Head shake

A head shake is a gesture in which the head is turned left and right along the transverse plane repeatedly in quick succession. In many cultures, it is most commonly, but not universally, used to indicate disagreement, denial, or rejection.

Shaking head to indicate rejection

Different cultures assign different meanings to the gesture. Shaking to indicate "no" is widespread, and appears in a large number of diverse cultural and linguistic groups. Areas in which head shaking generally takes this meaning include Indian subcontinent, Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, North America and Australia.

However, in most Southeastern Europe such as Bulgaria, Greece and southern Albania, it is used for the opposite purpose, to indicate affirmation, meaning "yes". In those regions, nodding in fact means "no" as well, the complete reverse of most other places in the world.

Origin

There are varying theories as to why head shake is so frequently used to mean "no." One simple theory is that it is most common form of expressing negative reaction, indicating that one disagrees with the other person. It has also been stated that babies, when hungry, search for their mother's milk by moving their heads vertically, but decline milk by turning their head from side to side.