Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified at a US House of Representatives hearing regarding “social media and alleged censorship” last week.
During his testimony, Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-NY10) played a video of Robert F. Kennedy Jr making a statement regarding COVID-19 at an event earlier in the week in New York City.
What follows is a Body Language analysis of a crucial portion of that second video (the video within the video, link above).
Beginning at 3:15:14, we see a brief clip of Robert Kennedy speaking (our view of video [but not audio] is slightly truncated) where Kennedy says, “[COVID-19] is targeted to attack ah caucasians and — ah, and ah and ah black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and ah, and Chinese.”
Kennedy has Spasmodic Dysphonia — a disorder in which the muscles that generate a person’s voice go into periods of spasm.
It’s common for people who have Spasmodic Dysphonia to exhibit a superimposed stuttering-like speech (this arises from a different etiology from that of common stuttering).
While Kennedy exhibits prominent stuttering-like behavior during this statement, it’s impossible for us to determine whether this is related strictly to his Spasmodic Dysphonia — or if it arises from anxiety unrelated to his vocal cord disorder.
As soon as Kennedy begins to speak his second sentence (“The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and ah, and Chinese”), he crosses his right arm-hand across his lower chest.
Watch carefully — Kennedy’s right arm had already been across his lap (a variation of a fig leaf/genital guarding — signaling low emotional confidence and the need for protection) — but he lifted it higher to the level of his lower chest.
It’s crucial to note here that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is right-handed.
Kennedy’s right (dominant) arm/hand across his lower chest is protective. This is a self-hugging/self-comforting/self-soothing posture (w/ our obstructed view, we can’t say for sure, but his right hand/fingers is probably palm-side-flat against his side, not in a fist).
Kennedy’s left hand/arm (non-dominant) then gestures in a brief index finger-point hand-chop gesture (as he says “most”).
A person who truly believes what they’re saying would be gesturing with their dominant hand — not their non-dominant hand, as Kennedy does here. They also wouldn’t need their dominant hand-arm to protect and self-hug.
We could stop this analysis right here: Kennedy does not believe what he’s saying here.
He does not believe that Ashkenazi Jews or Chinese are somehow protected from the COVID-19 virus.
An additional nuance to this gesture (whether it’s being displayed with the dominant or non-dominant hand) is that the finger-point hand chop dynamic carries with it an additional correlation with deception.
Kennedy then transitions to two successive finger-splayed gestures — first, palm down …
… and then with his palm angled ~45º he gestures — again this gesture was performed with his left (non-dominant) hand in motion. Again, displaying with his non-dominant hand signals his lack of belief in his own claims.
Note also that Kennedy’s eyelids are closed during much of these two sentences. Prolonged eyelid closure (one form of diminished eye contact) is highly correlated with deception.
Note also Kennedy’s increased rate of blinking. Taken alone, an increased blinking frequency does not indicate deception — but it is strongly correlated with anxiety (which may or may not be associated with deception). But here, we take this finding in full-context.
Had the House of Representatives viewing of this recent video been allowed to run less than a second more, we would have also seen Kennedy cover his mouth with his left hand (simultaneously with eyelid closure) immediately after he says, “Chinese”.
Mouth covering, particularly when there’s co-existing eyelid closure, during a declarative statement (or whilst answering a question) is high-correlative with deception.
There are multiple other deceptive body language and paralanguage tells exhibited by Robert F. Kennedy Jr during the longer version of this video referenced in this US House of Representatives hearing.
SUMMARY: Robert F. Kennedy Jr does not believe that Ashkenazi Jews or Chinese are somehow protected from the COVID-19 virus, nor does he believe that the virus was “targeted to attack caucasians or black people”. He is lying.
All organizations, businesses, and individuals who want to (need to) dramatically improve their Body Language skills and nuance their understanding of Emotional Intelligence, please email me at: Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com
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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 many different contexts.
Note the configuration of Elon Musk’s hand-arm display in the above picture. This is called a ‘Steeple’ — more specifically a ‘High Conventional Steeple’.
This example is called a ‘High’ Steeple because it’s positioned relatively high with respect to the rest of his body — here at the level of his upper chest and even his lower face …
… and the term ‘Conventional’ Steeple applies here as a differentiation from other types of steeple displays (such as a ‘Pistol Steeple’, ‘Basketball Steeple’, etc.)
