The Indian Head Wobble Explained
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- What is the Indian Head Wobble? If you've ever been to India, or spoken with an Indian person, then you may have noticed that their heads move in various directions during conversation.
I am a very observant person, and I have noticed this since the first day I stepped on Indian soil years ago.
As a foreigner coming to India, it can be very confusing to understand what it means when people are bobbling their heads around, so here is a video explaining my thoughts... To be honest, I still have a hard time understanding what the head movements are saying!
If you are Indian, or if you can help better explain what it means, then please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Join my travels on Instagram @drewbinsky!
*PLEASE NOTE* this video is not intended to be offensive to anyone. It's simply a fun video that I made about my realizations after speaking with so many Indian people. I actually love the uniqueness that it brings to their culture, and I am finding the people of India to be amongst the friendliest I've ever met!
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I have been in India and let me tell you this is contagious, after 1 week I was wobbling like a true Indian.
I trust you. Im just 2min in the video, Im wobbling my head to check how I wobble to "yes", "no" and "maybe".
I'm working in UAE with bunch of Indians I already pick their head wobble as a habit I'm not even an Indian
Legend has it one man with a minor neck pain started it all
@@web_devs might've been from the Indus Valley
😂😂😂
Well I'm an Indian, infact I'm from Tamil Nadu and I never paid attention to these subconscious gestures... Just now I'm thinking about it
Thats True Binsky
Same i'm also from tamilnadu...and i never knew this wobble was unique to our place....
Me too
Hahaha good to know!
I know I am Indian but live in England but when I go India I see it alot or even my grandma do it
It’s hard to discern your own gestures when they are totally normal to you. The Italians do a lot of hand gestures.
I am from Canada and had never seen someone do this. One day I was giving a woman from India her driving test and every time I would say something she wobbled her head. I was completely surprised and had to smile as I’d never seen it happen before, it was very cute to see and I knew she must be agreeing with my instructions. Also it was obvious she did it naturally without even thinking about it.
In the US we have similar problem. They get their licenses and pose great risk to the population on the roads
@@testikle......
In Canada every indian person does
In 2024 it’s a different story 😂😂
Finally, someone explains this. Lol. I always noticed it, I think it's a sweet gesture, there's something humbling about it.
Thankyou so much for understanding
@Rusty Shackleford hell no😂
I know, right? I always wondered! It's so cute, but I never understood it!
i mean yeah but no not in foreign countries where shaking is seen as if you're on drugs
Or annoying lmfao
LOL when you asked them to do the "yes" wobble, they all did a standard, forwards-backwards nod, but when you asked them all if "it's really up and down", the guy in the middle totally wobbled in answer.
Yes, I noticed that as well!
AHAHAHA omg thank you!! I hadn't noticed! I'm in tears 😆 Indian culture is so beautiful..
Lol this is one of the cutest parts about a Indian culture by far!
They just think they look cool doin it when in reality they look fuckin stupid i think guys look g*y as fck doin this
Caught himself like damn I'm Indian af
We Indians are so diverse but most of us are united by head wobbles.
Im not indian, and the only south indian I know of at this time is praggnanandhaa rameshbabu, but I dont remember him ever doing the head wobble in any of the videos with him i've watched.
A need a car bobble head of an Indian man figurine. This would be unique
I think you use it because you're so diverse. It's a basic language, and everyone can speak it, even foreigners after one week. It's genius!
I figured out that the wobble doesn't actually mean anything... you can say anything to them, if you are a foreigner, they'd just wobble... I'll never understand what that wobble actually mean... when you are a foreigner, the wobble towards you somehow have a meaning of "Yes, maybe, meh, okay, I guess so, I'd rather not, perhaps, I don't know, look-i-dont-care-about-but-i-am-just-kind-enough-to-acknowledge-your-presence" type of message... heavy wobble, light wobble, angle of wobble, is like trying to analyse and give an answer to a dog's tail wag... It needs to be studied in detail and clinically categorised...
@@anoynmanonymous8304 it's more akin to a bee dance than dog tail... because dogs only use the tail to communicate positive emotions. But the head wobble is more nuanced.
I'm from the UK and and staying in Tamil Nadu now and seeing this everywhere I had to search online for an explanation. This video was perfect
Oh until now I thought that whole world do this
I thought the same
Are you serious ?
Not just India but almost all in south Asia or Indian subcontinent
Mee to
Others do, but not as much as Indians / S Indians.
