Friday, December 14, 2012

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2229:
President Obama and a Body Language Signal of
Holding Back Grief, Tears & other Negative Emotions





My deepest condolences for the families and loved-ones of the victims of the Newtown, Connecticut Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting tragedy.

In his address to the nation today, President Obama became emotional - and who among us wouldn't? For if tears are not shed for children and the innocent, what remains for which to cry? And while tears are easy signals of sadness to spot, there were other body language tells which were not so evident to most. At the 3:38 mark in the above video, the President displays an "Inward Lip Roll" (ILR). The inward lip roll is a nonverbal signal of anxiety and strong negative emotions - and more specifically the psyche's attempt to contain them from escalating. While the most common emotion being suppressed when an ILR is seen is anger - here Mr. Obama's grief and tears are being squelched. The ILR can also be seen just before, or in the initial stages of an act of physical exertion.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2231: A Common Facial Expression of Mass Killers - Using Body Language as a Threat Assessment Tool

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 33: Body Language of Grief and Affection in Japan

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1138: Jennifer Hudson's Whitney Houston Tribute

Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1439: Central Forehead Contraction & Inward Lip Roll  Devon Davis & April Davis

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 45: Faith Hill's Inward Lip Roll

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2210: Body Language Signaling of an Attempt to Control Emotional Escalation & Display - The Inward Lip Roll

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 322: Megan Fox's Lips




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