For the most part, few people ever use the conventional steeple (whether it’s held high, mid-level, or a low steeple) — but those who do use it, tend to dramatically over-use it.
Exceptions to this, are those who are extremely arrogant, narcissists, or sociopaths/psychopaths — or individuals who are taught to use it (or its use is modeled for them by a parent, influential authority figure, etc.) — and subsequently it becomes a default behavior.
A conventional steeple is an example of a body language behavior that’s not just alpha — it’s a hyper-alpha behavior.
To clarify — the term “alpha” can be used to describe an example of a behavior’s attempt at dominance — relative to other more submissive (beta) behaviors.
However, the term “alpha” can also be used in a more Gestalt sense — to describe a person’s rank in a given context/subcontext of society (as it’s perceived by themself/subjectively or by others).
Dominant, influential and powerful individuals very often have moments of less-dominant (even submissive), fearful, and acquiescing behavior. The opposite is also true with individuals who are otherwise not dominant, not influential, and who rarely wield power.
Noticing these fluxes of behavior (changes you previously might have called subtle or not noticed at all) — will give you insight as to their underlying motives — and, thus, a tremendous advantage.
Displaying a conventional steeple may make you feel ‘in charge’, confident, powerful — and yes, it will make you feel ‘alpha’ — but also, if you have a reasonable level of baseline empathy, using it will make you feel arrogant.
If a person uses this nonverbal behavior often — and they don’t feel arrogant — with very high probability, their empathy is very low or nonexistent (i.e., a high-narcissist — or a sociopath/psychopath [APD]).
I recommend almost never using a conventional steeple.
If those who I teach insist on displaying a conventional steeple — I advise them to use it for (literally) just a second of their speech/talk/discussion (when they’re saying the most important word of the most important sentence of the most important paragraph).
Otherwise (if people over-use this body language — and since it’s so potent, this is an extremely easy thing to do) it may make you feel confident and puffed-up, ….
… and while those who like you/your agenda will continue to like you and advocate for your cause — those who don’t like you will dislike you even more.
And crucially, it will have a similar rapport-destroying and influence-diminishing effect upon those who are ‘on-the-fence’ regarding you/your ‘leadership’ and/or your plan/agenda.
So while using the conventional steeple (all but very sparingly) may make you feel (temporarily) powerful — but why [insert rhetorical vocal tone] use a behavior that works against you?
Looking at Musk’s face, note his left eyebrow is elevated. He’s questioning and/or not believing what he’s hearing.
He’s not turning his torso or lower body toward the speaker, just his head and neck, along with his eyes. We don’t look directly at people who we don’t like, don’t believe, or don’t respect.
Moreover, he’s tilting his head down here — in this context, this configuration is sending signals of predation, power, and aggression.
Musk’s lower face-mouth-jaw are configured in a pseudo-pout. This transmits thought-emotions of arrogance and feigned consideration.
In this image, Musk’s mid-face is projecting an amalgam of primarily disgust as well as a component of contempt.
SUMMARY: A conventional steeple (as Musk examples here) is an example of a body language which may, for the moment, make you feel alpha and powerful — but it will backfire on you. Others will interpret things very differently.
Nearly everyone (except those who are solidly within your fan base) will (accurately) read a conventional steeple as arrogant. It will work against you — helping to destroy your rapport and diminish your influence. Don’t use it.
All organizations, businesses, and individuals who want to (need to) dramatically improve their Body Language skills and nuance their understanding of Emotional Intelligence, please email me at: Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com
Ω
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 many different contexts.
The faces of the two individuals in this image are deliberately blocked out — but they will be revealed toward the end of this analysis.
Please wait to identify them, as this will serve to drive home the details (and solidify your long-term memory) of their body language behavior on display here.
Note that the woman’s right hand (our left) is configured partially clenched. And although we cannot discern with complete certainty, there’s a high probability that her fingers are also wedged beneath her right upper thigh.
This particular nonverbal component screams with emotional discomfort and an effort to protect herself. It signals that her entire lower abdomen, her gluteal muscles, and her pelvic floor are tightened in response to her anxiety regarding his proximity, touch, and intentions.
