On Wednesday, Donald Trump named Sean Spicer to be his administration's White House Press Secretary.
In the above video segment, Mr. Spicer is responding to questions regarding the President-Elect's recent statements and tweet on his view that the United States needs to "greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability" - and more specifically Mr. Trump's statement from a short time before this (Friday morning) of "Let it be an Arms Race" while on the phone to Mika Brzezinski, the co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe program.
Although Mr. Spicer briefly gestured (technically termed, Nonverbal "Illustrators") with his hands - a good portion of this video shows the future White House Press Secretary with his hands in a "Seated Fig Leaf" (aka "Genital Guarding") configuration. In addition, his ankles are crossed the entire time, allowing only his left heel to touch the floor. The crossed ankle posture is a "lower limb analog" of the fig leaf.
The fact that this was his default position during this interview, indicates Mr. Spicer had a low level of emotional comfort and low confidence. Such a beta configuration does not at all indicate strength or assertiveness (contrary to what we would expect). While this behavior could very well be due to his feelings regarding Donald Trump's recent statement and tweet regarding Nuclear Weapons - it's also possible Sean Spicer feels anxiety for another reason.
Right now, try sitting in this same position (also, as we also see here, with your back away from the chair, leaning slightly forward, with your shoulders slightly hunched/neck foreshortened). Simply sitting in this position will make you feel less confident, hesitant and unsure of yourself.
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3794: Racist Rant at Jefferson Mall in Louisville
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3792: Notre Dame's Matt Farrell and Family Surprised by Brother Bo's Military Homecoming at Basketball Game
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3790: Senator John McCain Believes Russian Election Interference Could 'Destroy Democracy'
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3764: Donald Trump's "A Message from the President-Elect"
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3730: The 3rd Presidential Debate - Donald Trump v. Hillary Clinton - Part II - Donald Trump won't commit to accepting election results
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3672: Jessica Alba, Swass, Body Language and Emotional Intelligence
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3510: Lindsey Graham - The Senator Picks His Poison: Ted Cruz vs. Donald Trump
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3403: "Johnnie Walker - Dear Brother" Commercial
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