: Re: Is shaking of the head positive or negative? When you say a character shook their head, does that mean they nodded, as in "yes", or they shook it sideways, signifying the answer is "no?"

@Nimeshi163

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From personal experience (central Europe) I would say that shaking your head is normally a "No" and nodding your head is normally a "Yes". But looking through English.SE: When moving one's head to answer a question does “nod” mean yes and “shake” mean no?:

Head movements vary in their meaning depending on the culture in question. In general, in countries where English is the native language, a "nod" (not a "node") is an up and down movement of the head meaning "yes." A head shake is a side to side movement meaning "no." At least for most English speakers in Britain and America, a nod never means no, and a shake never means yes. This is somewhat oversimplified and variations exist, but for the most part, the basic pattern is as I have stated it.

As a writer you should make sure that there are other clues for the reader to show what the intention is. For example you could add that the character is "shaking their head in disagreement" or "nodding enthusiastically".

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