There’s literally an answer for everything on TH-cam 😆
Why his wife did not go to malaysia....i mean drew binskys wife.does she hate malaysia
Your first name kinda sus
Why can’t I get a asian girlfriend?
@@Blackshadow164 bcuz u are not good at maths😀😀😀
I thought whole world does that , until now 😂 . It'll come every single time from subconsciousness 🤣🤣😍
Really ?
Have you ever watched foreign movies, like Iron Man, Batman, Harry Potter, Jackie Chan movies, Korean movies, etc ?
@@guacamolework3918 no man i literally live in another world. I never heard any thing like ironman , batman or jackie chan ... ?? Are you really dumb or acting as one ??
@@akhilprakash2439
Wow, calm down, bro !!!
I didn't mean to insult you.
Why are you so angry ?
😂😂😂 they don't do it. Just Indians from experience 😂
@JSPUBG fuck you dumb bitch
@drewbinsky your video has gone viral of the tea shop owner who save money and travel by this the billionaire of india mr Mahindra has started collecting funds as a gift to the tea shop owner.
Mazakh kar raha hae kya?
@@plataoplomo9096 nahi sach hai ye !
Yea its in the news!
faiz shaikh that’s great
Really??? That’s amazing!
I was in Chennai for work for a few weeks (located in Tamil Nadu, for my fellow US friends that haven't visited yet), and I came back to the US subconsciously head wobbling all the time. At first my Indian coworkers in the US thought I was making fun of them or their culture, but I honestly just got involved with the culture. It is truly a humbling experience to meet these people and begin to learn about their lives.
You head doesn't wobble after being in India for 3 weeks😂 Flying visits that can't happen you need to be there for years😂
I am Mexican, my boss is from India. I understand the head wobble to the point that I picked up on it. Now my head wobbles too!!!
This was priceless. I'm laughing so much 🤣 I'm an Indian living in India and I totally agree with this observation. I have forwarded this video on WhatsApp to many of my friends and relatives and they're all like, " Ha, ha true! "
Moronic emotional fools, setting themselves up for future humiliation which isn't actually a thing for Indians but non-Indians
This is also applied in Bangladesh. And I also believe applies to West Bengal.
I myself do these gestures a lot.
I can't believe this thing only applies to the Indian Subcontinent. I thought it applies everywhere in the world.
I Guess...
*The More You Travel, The More You Know!*
Of course it applies everywhere in the world, because people from Indian subcontinent are everywhere in the world, lol
It doesn't apply in Northeastern India. Probably this gesture would also be strange and alien within some places of Bangladesh like among the native indigenous people of Chittagong Hill Tracts or other places inhabited by indigenous people like Garo, Khasi and Koch.
Yeah I've seen Bangladeshi people..but they don't do it as much as Indians or South Indians..especially the diagonal wobble. At some places of Bangladesh certain people don't do it at all.
Same here i thought everyone do this in the world... Btw i am from uttarakhand
Well, i am Bangladeshi, and i do it also. But not as frequently as the north Indians
But i never noticed the thing like this
Great explanation! I have always wondered too! I love India! Tamil Nadu rocks! Cant wait to go back!
🙏🙏
Drew
Congratulations
Your video on vijyayan was seen by Mahindra and they are gifting and sponsoring them to travel... It's 100%true.... Just check
who is mahindra?
@@francsinatra4562 , Anand Mahindra is the chairman of Mahindra Group.
He is the one of the billionaires of india
Ollaanko kavereita
franc sinatra Mahindra is big business enterprise in India
He mostly produce cars ,trucks, farm & heavy vehicles
1:16 the part where drew tries but fails 😂
When he’s looking at the man still doing it 😂
I used to wobble while speaking with my teacher, one day he scolded me and said "answer yes with your tongue, it's way lighter then your head" sometimes head wobbling is not good while talking with your elders, especially to answer yes/no but it's also a sign of respect when someone greets you or while saying thank you with smile. Head bobble is a common thing in Asia but sometimes local people find it hard to communicate with foreigners so they wobble their head to communicate more effectively.
Yeah that makes me angry that is stifling of expression what that teacher did to you.
To anyone else it just confuses people. It’s a habit you picked up.
It’s not like it’s out of your control
@@John-rq3nzhow? He seemed like he was trying to help him.
Do you really wanna make yourself feel stereotyped especially if it’s something in your control. It’s a habit and might in cases like that be a bad habit.
It’s just unnecessary making yourself into a bobble head if you know u can control it. People can hear you just fine.
