was confused by the Indian head movement so I came here but now it makes a lot of sense.

[@Ragdollz]

I picked up the wobble after working and becoming friends with many Indians at work. My head wobbles all the time, even when I’m not with them. I 💯 picked up their culture subconsciously

[@geo_eatz4043]

😂

[@lhadyvampire1984]

Now I know what it means... its like when I talk to someone even over the phone I nod my head when I agree to the statement. ❤

[@candicek.4659]

Thank you for this video! I love how you explained it and I found myself mirroring your head wobble along with you. Explains a lot and I think it’s so endearing as a sign of acknowledgment, respect, agreement and gratitude! I enjoy exploring other cultures and languages -even non verbal cues! With respect and admiration from Texas 🙏🫶🏼

[@treasiedukes954]

Thank you soooooooo much for explaining this. I just moved to a different part of town wear there are predominately Indians and I could not understand why the culture does this. But now I have a greater understanding of this beautiful culture. Thank you

[@christopherbell7159]

As soon as I Type why do KZbin was on point 😅😅

[@quinnadventures7637]

I live in a community of people from South Asia in Morrisville, NC, USA. I am a white lady, but a minority in this part of Raleigh NC by far. Appreciate the info,,because I am often confused, because these wobbles vary. Encountered a fast wobble today as I conversed with a lady whose son was coming to visit my son. Now that I understand what it means, I think she's aware of the accent barrier and wants me to feel like my responses to her are accurate to what she's communicating. We were discussing what time I would bring her son back home after visiting my son. I actually find her English very easy to understand because she talks at a pace I can follow. Some Indian people here speak so fast I can't understand.

[@aubreyfennewald4687]

Thank you. I have been recently communicating online with a new friend from India who occasionally wobbles his head at me, and I thought, what the heck does that mean?? This explanation is very helpful!

[@DoctorNuriel]

so the wobble is kind of like a respectful "yeah" or "sure thing!" when you're listening to someone or you're in accordance with something that's being told or asked to/of you?

[@clarissagiles734]

Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge. I needed to understand because an Indian woman was wobbling her head quickly while agreeing to do something for me as a customer. I wasn’t sure if she was upset or agreeable because in African American and American culture, head wobbling/shaking means the opposite of what it means in Indian culture. 😅

[@carmenperreault2543]

Thank you for your explanation. I've been a city bus driver in the USA and have many university students passingers coming from India, I always wonder why they were shaking their heads.

[@GardenNHS]

1:33 OMG thankfully you explained this to us all. Now i understand! We thought that it may have ment something bad or derogatory or mocking. The head wobble is very odd in the west. Definitely doesn’t exist. We don't understand it. You helped us a lot. Thank you

[@bigrollingpin]

Where'd you get your shirt? It's so swag

[@hernanarcocha2387]

In Argentina this gesture, a moderate or slow side and side headshake or wobbling, usually means "Mmmmh, maybe, but I'm not completely convinced" or simply "Perhaps, perhaps, I hadn't thought about it but it may just well be". Is it never used like this in India?

[@stardustjustlikeyou]

Cool thanks! I've seen Indian people do it so frequently that I assumed it had to mean something. As a westerner, it looks very similar to shaking your head 'no,' but people always seemed to verbally express the opposite of 'no' when doing it so it was a bit confusing at first.

[@AnpuLondon]

Yep!! that's interesting!

[@shainaep]

Haha, I spent a while in Jaipur, India and subconsciously picked it up. I do it even when I'm alone thinking about something or making a decision lol I catch myself doing it, and all I can do is smile:-)

[@Consuelaziza]

I have met people that have done this and realizing they all shared a similar phenotype so it might be cultural. My great grandmother was Indian(I don’t know specifically where she was from)and I know nothing about her or her culture so thank you for this.

[@michelehegarty7725]

Loved your explanation, thanks. I work with a girl from India and asked a colleague what the head wobble was about as I was concerned, my colleague told me to do a search of the head wobble. Turns out it's apart of non verbal communication.

[@rosalindwalker9277]

You have a good colleague.

[@EmbracingElevation]

This BEAUTIFUL! My mom's (or mum's) nurse practitioner is Indian and she was talking to me about hospic for my mom (pretty difficult conversation) and I couldn't understand why her had was moving so quickly. I had they thought is something wrong I quickly realized this familiar and I l've seen before.... And that's what lead me here AND THIS IS fantastic news. She really is a lovely woman. Should I wobbly back to her or address her as auntie 🤔? Is that disrespectful?

[@jenaharris1878]

Thanks for this video. One of my Indian volleyball mates did this, and then when some of his friends came out to play, I noticed they did this too. I got the sense that it is a sign of respect, and sometimes almost endearing. I really like this gesture ☺️

[@Urbizzo]

Thanks for the explanation. Met a guy and he is wobbling a lot. Probably unknowingly. It was not easy to interpret.

[@okayman1163]

I noticed in alot of the travel blogs I watched the Indian and South Asian people doing it and always wondered why thanks

[@sarpersaridal5396]

in my first time when i met my first indian friend i tougjt he was saying maybe. like can you complete the work unti friday.. he was doing the wobbling. and i was asking over and over but we must do it. he was fastly theb wobbling. it looks like wobbling means "maybe" but its not he was just trying to say of course yes! certainly!

