ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Albert Mehrabian

Albert Mehrabian was a scientist who studied how people communicate through their words, tone of voice, and body language. He found that when we communicate, the words we say only make up a small part of the message we convey. The tone of our voice and our body language are actually more important in communicating how we feel.

Think of it like this: when you say something, it's like a pizza. The words you say are the crust - they're important, but they're not the only thing that makes up the pizza. The toppings and cheese are like your tone and body language - they're what really make the pizza delicious.

So if someone says "I'm fine," but they say it through clenched teeth and crossed arms, you can tell that they're really not fine. Even though their words say one thing, their tone and body language say something else.

Mehrabian's research showed that only 7% of communication is conveyed through words, while 38% comes from tone of voice, and 55% comes from body language. That means that if you want to communicate effectively, you need to pay close attention to your tone and body language - not just your words!