India is linguisticly so diverse that the language chahges every 300 miles.. However, each languages has similar sounding words. Therefore, head wobbling is the effective way of communication.
Chutiye emotional fools writing anything out of a fake sense of joy which now translates to humiliation for every indian. The funny part is head wobble is mostly common amongst non-Indians
You have just introduced our hidden powers.😂😂
It's a sign that someone who you talk to has given undivided attention.....👍👍
It also looks really funny. So if you think it’s showing respect that hilarious
@@Architect222It's our habit now. If someone doesn't wobble their head, it feels they are not paying attention. It's not funny when everyone in the country does the same thing😭
Its amazing, how well and clearly explained it.. We all do it, but couldnot explain it so well either.
Things I DIDNOT realise earlier:
1. That IT IS actually subconscious
2. That is was JUST an indian concept ( thought it would be everywhere)
VERY NICE @Drew binsky and team
Totally agree!! i didnt know, that we cant do it when asked about it... plus, it happens only here.... reaaallly :P
@@throwjunk214 hehe... Yeah!! He must be awarded for figuring out something, which the whole country didn't 😜
hhaah. I've never seen with anyone other than Indians! lol
I hope you still do it haha
This is probably the best video on head wobble. I am indian , south indian to be more precise. and i have no problem is understanding what the wobble means. but i can see where it gets confusing for a non-indian.
Oh God that girl at the start of this vid is just gorgeous !
She might be pondhicherry tourist!
@shenaztreasury her ig user name
She is SHEHNAZ TREASURYWALA ...She was MTV VJ ...Now she has an amazing travel channel... Search youtube...She is 200% Indian ...
@Suresh Mdev Hyderabad Is she French-Indian like Kalki Coechlin? She doesn’t look Indian.
@@artman7780 Parsi
0:39
This wobble can also be used to say "Take it" or "Yes, you can"
For example:-
A:- Can I borrow your pen?
B:- 0:39
Man you are best in the world.....love u...
Love his brief everyday videos!
Gayyyyyyyyyyy
I see you a Randy Orton fan
@@____-lj2cl man how u guess that???
@@adarshkumar8060 your profile pic
Me: *breathes*
Indian man who is literally not moving a muscle: *wobbles*
I am truly only learning about the meaning of it now. It’s done subconsciously so it is a tell sign of peoples genuine gestures. I am really liking this head nod/ shake/ wobble. The world is so truly a wonder, it’s so massive. In one lifetime I don’t think anyone can truly appreciate it.
Malaysians did that as well.Even i got influenced by my indian friends ahaha
Like the Malaysian Indian or all Malaysians? Ive travelled there and there are like 3 main ethnicities. Chinese, Malay and Indian.
indians does the head wobble the most and I've rarely seen malay or chinese people doing it
@@izkmj im chinese but got influenced by my induan friends
India is simply great,
Cultural, people, living everything.
pro tip... if looking for good south indian food in the U.S., a big takeout line full of wobbly heads is a solid indicator that you've found it.
0:26 that bear is also doing the head wobble!😆😆😆
😂😂😂😂😂
I can't stop laughing 😂😂😂😂😂
I'm getting more and more conscious about my head wobbling 😂😂😂
God
It is not only the part of indian culture only, But it is the part of the subcontinent culture also.
Not in Northeast India.
Yeah in Sri Lanka its the same.
Well the indian subcontinent was 'bharatvarsh'. Pak and Afghanistan bangladesh used to be a part of bharat. North east india is a group of various tribes and culture. So to the person from north east india who commented above =stop drawing a border between rest of the india and north east india. We r one
We are one ao what?
We don't do any head wobbling like you guys!!!
Or should we accept anything you impose just because we are racial minorities?
anonymous chill I am an Afghan and we are not related at all. India and Pakistan are the same people but don’t include us we are different.
Thank you
Thanks for sharing. Love this fact! Love you INDIA! ___our neighbor !
yeah ! india has more and more traditional and cultural thng and they hve kind heart peoples.
Lol... I'm an Indian and I never noticed this until I left India and People in Qatar started asking me why... Thnx for the Video by the Way
I am from Chennai. Tamil Nadu 👋
Greeeeeeting! I have been there!
Me too
I'm from madipakkam
As a typical South Indian.. here is my take on it..
vertical : Yes
Horizontal: No
The Indian head Wobble: OK
There is a difference between Yes and OK right ?
YES / NO is for answering.
OK is for acknowledging the other person's statement.
