This photo should make you cringe - if it doesn't, there's a good chance you're a narcissist or you have a degree of autism. This should be true (perhaps even more so) even if you're a democrat, voted for Barack Obama and you believe he's doing a good job. Here the American President is shown invading the personal spaces (more specifically within the intimate spaces) of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at the 2015 G7 meeting in the German State of Bavaria over the weekend.
With some notable exceptions (e.g. greetings/handshakes, crowded public transportation, stadiums/theaters, sporting contests, self-defense, etc.) entering into someone's intimate space or personal space should only be done when there is a significant level of familiarity and affection present. To do so otherwise destroys rapport and is a provoking behavior. It makes people emotionally uncomfortable. Thus it alters their perception of you too. A person may keep a "smile" (though not a sincere one) on their face, however such invasive actions will alienate. If you want to build bridges and/or you need to win people over to your way of thinking - keep this in mind. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've accomplished - it applies to everyone.
Oh, and this over-growth of the ego doesn't discriminate either ....
Enter George W. Bush (and again Angela Merkel) at the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg in 2006:
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3208: Kiss blown to Chris Archer .... and Throws it Away - Body Language
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3207: Vladimir Putin, Pope Francis and Body Language
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3125: Vladimir Putin, Suppressed Smiling & Blushing
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3158: ESPN's Britt McHenry's Narcissistic, Berating Rant of a Tow Company Employee - A Valuable Body Language Teaching Point
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2932: Fred Couch ("Affluenza" Father) Arrested and a Body Language Signal of .....
___________________________________________________________________________________
