Openness, honesty, and a non-threatening stance. The person is asking to be trusted or believed.

Strongest when the palms appear naturally during important points in a sentence — not when held up deliberately. People making truthful admissions show palms more often than people fabricating. Watch for the absence of palms when someone is making a strong claim.

A deliberate palms-out gesture (“stop” or “calm down”), which is a barrier signal, not an openness signal.