Lupita Nyong'o was recently a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live where she was promoting her soon-to-be-released film, Black Panther.
What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis.
LUPITA NYONG'O (continuing at 1:06): ... But for the first time in my life, people - once the trailer came out last year - people started hitting me up to try and attend the premier - and I was like, oh my God, I'm going to lose friends this time.
JIMMY KIMMEL: Oh, yeah.
LUPITA NYONG'O: (over-talking) You know, I have to be very careful and very strategic about how I invited people. So I started, you know, with the inner circle, my parents, and then the next circle - I'll be like, "Are you in LA? Oh, you're not - never mind" - [laughing] And then I go to the next circle.
Lupita Nyong'o uses a particular gesture (more specifically a type of Illustrator) during 1:18 - 1:26 - which at first glance may resemble a basketball steeple. However, this is known as the Contracting Sphere. In this dynamic, the hands initiate several inches apart - e.g. at approximately the diameter of a person's face - and then contract together in smaller and smaller spheres - this movement often cycles - repeating several times.
The Contracting Sphere Gesture is used to express a need for attention to detail, finesse, a calling for/desire to use caution, and/or a warning to be careful.
Like the basketball steeple, it does share the quality of being an alpha-beta hybrid (not too alpha and not too beta - but intermediate).
Summary: Whenever you evaluate nonverbal behavior, it's crucial to always correlate it with the person's corresponding verbal behavior - as well as their paralanguage. When the verbal language, the body language, and the paralanguage are all in alignment/matching - you can be assured of a high degree of sincerity and honesty. This example of Lupita Nyong'o using the contracting sphere is a textbook example of all three communication behaviors displaying a high degree of congruence.
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See also:
Body Language Analysis No. 4197: Donald Trump calls people who didn't clap during his State of the Union address "Un-American" and "Treasonous"
Body Language Analysis No. 4195: Tom Brady and the Asymmetrical Smile
Body Language Analysis No. 4193: Hope Hicks, Sexual Attraction, Armpits, and Elbows
Body Language Analysis No. 4183: Aly Raisman, Larry Nassar, and USA Gymnastics
Body Language Analysis No. 4167: Gary Oldman, Hugh Jackman, and Compliments
Body Language Analysis No. 4152: Ruby Rose and her Mother's (Overgrown) Pig
Body Language Analysis No. 4136: Seminole Heights/Tampa Florida Serial Killer - Criminal Profiling
Body Language Analysis No. 4087: Harrison Ford Accidentally Punches Ryan Gosling in the Face - Blade Runner 2049
Body Language Analysis No. 4052: Hitler's Cryptorchidism and Emotional Dissonance
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