During a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live last month, Matthew Perry recounted a story from his childhood. He asserts that he and a friend "beat up" Justin Trudeau - the current Prime Minister of Canada. This allegedly occurred when Justin's father, Pierre Trudeau was also Prime Minister.
Yesterday, Justin Trudeau - perhaps in the spirit of April Fool's Day - challenged Matthew Perry (Chandler) to a rematch via Twitter.
But was Matthew Perry telling the truth?
Perry's mother, Suzanne Marie Morrison, was Pierre Trudeau's press secretary - thus the two boys almost surely met and perhaps knew each other - even quite well.
Yet note that during his story of this childhood incident, from 0:57 - 1:04, Matthew Perry, is pulling on/rubbing his right earlobe with his right thumb and index finger. The ear rub/ear pull MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) is a significant nonverbal anxiety indicator - and this one, in particular, is one of several which are highly correlated with deception. Moreover, the timing of this nonverbal tell - when correlated with his words/verbal language - makes his claim even more suspect.
The most common reason (by far) we scratch, rub, or touch our face is anxiety. Yes, "the itch is real" - but the itch/irritation is caused by the release of neurotransmitters/neurochemicals (e.g., the neurotransmitter natriuretic polypeptide b [Nppb], or a similar/related molecule) which themselves arise from anxiety.
Summary: While we cannot say with 100% confidence that Matthew Perry is lying about his claim that he and a friend beat up Justin Trudeau when they were children, there is at least, a very high likelihood that an important component of this story is completely untrue or greatly exaggerated.
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3895: Donald Trump Walks Out of Oval Office without signing Executive Orders
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3893: Devin Nunes' Statement to Press Outside White House after His Controversial Meeting with Donald Trump
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3891: Donald Trump and Jared Kushner - Alpha and Beta Tells
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3871: Emma Watson's Old Habit, Harry Potter Outtake and Anxiety
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3838: Kellyanne Conway's Statement Regarding the "Bowling Green Massacre"
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3805: Mariah Carey's New Year's Eve Lip Sync Fail On Live TV
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3658: Usain Bolt's "Cheeky Smile"
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3619: Lone Protester, Baton Rouge Police and Body Language
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