Sunday, April 14, 2019

Body Language Analysis No. 4380: Tiger Woods Wins his first Masters in 14 years - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTOS)


Earlier today, Tiger Woods won his fifth Masters - his first since 2005. Woods has not been victorious in a Major since the 2008 US Open. Tiger, has who has fifteen Majors wins to his credit - is second only to Jack Nicklaus' eighteen. Some are already calling Tiger's comeback the greatest in sports history.

The image above (and the accompanying close-up) taken shortly after his win, captures some crucial nonverbal tells.


Note Tiger's lips are turned inward and held between his teeth. This display is known as an Inward Lip Roll (ILR). It's an extremely common signal of the suppression of strong emotions - good, bad, and bittersweet. Although it's not always successful, an inward lip roll will often prevent our thought-emotions from spiraling out of control - and it also helps to muzzle our full facial expressions. As with 99.99+ % of nonverbal behavior, the inward lip roll is almost always subconsciously driven.

Woods' mandible is momentarily thrusting forward. This dynamic is a Jaw Jut - a signal of an adrenaline surge. Holding one's arms high - along with the formation of fists are also manifestations of a rise in adrenaline. Intriguingly, if you adopt this configuration - right now - your adrenaline will also ascend (Go ahead, try it - Stanislavski in your living room).

Tiger's mid-facial area is highly contracted too. Specifically, his cheek muscles are tightened and pulled laterally (not upward as they would be if he were smiling). Moreover, his mustache area (the area above the upper lip and below the nose) is also quite taut (more so than with the majority of inward lip rolls). In addition, Woods' nostrils are also widely flared.

Whenever assessing body language, one should never overlook the eyes (most people are profoundly unaware of what nuance their own eyes are projecting in real time). Tiger's eyes are partially closed. This closure is active, not passive - with his lower eyelids showing significant tension.

You may notice that Tiger Woods' face is also reddened. In this context, it's a signal of both peripheral vasodilation (blood vessels increasing in diameter just beneath the skin, a form of blushing) - as well as decreased venous return secondary to an (unconscious) relative Valsalva maneuver.

SUMMARY: Captured shortly after his 2019 Masters victory, this image of Tiger Woods shows him in an understandably emotional moment - in the midst of an adrenaline surge - whilst also suppressing tears.


Media Inquires and Group Appearances 
One-on-One and Online Courses Available 


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4379: Katie Bouman, Black Holes, and Emotional Processing

Body Language Analysis No. 4378: William Barr questioned regarding The Mueller Report

Body Language Analysis No. 4377: Donald Trump, "These aren't people, these are animals"

Body Language Analysis No. 4376: Jacinda Ardern and Donald Trump - a Study in Contrasts

Body Language Analysis No. 4375: Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Security Clearances

Body Language Analysis No. 4374: Nancy Pelosi's Clap-Back to Donald Trump during the 2019 SOTU

Body Language Analysis No. 4360: GE's CEO Larry Culp's CNBC Interview and Subsequent Stock Sell-off

Body Language Analysis No. 4343: Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Anxiety, and Empathy

Body Language Analysis No. 4336: Alita: Battle Angel, Large Eyes, and Sexual Attraction


_____________________