The Okay reaction is a very good point. You should have got more likes. Good observation. I had to think about it. I've seen it all the time and I see it in any indian video I see very often. But if you asked me to think when ppl did that, I would not be able to. Exactly because it's a sub conscious reaction. I watched the vid the 2nd time and noticed that instead of the other person VERBALLY responding, they wobble their head. I've seen some ppl in my family do it too. I guess I don't, and I have non-Indian friends explicitly tell me that I don't, but many others do. It's funny, because if I try to think back, I don't think I've ever done it. I suppose because I always spoke back a response rather than express my reaction via a gesture. Maybe that is ingrained into ppl. If you verbally and emphatically say yes,/ok/sure/no problem/the same here/etc you won't need to wobble your head.
As a Turkish person, I have always found it interesting.
❤❤
I love Turkish women. they have phat booties!
അപ്പോൾ തല കുലുക്കൽ നമ്മൾക്കെ ഒള്ളോ...? 🤔
Sathyam bro
Ullenna thonnunne..., 😂
কী বলল ভাই? (বাংলাদেশ থেকে)।
Haha
Anganau thonunu
The thumbnail is legendary
Anyone who was living in NORTH INDIA and still didn't know this.
We North Indians do the same expression
The fuck we do it same way dude.
Bhai hame bhi aata
Lmao we don't do it here in Northeast. It felt so strange when I went to Chennai to study for the first time. When I came back home and I also started doing it subconsciously after coming back to home, my friends started laughing at me causing some really embarassing moments.
We do same in north infact whole sub continent.. watch some Pakistan travel vlogs or bangladesh's u will notice after watching this video
This video is good Drew!
Felt so happy that you appreciate this unique trait we guys have. This usually goes unnoticed by many of the travellers which made us think it's common all around the world.
Up until now I thought head wobble when answering to something is universal.😂😂
Benifits bobble has many benifits you don't have to speak every time and you save your energy
In Brazil we also do that. I think its normal in most countries but maybe in different ways. body language is not only indians.
I don't know why this video makes me wobble my head lol😂
I noticed this working retail about 10 years ago and wondered what it meant. I was having a conversation today using this as an analogy. How humans perceive things and how our perception is not always right, nor bad, nor good. I was explaining how culture, religion, and even region play a part in the way we see and do things. Completely different topic. I found my way here because after the conversation I wondered why the head bobble and why only people from this region. I even found myself bobbling along
Drew's attempt was too cute😂💙 Love, from Karnataka, South India
I’m glad I found this video. I’ve always wondered why Indian wobble their heads. Great video.
I first saw it in a movie. And I found it to be so interesting and endearing. Would love to go to India soon.
We do this lot in school when teacher explain something or someone is giving big lecture on something😂
The head wobble actually shows that we are actually listening to the other person and understanding them
🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️Travelling India should be in bucket list of every foreigner . India is an awesome place . A lot of love to india 🖤❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
Thanks, Drew. I've been watching alot of Bollywood movies lately and noticed that the head bobble seemed to be a general sign of agreement. And you're right. In Kashmir, apparently no head bobble. But in Kerala, quite a bit.
Temperature have a good role to play
WHO here is Indian???
Arash Maestro me too
I am from Khalistan🤣😂😅
Everybody
Wow. I was watching an Indian film last night & noticed all the actors were doing this head wobble. It was very distracting & confusing as I tried to focus on reading the subtitle to keep up with the flow of the story / plot. Then I remembered I experienced this before being with an Indian in a taxi & I’m sure during various casual encounters in my city. It was making me dizzy & curious. It’s amazing how subconsciously each culture can do very different gestures for the same result or sentiment. This video is so good! Thx 😊
Now I can’t stop wobbling my head
I had an Indian friend who was a hillarious jokester. Every time he would go into "smartass mode" he would do that head wobble as the jokes rolled off his tounge. It was ridiculously hillarious and he was a master of it
Hillarious with two L's!!!
Hey Drew. I really like what you’re trying to achieve and you inspire me to travel. However, I’m sure many people would agree with me that your videos are way too short. I know it’s not easy to produce content while traveling constantly, but it would be great if you could make longer and more informative videos. Thank you!!
This is so sweet, I've always thought this was a cute gesture and makes people appear agreeable.
There is a hospital near me in the South of England. A few nurses did head wobbles to me and wife all the time they saw us together during visiting hours. It was a sweet gesture and the nurses are passionate about nursing even if it is little pay.
