Chris Harper Mercer
MySpace Photo
Here Mercer is displaying Disgust with a component of Contempt.
Yet another mass shooting occurred earlier today near Roseburg, Oregon. The shooter, allegedly Chris Harper Mercer killed nine people and wounded seven at Umpqua Community College. He also died in a shoot-out with law enforcement.
From a nonverbal communication point-of-view, those who will go on to commit violent crimes - particularly mass shootings, bombing and terrorist-like acts - will extremely often display expressions of chronic contempt, chronic anger and chronic disgust.
It's very important to stress the chronic nature of these expressions. For as human beings we all experience anger, disgust and contempt - yet those who perpetrate such violent crimes will virtually always display these expressions CHRONICALLY.
Moreover the use of social media allows people to put forth a photo which characterizes the emotion which they wish to project out to the World. Thus a Facebook profile pic is essentially a form of a Rorschach test in reverse. Those who project chronic negative emotions are therefore telegraphing their intentions.
It's important to point out that, of course not nearly all people who chronically display anger, contempt or disgust will commit mass crimes. Yet such chronicity of expression is a signal of a personality disorder, impulse control disorder, or other mental disorder.
Chris Harper Mercer
Also from MySpace
Here Mercer's expression is more subtle - he's displaying more Contempt with a lesser proportion of Disgust (yet they both are still present).
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3326: Donald Trump on 60 Minutes - Body Language Tells
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2639: Denver School Shooting and a Body Language of High Empathy
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2232: Vicki Soto, a Hero, Body Language and a Mother's Love & Affection - Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Interview
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2322: Jeb Bush & Matt Lauer - Which one is the Narcissist? Body Language Red Flags
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3133: The Red Flag of Robert Durst's Body Language
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2231: A Common Facial Expression of Mass Killers - Using Body Language as a Threat Assessment Tool
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