Saturday, November 14, 2015

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3372: Ben Carson, Low Expressivity & Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)





Many have made the observation that Ben Carson displays an "even temperament" or "always has a calm demeanor". One reason for this is that Dr. Carson has Botox treatments on the upper 1/3 of his face.

While most use Botox for aesthetic reasons, others - particularly politicians and other "leaders" will undergo these treatments in an effort to appear less angry or less impatient. Of course it's normal to feel these feelings - as long as they aren't too frequent or too extreme. Yet an extreme detriment of Botox treatment is that emotional expression can be significantly suppressed or prevented. Nonverbal expression is normal and healthy. We expect to see facial expressions in context - however when we see almost none (or there's a lack of congruity) it should (and many times does) send up red flags. Thus moderate (or greater) use of Botox reduces significantly our ability to establish and build rapport - and win over voters' hearts.




An example of reduced emotional expression is seen here (0:58) when Dr. Carson's eyebrows are raised - yet there is no dynamic contraction furrows on his forehead.




"I tried Botox one time and was permanently surprised for a couple of months. It was not a cute look for me. My feeling is, I have three children who should know what emotion I'm feeling at the exact moment I'm feeling it... that is critical."   

Julia Roberts


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3371: John Kasich at the Republican Debate - Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3260: Cara Delevingne vs. Emila Clarke in an Eyebrow-Off (plus some Schwarzenegger and Gyllenhaal) Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3351: A Body Language Signal of Sincere Affection

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2975: Devon Still & Daughter Leah - A Body Language of Affection and ...

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3355: Spin the Microphone on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show - Gwen Stefani is very attracted to Blake Shelton 


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