[@weylin07]

Thank you so much for this video explanation. I just had a meeting with a client and he's from India, it was quite a serious meeting talking about the family needs etc ( I work in the disability industry by the way!) and I was explaining a lot of things to them. I've noticed he wobbled his head a lot, he wasn't smiling so I thought he probably wasnt agreeing to what i said. But as he spoke, it seems like he actually does agree to what I was saying and thanked me! So after watching this video, I think he must have received a lot of useful info from me and therefore lots of head shaking. Now I feel damn good about myself lol! Thank you!

[@Brahmsfan]

Yes, thank you! I actually did a search on this because I observed the gesture with some of the families whose newborn babies I have photographed, and remembered noticing it on some level with Indian friends over the years. I was pretty sure this was what it meant, but good to confirm. Gestures and body language are such an important part of conversation.

[@konradxtofik]

Thank you for this great explanation! Greetings from Poland ❤

[@jcceazer1468]

Yes, ((😌)) I live in San Antonio TX and just a few days ago I observed a family group at the Japanese Tea Garden doing just that. Thought to myself, "Wish I knew what that head gesture means." Thanks for clarifying ((😌))

[@robbybubble5778]

After this video i think indians can talk for hours with eachtother just by wobbling their heads :D

[@overcomer4060]

I've been watching a You Tube channel of people in India trying new foods or experiencing new things for a reaction, and I love the show but have been so utterly confused as to why they do this head bobble, and what it means. I had no idea what they were trying to convey. This video explains it well!🙂

[@shinigami1315]

I've seen this a lot at my local bodegas and gas stations and always was curious of the significance. Thank you for clearing that up for me

[@AnpuLondon]

You're very welcome!

[@joefigueroa5476]

Thank you for sharing that cultural tradition of your country. 🙏

[@BxndsFR]

Yo I'm mexican and love Pakistani and indian people

[@Bernadettapieklo1]

Thank you. Will be traveling to India, this was helpful

[@DEMCarnage]

This is pretty neat... my wife and I noticed this wobble years ago, and we've always been curious about it. Lol leave it to KZbin for the answer. 👏

[@sduang3630]

What about saying "no", what does the head gesture look like? Will there be another VDO explaining that? Thanks!

[@minathomas7688]

I’m looking up this video as a hairstylist because I have clientele do it and I realized I naturally got excited when they did it to where I would pull myself back because I didn’t actually know what it meant and didn’t know if I was misreading people. Some people do it right before they wave you away and disagree with what you say or right before they say something rude and some people do it in a kind gesture of some sort. I never know what I’m getting into but this video cleared nothing up 🤣

[@TheWizardsTales]

I found this video while trying to find the video of the guy who just can't stop wobbling his head... his friends are telling him "okay, we're going to ask you a question. Answer it without wobbling your head." And he wobbles his head while saying "okay." The more he starts realizing he's doing it, it's like it's overpowering him and he starts laughing hysterically while not being able to stop wobbling.

[@josha8737]

My dog would wag its tail as a puppy and I would wobble my head to mimic the tail wagging. Then when it was older if I would bobble my head it would respond by wagging its tail. I feel like the bobble is just like how a dog wags to say it's friendly.

[@MrEye4get]

Great video! What about a more vertical nod like used in the Western world? Is it used in South Asia as well? What about no?

[@v.c.webster9250]

Thank you for your great videos. I wonder if Indians ever also nod their heads to mean 'yes' or when in agreement?

[@indian81able]

Excellent I watched some sufi singers wabling their heads, when other singers in the same stated sang, and I wasnt sure what exactly it meant

[@smassey6848]

And now I know! Thanks for sharing.

[@AUTH3RD]

Thanks for teaching me something new.

[@PandaHouse21]

This happened in one of my technical interviews over zoom and I thought he was meaning "no" every time I was answering a question.

[@miranda5237]

Great video and explanation, thanks. I wondered - Do you have a name other than 'head wobble' for this gesture?

[@Ahmadsaufi97]

I live in malaysia, its funny when the malay and chinese talk to indian they also shake thier head like they already know every meaning of their head language.. 😂

[@angelaattardo5939]

Thanks for this video. I am watching the Netflix show Never Have I Ever, and the character Kamala does this head wobble so frequently, I was kind of wondering if the actress had a neurological condition or something. I had previously never really noticed or heard of this gesture. Now that I know what it means, I am so curious if the actress is doing this intentionally or subconsciously. It fits really well with the character, who is very polite, kind, respectful, and diplomatic. Glad i learned something new!

[@Avatodor]

Usually use it to symbolise "ok(with respect)" and for understanding I sharks my head back and forth not left to right

[@JuliaDavey-g8j]

Hello Thank you for your great video. Is there a way of recognising if the head gesture is affirming or negative? I’ve noticed misunderstandings between my colleagues. Sometimes I have to double check as I think someone hasn’t understood when in-fact they have understood perfectly. If someone disagrees or doesn’t understand is there any gesture commonly for that?

[@ibzmav]

Thanks Marques Brownlee

[@nadiaparedes161]

Thank you! Always wondered about that.

[@cmwhelan76]

Love this video so much. It is so incredible nuanced and wished we used it North America

[@yorusuyasoul69420]

I'm not even Indian but it's my very old habit of mine when I talk to person or say yes now I came to UAE and worked with Indian people now it make sense lol

[@VICKKKKKKKKKKKK]

Agreed! I am visiting Dubai for the first time from the US and seen a lot of Indians wobbling their heads, I was curious as hell to know the meaning of this but now it all makes sense and very interesting! 👌🏼

[@Swifter315]

Thank you for the video.