She’s psychologically distancing herself from him. It’s obvious that he’s making sexual advancements — and the thought of sexual activity with him is causing her considerable anxiety and a desire to protect herself.
Don’t let the loose, hanging configuration of his right hand mislead you — with his right arm, shoulder, a substantial portion of his torso, and his head/neck behind her — this is a man who wants to control (and who’s accustomed to being in control).
He’s also right-hand dominant (note the trace view of the watch on his left wrist, giving us a 99% certainty he’s right-handed).
While in many scenarios, an arm around someone signals affection, in this context, based on the other body language signals, here it’s a sign of his perceived ownership of her.
Look at his left hand — he’s holding her left wrist. Particularly in the context of their other body language behaviors, here this wrist-holding is a particular red flag — a further signal of his dominance and control.
Her legs are crossed away from him. If she had affection toward him or if she were interested in sexual intimacy with him, her legs would be crossed in the opposite manner — with her right leg over her left leg — and they would both be pointing in his direction.
Moreover, in that alternative universe, her hips and torso would also be rotated toward him, rather rotated modestly away from her “date”.
Notice also, the placement of her left hand. She’s protecting against his touch and his sexual access.
Surprise! (or not) — it’s Donald Trump and Melania. This image is no doubt, at least two decades or more old, but it is dramatic. She wants nothing to do with him in this moment.
His face (and mouth) are fairly close to her head and her left ear. If we don’t like someone (or are angry at them, not attracted to them, fear them, etc.), we are emotionally uncomfortable with their head close to ours.
This very well could have been a noisy environment, but if a person with whom we’re ill-at-ease is speaking closely into our ear, it’s particularly anxiety-provoking.
Melania’s lower eyelids are in significant tension. Her head, neck, and eye, in this moment, are turned away from him.
While Melania’s face is not neutral, contrast the less dramatic expression on her face compared with tells displayed by the rest of her body.
While, with considerable effort, the effectiveness of suppressing one’s facial expressions may be successful in any given moment, the remainder of the body will tell the true story.
Of interest is the way Donald Trump is crossing his legs — he hasn’t crossed them in this manner in at least eight years. One knee directly over the other is rather physically uncomfortable for most people.
Donald Trump is able to maintain this atypical leg crossing only because of his backward lean in conjunction with his right turning and right-tilting of his torso.
SUMMARY: In this image of Donald and Melania Trump, she not only displayed zero affection toward him — but she was trying to physically protect herself from his advances.
With high probably, Melania was experiencing fear. Her hand beneath her upper thigh, in this context, is a profound tell.
Donald Trump is trying to gain access to areas of Melania that she doesn’t want him to touch. His holding of her wrist in this context is particularly indicative of his desire for control — and that he was (and still is) accustomed to physically controlling women.
All individuals, businesses, or organizations who want to (need to) dramatically improve their Body Language skills — and all professionals who want to nuance their understanding of Emotional Intelligence, please contact me via my email: Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com
Ω
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 many different contexts.
There are many signals of deception and manipulation — and in the vast majority of scenarios, these should not be interpreted in isolation.
It’s profoundly important to differentiate a person who is lying or manipulative *in this moment* vs. a person who *chronically* lies or manipulates (that is, it’s one of their fundamental underlying personality characteristics).
The most common signal of a person who is a chronic liar (aka a person who is chronically insincere), is an overuse of their forehead muscles, specifically an upward (not downward) contraction of their forehead.
Moreover, either the entire width of the forehead (with both entire eyebrows) — or the central forehead (with the central portion of each eyebrow) elevating is the specific pattern to look for when sussing out chronic dishonesty and manipulative personalities.
Of course, there are many honest reasons for a person to elevate their forehead such as honest surprise, deep emotional processing, fear, bewilderment, honest emphasis, self-deprecating emotions, playfulness, etc.
These honest reasons are in profound distinction, however, to a person who elevates their forehead out-of-context or too frequently.
Another important distinction is when the forehead is contracted only on one side — which also does not apply in this specific chronic dishonest and manipulative nonverbal behavior/tell.
SUMMARY: The most common signal of a Manipulative personality as well as a Chronic Liar is the overuse of an upward-contracted forehead. Take care to avoid these individuals — they will make your life miserable (or worse).
