Pasimology is another term for the words kinesics. Kinesics is the study of human gestures and expressions as a means of communication. These gestures and expressions, also called non-verbal communication, are studied to derive their corresponding meaning. Very simple examples of these are: a smile is usually indicative of happiness, a frown is indicative of worry and fidgeting is an indication of unease.

The term kinesics was first used by anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell in 1952, during his attempts to study people’s communication patterns through gestures, posture, stance and body movement. Birdwhistell postulated that all body movements have a corresponding meaning and can be analyzed in the same way as we can grammar.  According to the anthropologist, no more than 30-35% of a conversation’s social meaning is derived from words alone.

Pasimology or kinesics has a lot of practical uses today. One of the most famous uses is in interrogation by law enforcement agents, as made popular by the TV series Lie to Me. There are certain gestures and expressions that belie what a person is saying, indicating that they may be lying. It is also used by many companies to evaluate the potential of job candidates.