A ‘Lip Curl’, when the lips flare/curl outward in disproportionate and melodramatic manner is a highly reliable indicator of the thought-emotions of:
• Hubris
• False Bravado
• Braggadocio
• Pretentiousness
• Righteous Indignation
• Deception
• Insincerity
• Agenda Driven (Manipulation is Present)
• This cannot be stressed enough: If a Lip Curl is displayed even with modest frequency, there’s a high likelihood of Machiavellian Personality (and very often, an accompanying Dark Triad or Dark Tetrad).
It’s a crucial tell, an out-of-context lip and mouth configuration — hyperbolic with respect to the word being spoken.
You’ve probably detected this subtle nonverbal behavior subconsciously (or at the edge of consciousness) but dismissed it.
It’s also commonly (but not always) accompanied by pseudo-accent sounding by word pronunciations — with an air of haughtiness (i.e., “Country Club Accent”).
In addition, there’s almost always a significant and simultaneous degree of jaw muscle tension/contraction present during a Lip Curl.
Interested in learning Body Language/Nonverbal Communication and Behavior Analysis in Group-Zoom sessions? We’ll be meeting the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month (90 minutes/session for 1 year, 36 hours total). Please email me at Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com for details (one-on-one and private corporate group instruction also available).
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This post and others accompanying it, serve as a reference source for the art and science of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the author. In an effort to be both practical and academic, many examples from/of varied cultures, politicians, professional athletes, legal cases, public figures, etc., are cited in order to teach and illustrate both the interpretation of others’ body language as well as the projection of one’s own nonverbal skills in the many varied contexts of personal and professional life.