All individuals, businesses, or organizations who want to (need to) dramatically improve their#BodyLanguageskills (via group or individual instruction) — and all professionals who want to nuance their understanding of#EmotionalIntelligence, please DM or email me atJack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com
Ω
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 many different contexts.
Do you recall this moment from the 2016 Al Smith Dinner? It exemplifies some profoundly classic Body Language.
One characteristic of both a sincere smile and sincere laughter (that’s rarely cited) is retraction of the mandible (a backward vectoring of the jaw) — as is clearly displayed in this profile-view of Hillary Clinton.
Whenever a smile is sincere, the jaw retracts, at least a bit, backward. This movement is often not to the more pronounced degree we see in this example, but it always occurs.
Indeed, so long as you’re first “smiling with your eyes” (eyelids partially [or even fully] closed along with concave-up furrows in each of your lower eyelids), the act of simply by retracting one’s jaw — will often precipitate a sincere smile or even sincere laughter.
Another useful body language tool in this moment to project sincere smile/laughter is recalling a personal hilarious moment and/or someone you love laughing deeply.
Note the expression on Donald Trump’s face in this moment — it’s one of classic Contempt.
In addition, Trump’s left hand is positioned in front of and just above his groin — in a modified (partial) Fig Leaf configuration (aka, Genital Guarding). He’s subconsciously feigning an adjustment of his vest in an attempt at camouflaging his thought-emotions.
He feels threatened and intimidated by Hillary Clinton. Moreover, at the time of this image (20 October 2016), Trump believed Hillary Clinton would win the Presidential Election.
SUMMARY: An important and oft overlooked component of a sincere smile and sincere laughter is a retraction of the jaw. You can even elicit a sincere smile and/or sincere laughter by pulling your jaw backward (when in conjunction with an eye-smiling), (please see above).
Crucially, when jaw retraction is absent, what you might think is a sincere smile or laughter — is being feigned.
In the image included above, Donald Trump’s contempt for Hillary Clinton is clearly demonstrated amidst a moment of Hillary Clinton’s sincere joy-happiness-laughter.
All individuals, businesses, or organizations who want to (need to) dramatically improve their #BodyLanguage skills (via group or individual instruction) — and all professionals who want to nuance their understanding of #EmotionalIntelligence, please DM or email me at Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com
Ω
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 many different contexts.
Please take the time to watch this video on a large screen — also, consider occasionally viewing with the 1/2 speed or 1/4 speed settings, as many of these behaviors are dynamic and thus impossible to be seen with still images.
Mike Pence was interviewed on “Face the Nation” on Sunday 2 July 2023 (link above). What follows is a Body Language, Statement Analysis, and Paralanguage Analysis of a crucial portion of that interview (beginning at 9:52).
*Each analysis appears below its corresponding image*
As Margaret Brennan begins her question (9:52), “There was some reporting in The Washington Post …”, Pence displays an Inward Lip Roll (9:55) — an indication he’s suppressing Strong Thought-Emotions. He’s also displaying a Jaw Jut (signaling a strong adrenaline surge).
At 9:57 Mike Pence displays a hard swallow. We can see his Thyroid Cartilage (“Adam’s Apple”) rise and fall associated with anxiety and an accompanying temporary dry throat. It’s notable that he’s also closing his eyes (Psychological distancing).
During 10:02–10:03, Pence nods up-and-down (affirmative) just after and while Margaret Brennan says, “…President Trump, back in 2020, after the election, repeatedly asked you to call the governor…”
During 10:07–10:08, Pence again nods up-and-down as Ms. Brennan continues “… to get you to substantiate President Trump’s claims…”
Pence simultaneously displays varying levels of Contempt during 10:08–10:16 as Ms. Brennan says, “President Trump’s claims, false claims of Fraud…” This is expressed both with his left mouth corner.
…and w/ increased levels of Contempt superimposed w/ the corner of his right mouth (this particular right-side Contempt display is a microexpression/near-microexpression as it lasts for a fraction of a second [10:12]), again, w/ eyelid closure (psychological blocking).
Pence displays a Feigned Pout (arrogance, condescension) at 10:16 as he also nods his head up-and-down in the affirmative (10:16–10:18).
During 10:21, Pence displays yet another Contempt display (near-microexpression).
At 10:23 Pence displays another Feigned Pout together with Feigned Contemplation (this amalgam is very much a Feigned-WTF expression). Note that Pence did not answer Ms. Brennan’s answer quickly.
