Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2299: Rihanna & Chris Brown at 2013 Grammys - What Their Body Language Says

This image of Chris Brown and Rihanna at the 2013 Grammys last night is screaming full of body language. Rihanna's head and neck leaning towards Brown with contact is highly consistent for affection. This head touch is seen ubiquitously in romantic love, and this nonverbal can be seen in all types of non-romantic love as well - as long as there is true affection present. Chris Brown is not reciprocating - there is no head-leaning at all. 

Note also that Brown's hand/arm - although around his partner is not making contact. When sincere affection is present, we should see touching with full palmar (palm of hand) contact. There is none here however. 

It looks as though Brown's about to, or just finished, an "I love you" display with his left hand. 

Rihanna's single-armed cross is a common truncated form of the more common double arm cross. It's particularly common in children, gay men and women signaling a closed-off, defensive or low-confidence emotional tone. 

Brown's legs are configured in what is known as a "Seated Crotch Display". This common lower limb nonverbal can indicate both an alpha-male dominance display (its meaning here) as well as a signal of sexual attraction. In the sexual context, the crotch is pointed towards the person of interest. Women world-wide commonly find this nonverbal display overused and distasteful. Men tend to be oblivious when they use this (to their great detriment) - particularly in business scenarios - as it often destroys rapport 

The bottom line here is that Rihanna has significant and sincere affection towards Chris Brown, although (surprise) she feels significantly defensive about displaying this emotion in public. Chris Brown on the other hand, shows no affection at all - but lots of alpha male behavior directed away from Rihanna.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2242: Rihanna & Chris Brown at Lakers Game - Body Language of Dominance, "Ownership",  Narcissism and Submission

Nonverbal Romance and Dating Secret # 202: Revealed in a Kiss - Prince Albert and Princess Charlene

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2: Body Language of Blake Lively and Penn Badgley  Strongly Suggests an Impending Break-up in Near Future

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2203: A Body Language Metric of Intimacy and Affection -  How Do YOU cuddle?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2142:  Mitt Romney's face wipe by stranger -  Preening as a signal of Affection

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1911:  Preening as a Signal of Affection-Attraction  

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1808: Time Magazine's  Breast Feeding, Dr. William Sears, and Attachment Parenting Controversy - Shows Emotional Dissonance at Best

Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1423:  Head First Affection &  Head Surrogate Hugs

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2086:  Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon, Love and Sincerity

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