Today a meteor about 15 meters (56 feet) in diameter entered the Earth's atmosphere at least 15 - 18 km/sec (34,000 - 40,000 miles/hour) over the southern Ural Mountains and exploded upon entry between 30 and 50 km above the ground with an explosive power release equivalent to over 30 times the WWII Hiroshima atomic bomb blast. About 1200 people were injured - two seriously. This was the largest recorded Earth-meteor encounter since the Tunguska Event on 30 June 1908 which flattened about 2150 square km (830 sq. mi) of forest in the remote region of Siberia.
In the video above two people can be seen displaying what is known as a "Startle Reflex". This is not body language, but it is often confused with it - as well as that of surprise. Surprise is a true nonverbal however.
Human beings are born with only two fears - those of falling and loud noises. We have inborn reflexes to protect us in these scenarios and the danger associated with them. In the video above we can see the woman (0:47 - 0:49) in particular on the left side of video rapidly covering her head with her arms and hands as she grabs the side and back of her head. A rapid bending of her neck protects her trachea and face. Simultaneously her arms pull in, closer to her body's center and her back, hips, knees and ankles flex as she goes into the fetal position which serves to further protect her. Her shoulders pull inwards as well and if we could see her eyes, we would note a rapid and extremely tight closure of her eyelids.
Very intriguingly, immediately after a loud noise dissipates - there is also a reflex to look towards the noise in an effort to assess the situation. This can be seen readily at 0:49 in the man at the bottom right corner of the video.
There are, of course, many less dramatic events than meteors - but few greater. Do not confuse these reflexes with body language.
See also:
Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1261: Christine Lagarde's True Surprise - Rarely Captured
Negotiation Secret # 387: Missy Franklin's Surprise and Disbelief
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2159: Tom Hanks drops the F-bomb on GMA - Body Language of Fear, Surprise, MAPs and a Bitter Smile
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1914: Sincere Surprise - Often Faked & Difficult to Capture Spain Beats Portugal in Euro 2012
See also:
Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1261: Christine Lagarde's True Surprise - Rarely Captured
Negotiation Secret # 387: Missy Franklin's Surprise and Disbelief
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2159: Tom Hanks drops the F-bomb on GMA - Body Language of Fear, Surprise, MAPs and a Bitter Smile
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1914: Sincere Surprise - Often Faked & Difficult to Capture Spain Beats Portugal in Euro 2012
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2170: The San Francisco Giants, Surprise, Bird Poop and Body Language
Negotiation Secret # 56: Surprise with a Touch of Fear
Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1171: Not So Fast Swift .... Taylor's False Surprise
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