Thanks for this video! I'm watching RRR and had to pause to check the meaning of the head wobble. Someday I will visit India, looks amazing.
Yooo literally me right this second
sounds like a bad idea
My friend who’s Indian got me doing that now at times 🤣🤣 we were talking and I did it she’s like: Oh! Where you learn that?
Me: Girl you!! 🤣🤣🤣💀
I love the fact it's subconscious because it is near impossibly to fake :P and therefore very genuine.
Thank you so much for this information. About 7 yrs ago Indian software contractors were assigned to me to help build a custom database and the head wobbled all the time when they were speaking. This threw me off because I work with so many Indians who do not do it. I even asked my coworker who is from the Surat Ghat and he said he didn't know anything about it. This makes sense they were from the south much further away from him.
In Italy head wobble means something like: "I'm not sure" or "Maybe" or "I'm doubtful".
Sometimes the wobble is done with the whole upper body
Something I found very confusing at first when adapting to South Indian/Sri Lankan culture! 😅 me= “Was that a yes or a no mappula?” 😅 even Now “I” do it myself! 😄 My husband is Tamil ❤️😘🧔🏽♂️✨
It’s cool how God made us unique and different 🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️❤️❤️
You mommy and daddy made you, not god.
It’s amazing how even body language can be intrinsic with culture. From Italian hand waving to Japanese bowing. It makes me wonder who was the first ancestor/ancestors to be the model for that. Or maybe it has something do with the cadence of their language that makes their heads bob to the rhythm of that particular linguistic symphony. Very interesting field of study.
Drew, good explanation on this.. Even I used to be confused before😂
I do admit that this is a unique gesture and it's sweet to see it
😂😂😂😂😂😂 u have a good eye to look into all these ..
drew binskay is the best of you tube
Bibek Das kuch bhi 😂😂😂😂
I was a swedish teacher here in Sweden last summer and one of my students was this Indian lady and she did this wobble. I finally decided to learn more about it and ended up on this video explaining it.
I didn't knew it was unique to my country only
Like if Drew binsky is better than T series
Its you again!
Yeah
billy my boiii
Damn you Billy!!!
This stupid guy is everywhere 🙄
When I was in primary school I used to get teased so much for doing the head wobble that I trained myself out of it :( now I'm a little sad that I lost that bit of culture since I'm an NRI
This one of the best video ..about India....keep it bro...
A friend I made in Bhubaneswar, Odisha made the coolest cool 😎 hand Luke wobble in all its transformations. His name is Rutu but that's his nickname. Epic India 🇮🇳🕉️🙏🏻.
Thank you for this Drew. I am doing an intercultural communication class and this helped out a lot.
When I remember I do this:
*My Dad: You are mixed Romani (Sinti+Balkan Rom) and Romani originate from Pakistan 🇵🇰/🇮🇳 North India*
Me : *Ah that explains why we all do it thru your side of the family*
I ask myself the same question while watching Netflix Indian Matchmaking. And it is a complete another language.
Just 3 days into my first time visit to India and I understand the meanings already
1:15 that Laugh😍😍
My stepdad is from Madras and he loves to joke about the head bobble!
This is the best video i have seen on our culture so deeply understood👌*Wobbling the head*
Who else is feeling proud to be a subscriber of Drew since Mahindra saw his video featuring Vijayan?
Am still doing it while watching this video without attention...... 😷
I had an Indian American friend his parents were from India and I noticed his mom did the head wobble alot I never asked my friend anything about it because I thought it was probably something wrong with her... Now I know lol
Damn, he's so genuine. He even noticed the head wobble. Great going.
DREW INSPIRED ME TO BECOME A TRAVEL VLOGGER! NOW AM NOW ALSO IN INDIA 😁😁😁😁 THANKS DREW!
Visit Northeast India
Come to Bangalore binsky !!
It's in Karnataka
I just now realised that I wobble my head
This is possibly the most interesting character/ethnic trait I can possibly imagine. The complexity of the head wobble in the spectrum of emotion is just 🤯
Lmao I've always wondered about this.. They shake their heads all the time.. So there's this joke about an Indian dude going to the doctor about his neck pain.. The doctor told him.. U shouldn't move ur neck for at least a week.. So the dude shook his head repeatedly right away moving his neck in the process lol 😂
South indian people are beautiful
What is wrong with north indians
@@Women-hate-short-men 😂
Reminds me of those dog ornaments you get in cars with the wobbly heads lol
Being Indian I never knew before