Saturday, December 17, 2011

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 355:
Barry gets 30 Days House Arrest
Duping Delight




















Barry Bonds received a sentence of two years probation, thirty days house arrest and 250 hours of community service today for an obstruction of justice conviction in connection with his 2003 testimony of an investigation of BALCO and performance enhancing drugs in professional sports. In this image taken earlier today, Bonds' left corner of his mouth is slightly upturned - while his right side is oriented straight laterally or maybe slightly down-turned (the angle of this photo makes it difficult to tell). At first glance, we may call this a very subtle (left-sided) contempt - however since his left nostril is not flared (or if anything it's slightly smaller than his right side), we are left with the conclusion that this is a great example of the nonverbal phenomenon "Duping Delight" (Ekman). Barry knows he has pulled one over on us and gotten off with a easy sentence - and indeed he has. Bonds is trying to suppress his smile, and yet he can't quite squelch his happiness - and a bit of this delight leaks through onto his face. He believes we've been duped.
___________________________________________________________________________________