Penelope Cruz is a very accomplished actress. She is only human though. Here she is displaying a very common sign of anxiety - scratching the neck with the opposite hand. If she were using her right hand here, it would still indicate anxiety, however in using the opposite hand, the arm acts as a temporary block. This additional nonverbal maneuver is indicative of a lower confidence & a defensive emotional tone.
The Majority of All In-Person Communication & Visual Media is Nonverbal...
How Much are You Missing?
Analysis, Secrets, and Advice from an Expert for the Real-World
Monday, October 31, 2011
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 595:
Anxiety plus Defensiveness
Penelope Cruz is a very accomplished actress. She is only human though. Here she is displaying a very common sign of anxiety - scratching the neck with the opposite hand. If she were using her right hand here, it would still indicate anxiety, however in using the opposite hand, the arm acts as a temporary block. This additional nonverbal maneuver is indicative of a lower confidence & a defensive emotional tone.
Negotiation Secret # 705:
Two Signals No Candidate Wants to Project
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 519:
Fear in the Candle Light
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Negotiation Secret # 315:
Jaw Jut - Heightened Potential for Violence
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Negotiation Secret # 379: Dominant Handshake Tendencies
Do you know how Nonverbally counter the dominant palm-down handshake?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Romance, Marriage and Dating Body Language Secret # 424:
'Til Death Do Us Part....Fossilized Love
Here's some Halloween-esque Body Language:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 741: Pencil in Mouth
____________________________________________________________________________________
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 712:
We are Born with the Desire for Eye Contact
Eye Contact is normal. Eye contact is natural. Newborns have a strong desire to gaze into others' eyes. Why do so many adults who have otherwise fairly good interpersonal communication skills "unlearn" this fundamentally indispensable nonverbal staple? A normal and healthy amount of eye contact should between 30 and 70 percent of the time. Try your best to keep it closer to 70 percent if you want to enjoy good rapport and bonding.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 593:
When Disparity exists between Face and Hands -
What to Believe?
When you see contradictory Body Language signals - how should this influence your interpretation? Here, Texas Governor Rick Perry gives us the "Thumbs Up" - which in the many countries and his native U.S. is a universal gesture of optimism during the recent CNN Western Republican Presidential Debate in Las Vegas, Nevada. His face however, belies his real feelings (at this moment). His mid and lower face are significantly tightened. Specifically, his lips are thinned and stretched laterally (a signal of anger) while also displaying a slight inward lip roll (anxiety-anger and actively focusing on controlling this). Perry's mouth/lip signs are being subconsciously controlled, while his thumb display is quite conscious. Certainly, debating in a nationally televised political event with worthy opponents is no easy task. I don't know where any politician gets their thick skins; but obviously these nonverbal signals are not congruent. The subconsciously dictated behavior always reflect the person's true emotional state in real-time. Thus, it is extremely difficult to fake one emotion when you truly feel another.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Negotiation Secret # 702: The Dominant Spider
____________________________________________________________________________________
Negotiation Secret # 387:
Missy Franklin's Surprise and Disbelief
______________________________________________________________________________________
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Romance, Marriage and Dating Body Language Secret #737:
Cuddling with your Feet
Friday, October 21, 2011
Negotiation Secret # 389: Muammar's Constant Contempt
____________________________________________________________________________________
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Body Language Negotiation Secret # 390:
True Surprise or False Surprise?
Very intriguingly, her double hand adjustment of the front portion of her jacket in this context is a nonverbal signal akin to a "period and exclamation point" or "take that Moamar!"
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 335:
What does "Eye Contact" really mean?
When it comes to Body Language/Nonverbal Communication, people often ask, "Does eye contact mean I have to look the other person directly in the eye all the time?" (or some variation thereof). The short answer to this is definitely "NO". Here's the long answer: If you look directly into one eye - or switch back and forth between eyes, this is too intense and is almost always is interpreted (depending on the other signals and context) as either predatory, anger, sexual attraction or deception (lie detection). But take heed - liars may also go the complete opposite route and totally avoid eye contact though.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Negotiation Secret # 779: Classic Incredulous Cluster
Negotiation Secret # 337: Facial Hair, Trust and Politics
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Negotiation Secret # 441:
The Political Point - How Not to Use It
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Negotiation Secret # 555:
How Facial Expressions Correlate with Palm Position
Berlusconi faces ongoing charges of corruption, bribery and paying and underage girl (Karima El Mahroug) for sex (See Negotiating Secret #89: Opposite Facing Arms Akimbo).
