Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2271: Golden Globe Awards - Best Original SongAdele & Taylor Swift - both Nominated, One Winner One Body Language of Sincerity Another of Contempt then a Suppressed Smile

This video segment from the 2013 Golden Globe Awards earlier this week is short but from a body language perspective, highly illustrative. We would of course expect a winner of a Golden Globe to be very sincere. Adele, who won for "Skyfall", is no exception. At 0:07 and again at 0:20 - 0:23 and 0:24 - 0:26, she demonstrates a full palm-of-hand contact of her left hand on her sternum as she voices her appreciation. When "Palmar Contact" occurs on the sternum or upper left chest (over the heart, thus "heartfelt"), there is a very high correlation with sincerity.

When only fingertips contact - sincerity's being feigned (not seen here). Such insincerity can also be seen during the non-affectionate hugs of a waning love - where once the whole hand made contact, now only the tips of the fingers will touch.

In other nonverbal contexts, palmar contact can signify "ownership" as well.

During 0:16 - 0:17, Taylor Swift displays a relatively rarely (to video-capture) display of two contrasting emotions. For about a second, early in this two second segment, Ms. Swift clearly had significant contempt for Adele - for Taylor was also nominated for "Best Original Song" and in this moment she finds out she did not win (falling short along with John Paul White, Joy Williams and T Bone Burnett for "Safe & Sound" featured in "The Hunger Games"). Only about a second later though, at the very end of the 0:17 mark, she finds a bit of true humor in Adele's speech - yet she suppresses her smile. The "suppressed smile" and the nonverbal display of contempt are both possibilities to consider (along with early smile formation and a deliberately feigned insincere "pseudo-smile") in the presence of a one-sided smile. Emotions commonly overlap and/or occur in rapid succession - and this is a fantastic example of two very different emotions doing just that. Nearly everyone else (including you) smiled more and laughed here - not Ms. Swift however. Thus, her's is a great body language example of emotional dissonance.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1171:  Not So Fast Swift .... Taylor's False Surprise

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2244: Taylor Swift's Body Language, Botox & Anger on 60 Minutes

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1866: Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth are Engaged - An Affection-Love Sincerity Signal

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2183: Barack & Michelle Obama's Tweet - The Palmar Touch, Body Language and an Affectionate Hug

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1900:  Palmar Touch of another Person, an Animal or Object

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2167: Colin Powell Endorses President Obama - His Body Language Display of Anxiety, Contempt & the  Self-Righteous Head Wiggle

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 665: Bashar al-Assad's Strong Sign of Insincerity

Nonverbal Communication Intelligence Analysis # 2111: Mitt Romney on Libya Embassy Killings -  Multiple Displays of Contempt

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2178: Little Girl Tells Pippa Middleton, "I Hate Princesses"  Pippa's Body Language of Contempt ...

Full Palmar Contact = Sincerity

Subtle Contempt

Suppressed Smile
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