Top Chef host, the beautiful Padma Lakshmi recently spoke out regarding the gang rape of an Indian woman in New Delhi. Time for some body language nuance ....
At the 0:02 second mark in this video (and at multiple other times in this short excerpt of a longer interview), she mentions "...it disgusted me", however the classic nonverbal expression of disgust was not expressed on her face at this time. Was she lying? No. First Padma was recounting what she had initially felt/thought upon hearing about the rape. Secondly, although her words said "disgusted", a more general negative emotion (which included many emotions) was conveyed in her body language - that of emotional blocking & emotional processing. For also at the 0:02 mark she displays a prolonged eyelid closure which together in this nonverbal cluster-context is her psyche attempting to block the "memory" of the event from her perspective (exhibition of high empathy) - her hearing about it, recalling her memories of harassment as a youth (which she recounts a few seconds later) when she had lived in India and the empathy she felt/feels for the victim/other similar victims. Ms. Lakshmi's simultaneous head/neck thrust forward as she said "disgusted" and exhibited this prolonged eyelid closure is an example of an illustrator which serves to add emphasis and is also part of this body language cluster.
Not all prolonged eyelid closure indicates empathy and/or blocking unpleasant memories. Can you tell the difference?
There are several other nonverbal great examples included in this video as well. Freeze frame at both 0:04 very end - at 0:52 and you'll see her eyelids open wider than normal with some mid-face tightening as well as some subtle mouth configuration of fear This body language-facial expression is a display of fear. At this moment she is reliving a memory and re-experiencing a portion of that fear.
Padma Lakshmi certainly has quite high Sincerity & Empathy Coefficients. She has spent a good deal of time reliving unpleasant memories and to a degree, putting herself in the shoes of the New Delhi gang-rape victim.
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1841: Disgust in Response to Rep. Barney Frank's "Hoodie" Joke
Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1496: Tiger Woods' Disgust & Biofeedback
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2045: Disgust in New Delhi
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2164: Mitt Romney's Disgust Display regarding President Obama's Relationship with Putin and Russia - ".... I'll give you more flexibility after the election ....."
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 271: Bruce Willis' Disgust with very little Mouth Component
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 273: Anger and Disgust in Azerbaijan
Negotiation Secret # 72 & 73: Christine Lagarde's Disgust & Incredulity
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 457: Salman Rushdie's Contempt Amplifier
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1841: Disgust in Response to Rep. Barney Frank's "Hoodie" Joke
Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1496: Tiger Woods' Disgust & Biofeedback
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2045: Disgust in New Delhi
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2164: Mitt Romney's Disgust Display regarding President Obama's Relationship with Putin and Russia - ".... I'll give you more flexibility after the election ....."
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 271: Bruce Willis' Disgust with very little Mouth Component
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 273: Anger and Disgust in Azerbaijan
Negotiation Secret # 72 & 73: Christine Lagarde's Disgust & Incredulity
Negotiation Body Language Secret # 457: Salman Rushdie's Contempt Amplifier