We conducted two studies to explore the potential meanings associated with the “heartfelt” gesture, which involves placing one’s hand with a flat palm in the center of the chest. In Study 1, we approached 176 participants in various social settings and asked them to recall an example of the gesture and the emotion they associated with its use. Although shock and surprise emerged as important themes, participants reported social relational examples associated with intensely-felt “heartfelt” emotions and empathy. Women were more likely to recall an example of the gesture’s use than were men. In Study 2, we replicated the effects of Study 1 using a larger online sample (N = 252), finding that women were more likely than men to use the gesture, and revealing a significant correlation between gesture use and self-reported empathy. The studies highlight the emotional significance of the gesture and challenge the prevailing view that the gesture primarily communicates sincerity. Implications for the possibility that the gesture serves as a nonverbal signal of heartfelt connection to others and/or an emblem of empathy are discussed.

我们进行了两项研究，以探索与“衷心”手势相关的潜在含义，该手势涉及将手掌平放在胸部中央。在研究 1 中，我们在不同的社交场合接触了 176 名参与者，并要求他们回忆一个手势示例，以及与使用手势相关的情绪。尽管震惊和惊喜成为重要主题，但参与者报告了与强烈的“衷心”情绪和同理心相关的社会关系示例。女性比男性更容易回忆起使用手势的例子。在研究 2 中，我们使用更大的在线样本 ( N = 252)，发现女性比男性更有可能使用手势，并揭示手势使用与自我报告的同理心之间存在显着相关性。这些研究强调了手势的情感意义，并挑战了手势主要传达诚意的流行观点。讨论了手势作为与他人真诚联系的非语言信号和/或同理心的象征的可能性的含义。