I would just like to point out that it is not nesasarily a nod. I define a nod as starting out by lowering the head, then bringing it back up. This is done to a business associate/somewhat formal relation, kind of like a very slight bow.
When it is a friend you move your head up first then down, which is not a nod. If you are passing very close you are permitted a short gutteral “AY”.
Jack Batty, you are my god.
Uh, Spoofe, you really didn’t need to tell us this…just look at your post count. wink
::D&R::
A really fascinating chapter on human ethology by Eibl-Eibesfeldt detailed universal or nearly universal human behaviours such as these. The head nod is a nearly universal greeting among human cultures and is almost always unconsciously coupled with an extremely brief “eyebrow flash” – a very quick raising of the eyebrows. The author has included pictures of people from all over the world exhibiting the nod and eyebrow flash. I’m afraid I can’t remember any specific theories about why this greeting has come about, but if you’re interested, have a look at that chapter. The book is probably entitled “Ethology” and was published around 1975. Chapter 18.
From the foregoing, I conclude:
- Most men nod when they see another man, or when another man nods at them.
- None of them are really sure why they do this, except that either they’ve always done it or other guys do it.
- They all have different theories, many of which aren’t even remotely plausible.
- Most of these theories relate to breasts, asses, sex, or manhood.
The above tell us a lot about how the world got like this. Of course, it’s nothing we didn’t already know.
One other thing I’ve learned from this thread:
- Ukulele Ike is cool enough to change weather patterns. And someday I want to walk down the street ten feet behind him. With a camera.
I notice women don’t nod at me; but they do smile, so perhaps they aren’t thinking about breasts but about penises?
The nod is a perfect greeting for a man whose body courses with so much testosterone that if he attempted anything more elaborate, he would explode. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it, thank you.
Then I’m in trouble, because I’m female and also do the head nod thing. Do they think that I’m a lesbian hockey fan?
I’m not a lesbian, and boobs and sports are the last things on my mind when I do the head nod thing with the brothas. I don’t think they think anything’s amiss when I nod my head at them. I guess it depends on my mood, though. Maybe I am trying to sport a tough-girl image when I do the head nod thing. I never really thought about it. However, I don’t always do the head nod thing with guys. Sometimes I just greet males–black, white, Asian, whatever–or smile, and they respond with a similiar greeting, a smile, or a head nod. Sometimes the brothas are the ones who initiate the head nod with me, and I just reciprocate without thinking about it. I just think it’s a nonverbal way to say: “Hi. I acknowledge your presence.” Hmmm. Between guys maybe it does have more of a “Don’t fuck with me” connotation.
Stop kissing his ass.
ahem
Sniffing it too.
Aren’t you?
No?
Then stop nodding your head, you’re throwing all men into confusion!!!
It’s Primate vernacular for “I acknowledge your presence and your right to come this way unimpeded. I perceive you as a fellow creature, one of us, and not as an intruder that oughta be klonked on the head by a large rock or something”.
It contrasts with the direct stare sans smile, which says something more akin to “Who or what the fuck are you, stranger?”
This is a guy thing? I’ve always done it, to both males and females, without thinking anything of it, and I’m a woman.
To me, it’s just an acknowledgement of a person’s presense, especially recognition, when I have nothing to say to the person. It’s just easier than trying to remember their name before I’ve passed them, and there’s less risk of being stopped to talk for ten hours about their goldfish’s cold then if I said, “Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while. What’s up?”
Stand-up comic Brian Regan had a bit about this. The nod roughly translates to, “Yeah, I see ya’, but I ain’t got nothin’ to say to ya’.” 
I’m more interested in the question of why people feel that there must be some crypto-macho subtext behind the exchange of nods. Why shouldn’t men nod to acknowledge eachother?
I do the nod to guys I don’t know, a smile to girls I don’t know, and the eyebrow-raise to people I know.
I always think of the guy nod as meaning “Yep, we’re just fellow guys going through the day thinking about breasts, but just make sure you stay away from my woman, though I might amicable to you dating one of my female relatives, and I would expect the same from you.”
…but it’s actually because we’re signalling to each other that we’re in on the conspiracy.
[hijack] dear handy, there are people around who are always willing to dump on you, and who imply that you never have anything useful to say (and I’ve been a bit mean in my time, I admit).
Please, next time they carp, just link 'em to this thread - an original observation, succinctly expressed, and eliciting a rewarding variety of responses. Perfect; and there’s been others too.
Of course, I think you don’t need this suggestion. I think you’re confident in yourself anyway. Good one, mate! [/hijack]
Well Redboss, carping in my family is a show of respect & adoration so I don’t mind it here.
Sometimes you hit the nail on the head with a topic & sometimes you hit your thumb
None of the guys I know greet me with anything but a nod’n’smile. The size of the smile varies depending on how close of friends we are. My response is usually just a grin and/or a wave. I’ve never really asked them why that’s their official greeting, I always just figured it was because waving and grinning isn’t really “masculine.” And neither is hopping madly up and down screeching “HOW YA DOIN?!?!”