Senator John McCain (R-AZ) just returned from a trip to Syria. It is well known that Sen. McCain has long believed the United States should supply weapons to the Syrian Rebels (those forces opposed to Bashar al Assad). When Anderson Cooper asks him about his feelings after direct experience while in Syria, Sen. McCain displays some telling facial expressions.
What makes his particular facial nonverbals more difficult to dissect is the fact that Sen. McCain has residual facial nerve (Cranial Nerve VII) palsy (when no causes are found after a complete medical evaluation, this is referred to as Bell's Palsy). This leaves his left forehead, eyebrow, cheek and mouth corner mildly hypo-reactive and "droopy" - thus making his expressions more complex than most to accurately assess.
At 0:06, the left corner of John McCain's mouth pulls primarily laterally (note dynamic dimple adjacent to left mouth) - signaling the emotion of regret.
There are other nonverbal manifestations of regret - Do you know these?
The Senator has slight nose asymmetry leaving his baseline configuration of a left nostril (nostril dilation aka nasal flaring) larger than his right - implying contempt
Bilateral closing of the eyelids in this context is contempt amplifier.
In summary Senator McCain feels two emotions here - first regret followed rapidly by contempt. What other nonverbal signals do you see in this video?
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2320: Estonian Skier Andrus Veerpalu Denies Performance Enhancing Drugs - What his Body Language Tells Us
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1517: Signals of Acquiescence and Regret Rick Santorum Drops Out
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2408: Sen. Kelly Ayotte's Anxiety & Regret via Senators Graham & McCain - Republican Body Language in Response to President Obama's National Defense University Speech
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2323: Jodi Arias Murder Trial The Body Language of Unilateral Regret vs. Contempt
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2228: Jay Carney's Body Language - Contempt disguised as a Sniff .... for Republicans' Solutions to the Fiscal Cliff
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2350: Contempt - both dramatic and subtle - Backpedaling and Body Language
Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1267: John McCain, Sarah Palin and Bell's Palsy
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2312: Bruce Willis' Body Language - Contempt vs. Suppressed Smile vs. Pseudo Smile vs. Sincere Smile
Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2384: Bashar al-Assad on 1 May 2013 - Demure, Beta and Nervous - Body Language Lessons on how NOT to appear Confident
___________________________________________________________________________________