Pay close attention to Pence’s word-choice (the Statement Analysis of his answer): “Well I, I think the record reflects that I, I did check in.”
• “Well”, a stalling word (needs more time to formulate answer) • “I, I” stuttering twice (in a non-stutterer) reflects considerable anxiety. Stuttering this specific word (in a non-stutterer) is correlative with deception. • “I think”, this is not definitive language, a person telling the truth would not say, “I think” • “the record reflects”, Whose record? Was the phone call recorded? Your word? Trump’s word? Ducey’s word? This is classic hedging language.
Note the level of facial asymmetry here (10:26). It’s rather extreme.
Pence’s Unilateral eyebrow and forehead raising indicates his own skepticism/disbelief of his own statement.
Speaking out of one side of the mouth (provided it’s not a life-long chronic behavior, à la Rex Tillerson [or due to a stroke, injury, or other medical condition]) is a signal of Bravado, Braggadocio — and/or Deception.
Pence’s simultaneous bilateral eyelid closure synchronous with his forehead and mouth behavior indicates the psychological blocking behavior and is an example of diminished eye contact associated with lying.
*Pence repeated this nonverbal cluster pattern multiple times during this interview*
Note Pence’s language of “I did check in — ah, with ah, not only Governor Ducey, but other governors in states that were going through the process of reviewing their election results.”
• “I did check in” (plausible deniability) • “Not only with Governor Ducey but other governors…” (What other governors? Why?)
This is akin to diffusion of responsibility — making it seem like it’s somehow normal to call all the governors where the election results are close — to what purpose?
Pence also rocks back/squirms in his chair (indicating pelvic floor, gluteal, rectal, and scrotal muscles contracting secondary to fear-anxiety), (during 10:25–10:27) ….
….as he also, with high probability (as inferred by the motion of his upper arms) rubs the anterior (front) aspect of his thighs with his palms (high anxiety), (10:25–10:27).
Pence shrugs both his shoulders at 10:30 together with eyelid closure and that highly suspect asymmetrical mouth and forehead amalgam.
*Pay close attention to the tremendous frequency of Pence shrugging his shoulders during this video*
A person who shrugs their shoulders in the context of being accused of a lie, malfeasance, or being associated with others being similarly accused — is either trying (too much) to distance themselves from those accusations or he’s outright lying.
Said another way, an honest person who conducts himself forthrightly, will not shrug their shoulders with the frequency prominently displayed here by Mike Pence.
Note Pence’s rapid side-to-side head shake as he says, “reviewing their election results. But there was no pressure involved, Margaret” (10:33–10:34), (again, contradictory behavior).
During 10:36, Pence displays another shoulder shrug simultaneous with his partially suppressed, smug smile/laughter.
A person who’s lying (particularly a person in power) will often laugh when being confronted with an accusation. They pretend (act, insinuate, and sometimes even state outright, etc.) that the reason for their laughter is that the accusation is preposterous …
…but the real reason for their laughter is that very often, when a person is caught lying, they will smile. Such a “this is silly”, “preposterous” laughter [feign] gives them plausible deniability to cover for their being-caught-in-a-lie laughter.
It’s helpful to think of this behavior as a form of burying/camouflaging the smile amidst a sea of white noise [laughter].
Note how Pence is leaning to his right (10:39) as he says, “I was, I was calling to get an update” then he tilts his head/neck left saying, “I passed along that information to the President” (blinking more rapidly) — then leans right again.
Pence is listing starboard (away from Trump). It’s also notable that Pence’s rate of blinking (anxiety) increased significantly when he symbolically leaned to Trump here.
When interpreted in isolation, Rapid blinking is a reliable indicator of anxiety, but not for deception specifically (In this analysis, however, we’re not viewing this or any behavior in isolation).
Said another way, a person who is lying may very well be blinking rapidly (dishonest anxiety), but a person who is blinking rapidly is not necessarily lying (indeed, they can have many reasons for anxiety in an honest context).
It’s also important to note that all people who are telling lies are not necessarily blinking above their normal baseline.
Having made these crucial nonverbal points regarding blinking, as we’ve seen (and will continue to see) during this interview segment Mike Pence displayed multiple other nonverbal indicators of deception.
