Saturday, February 13, 2016

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3467: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dies - Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTO)



























Associate Supreme Court Judge Antonin Scalia died last night in his sleep, apparently of natural causes.

Judge Scalia was not one to suffer fools. And it's an understatement to say he was very animated. 

The image included here shows Supreme Court Justice Scalia in a classic (though certainly not full) expression of anger.

The position of his eyebrows are lowered - but not extremely so. They are also not drawn together. Had they also been pulled together (and further lowered, particularly in the center [medially]), this would have further amplified his angry expression.

His eyelids are also tense. This is especially evident in his lower eyelids. His eyelids are also partially closed (consistent with mild to moderate anger).

His head is not fully turned toward the person of his attention. We tend not to turn fully toward those we don't like, don't respect or don't believe.

In this moment, Judge Scalia's mid-face has a considerable degree of muscle tension. This is very well seen in his "mustache area" as well as his with the flaring of his nostrils.

A strong hallmark of anger are thinned lips. At first glance, his lips in this photo may appear to some as an inward lip roll - but it's not. Because his jaw is clenched and thus his teeth are strongly together, his lips cannot roll completely inward - and his jaw clenching is a very strong signal of anger. This clenching is further evidenced by the dramatic dimpling of his chin. Moreover his jaw is thrust forward (aka a "Jaw Jut") although this is a bit more difficult to visualize given the angle of this image.

My condolences to Judge Scalia's family. Thank you sir for your service to your country. May you rest in peace.


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3465: Hillary Clinton's Dominant Spider

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3445: Harrison Ford Re-enacts 'I Love You' Scene from Star Wars - The Graham Norton Show 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3363: Chris Christie's Viral Video - Why do even Democrats love it? 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3228: Barack Obama in Rose Garden - The President regarding Supreme Court Decision on Marriage Equality 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3299: Kim Davis, Contempt-of-Court, Same-Sex Marriages and Body Language  

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2773: Chief Justice John Roberts, Election Donations and Suppressed Smiles

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret No. 1060: Belichick's Anger

Nonverbal Communication No. 3110: Scarlett Johansson gets invaded by John Travolta - An Awkward Moment from the 2015 Oscars 

_____________________________________________________________________________________