___________________________________________________________________________________
Lie Detection Secret # 652:
Megan Fox has got an Itch - Not!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Negotiation Secret # 704:
False Mastication and
Contraction of the Central Forehead
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Body Language Secret # 619:
Head and Neck Contact with Love and Affection
Negotiation Secret # 559: Pointing at a Witness
______________________________________________________________________________________
Monday, October 10, 2011
Body Language Secret # 702:
Mouth of Fear,
trying to Smile and
Forehead of Pain
Blake Lively has got one of the best "Social Smiles" in Hollywood. That is, her "acted smiles" in social/interview/public appearance settings - most of the time comes pretty close to resembling a "Sincere, Felt Smile". Very few people - even actors/actresses can truly pull this off. That's one reason why this particular image is a great example here. Her mouth shows a trace amount of fear - not the typical type of fear though. She's trying to smile, but she can't in this particular moment. Her bottom teeth are showing and they shouldn't be with a sincere smile, but it is a characteristic of fear. In this case, it's an empathy-embarrassment-apology type of fear. The kind of fear where she has just delivered some bad news or she has to back out of a commitment, etc. It's not danger-fear, but it is a type of fear. One signal that it's not a classic fear is that her eyes are not opened wider than normal (e.g., with "whites of the eyes" showing above the irises/irides - not just on the sides of the eyes) in fact her lids are a bit more closed.
Blake's central eyebrows are also elevated. Another sign that goes along with this - is her central forehead being contracted. This is a classic signal of pain, either physical or emotional pain and either directly felt or experienced through empathy.
This whole smorgasbord of signals is what is known as a gesture cluster, when several body language signs are seen simultaneously or nearly so - like words in a sentence - they take on a specific meaning. So, in summary, when you see this mild "yikes" type of expression displayed by the mouth, the eyes closed slightly, the central eyebrows raised and the central forehead wrinkled - you know that she/he is about to deliver some news that they know you don't want to hear (and they fear speaking it). You may very well see this beacon several minutes before the news is spoken - which will give you time to mentally and emotionally prepare. Your own body language, tone and words will then work to your advantage. Our overly emotional response to bad news is a common flaw that many share and a few seconds warning is priceless.
See also:
Secret # 133: Surprise or Smile or Neither?
Analysis # 2: Body Language of Blake Lively and Penn Badgley Strongly Suggests an Impending Break-up in Near Future
Nonverbal Communication Secret # 2091: Sincere Smiling (a la' Blake Lively) and Laughing Reduces Anxiety and Heart Rate, Boosts Immune System and Relieves Pain
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2203: A Body Language Metric of Intimacy and Affection - How Do YOU cuddle?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Negotiation Secret # 405: Carli Bruni & Dagger Eyes
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Negotiation Secret #593: Projecting and Detecting Confidence
Projecting confidence through Body Language is a incredibly valuable life and business skill. This photo is obviously posed for the new film "Ides of Mach". Left to right are Marisa Tomei, George Clooney, Evan Rachel Wood and Ryan Gosling. Let's forget for a moment that this is a promotional photo and pretend it's "real world". Contrasting the two males, who projects the most confidence? Mr. Clooney does and here's why: His upper body is aligned toward the camera while his lower body is slightly turned. While the seated male crotch display is often a dramatic turn off to nearby women (especially in a business setting, but even in personal life; see Negotiation Secret # 401: Male Dominance Display - Faux pas), George is not overdoing it here - a moderate stance is achieved. He's projecting confidence and possibly attraction to Ms. Wood. George's unilateral left arm akimbo is another good example of some confidence/dominance while not overdoing it with his right arm as well. How much confidence display is too much? Just ask Clooney. He's confident without being a narcissist.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Negotiation Secret # 602: Honesty in Testimonies
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Negotiation Secret # 172: Gesture of Missed Opportunity
This is New York Yankee, Mark Teixeira after his teammate Nick Swisher struck out with bases loaded last night in the seventh inning. The Yankees lost the game and the series to the Detroit Tigers. Lifted arms are usually a Body Language sign of positive emotions, but Teixeira shows us an exception to this generalization. You don't see the members of any winning team exhibit this gesture. Go Tigers!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Negotiation Secret # 335 & 353: Incredulous with Contempt
Amanda Knox Redux
The real world is not a series of isolated events. Emotions are no exception. Here, Amanda Knox gives us a great demonstration of Contempt (subtle) blended with Incredulousness (mild to moderate). If she's indeed innocent - who could blame her for feeling either of these emotions?
______________________________________________________________________________________
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 777:
Body Language of Apple's
"1984" Macintosh Super Bowl Commercial
"You can't connect the dots looking forward;
you can only connect them looking backwards.
So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.
You have to trust in something -
your gut,
destiny,
life,
karma,
whatever.
This approach has never let me down,
and it has made all the difference in my life."
_____________________________________________________________________________