How hand gestures aid understanding

People who gesticulate while talking are twice as likely to be understood, psychologists have found.

In evidence that will be seized upon at the BBC, where executives have criticised reporters for excessive gesturing, a Manchester University study has found that those who use their hands to explain themselves are far more likely to be remembered than those who do not.

BBC bosses blame the epidemic on the "Marr effect" – the attempt by reporters to emulate the animated political editor, Andrew Marr.

Research to be presented to the British Psychological Society's annual conference in Bournemouth todayshows hand movements can convey solid images, such as the size of an object,and psychological ones, such as the emotional distance between two people.

In politics, Adolf Hitler was a flamboyantgesticulator, while the former US president Bill Clinton was noted for using his hands a lot while he was talking. The television broadcasters Peter Snow and David Attenborough are also known for the eloquence of their gestures.

Professor Geoffrey Beattie, who ran the study with Nina McLoughlin, said: "Gestures are an integral part of speech and convey parts of the meaning. They have a dramatic effect on what we remember."