On Tuesday Bill Clinton was a guest on The Late Show. Among other things, Stephen Colbert asked the former President (beginning at 1:32), "... There's a rumor out there - and you feel free to dispel this - Did you call Donald Trump and ask him to run for President of the United States?"
Immediately after Colbert asks this question, President Clinton displays an example of prolonged eyelid closure.
Now certainly Bill Clinton has heard this speculation before. Yet this prolonged bilateral eyelid closure signals his disbelief and emotional processing (and here a reprocessing). While his intellect knows that some people truly believe he would ask Trump to run for President, his emotional brain is still in disbelief at (what he believes is) the ridiculousness of such an idea. This is just one of the several nonverbals which tell us the 42nd President is being sincere. What are some of the others?
It's very important to stress that bilateral prolonged eyelid closure carries with it a completely different emotional message than does excessive blinking.
For body language novices - there is a signal Bill Clinton displays in this video segment, which may be misinterpreted as a sign of deception - yet it's a red herring. What is it and why is it a false clue?
Bill Clinton is telling the truth. He did not ask Donald Trump to run for President.
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3332: Ben Carson's New Book Cover is a Rapport Destroyer
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3237: 2015 FIFA World Cup Champions, Fiero and Emotional Processing
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3047: Ethan's Christmas wish comes true - Emotional Processing of Joy-Happiness
Negotiation Body Language Secret No. 291: Obama and Biden, Visual-Emotional Blocking
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3248: Daniel Radcliffe Temps as a Receptionist at Nylon
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