So although there are exceptions, we should, in general, avoid making conclusions based on a single body language behavior, viewed in isolation.
During 10:44, as Pence says, “I think, ah” we see/hear more smug laughter. This is yet another example of Pence camouflaging the real reason for his smile of being caught in a lie — with smug, melodramatic, SNL-esque, ‘how preposterous!’ laughter.
Note Pence’s high-frequency of stuttering (he’s a non-stutterer) (10:42) as he says, “and ah, as I said, I, I think, ah, the ah, I think the ah, ah, ah the record, ah, from that time …” (high-anxiety)
Pence’s language choice of, “I think” (wiggle room/deceptive language) rather than a definitive “This is what happened”, “I know”, “I know this is what happened because — I was there/I was making the call/I was the one talking to the President/to Governor Ducey”.
…and Pence’s “what The record reflects” is very often just someone’s account (lie) — and it may very well be incongruent with what truly occurred.
Politicians and pundits often use the extremely cliché/tactic of beginning their answer with “Look,…” (10:50–10:51).
This “Look” usage is a self-righteous juke. It’s dismissive and a tactic for not answering directly — metaphorically grabbing the microphone away from the interviewer so you don’t have to answer (making them a good bit less likely to push back with a similar inquiry).
Note Pence’s display (10:53) of a Rationalization Rapport Empathy Expression (R2E2) as he says, “these states were going through a process”.
The R2E2 is an expression we all make from time-to-time. However those people who display this too often or at crucial times are trying too hard to convince you of something.
A warning light should go on when you see a R2E2.
The R2E2 is not an indication of their Empathy, rather people who make this expression are trying to capitalize on our Empathy. Very often, people displaying the R2E2 are trying to Rationalize or get us to Co-Rationalize with their opinions, ideas, plans, etc.
A person who’s making the R2E2 is trying to gain rapport and your trust (This is particularly true when we see it frequently or at crucial times — such as when they’re agitated, accused, in the spotlight, etc.)
When we see an R2E2 expression *frequently or at crucial times*, we alway should ask ourselves a series of following questions:
R2E2 checklist:
• Why are they putting an extra effort in trying to convince me of an idea, course of action, etc.? • What’s my overall feeling of their level of sincerity in this moment? • What is my gut-feeling regarding this person’s sincerity in what they’re saying at this moment? • Of what, specifically, are they trying to convince me? • What, specifically, do I feel is their predominant emotion at this moment? • What are my gut feelings regarding this person’s motive(s) in this moment? • Are they feigning an “Achilles Heel” and if so, what is it? • Are they falsely sharing one of their ‘weaknesses’ with me?
Pence’s statement, “Look, these states were going through a process, after, after so much uncertainty about, ah, the election outcome” — is Pence going along, at least in part, with The Big Lie — No, there wasn’t uncertainty in the 2020 election outcome.
Pence is covering his arse for his multiple (and for what, even on the surface) are blatantly unorthodox calls.
Notice too that Pence conflates the outcome of the Election in Arizona with that of Georgia (and we know Trump will be indicted next month for his 2020 election tampering in Georgia). This is both a rationalization — and a Freudian Slip.
Pence’s equating the Arizona situation with Georgia is Pence saying that Trump also believed this to be true — and thus Trump’s (illegal) actions in Georgia were similar, equal to, or perhaps worse to what he did regarding Arizona.
At 11:01, we see Pence display yet another unilateral eyebrow asymmetry with a shoulder shrug. Neither nonverbal displays are seen with this frequency if a person was telling the truth (and highly suspicious associated with this specific statement).
Pence displays another R2E2 expression at 11:06 R2E2.
Pence hard swallows (anxiety) again whilst also closing his eyes at 11:19 upon hearing the question, “but were you being pressured by Mr. Trump?” *Red lights flashing, Sirens blaring*.
This Hard Swallow-Eyelid closure is followed immediately (11:20) by a Clenching Jaw (indicating an adrenaline surge) which amplifies the Richter scale of Pence’s anxiety tell.
Pence’s stuttering response of, “Ah, No, ah, ah, ah, I d-, I don’t remember any pressure” — upon receiving this question is extremely telling.
Moreover, Pence’s answer of, “I don’t remember”, in this context is profound — highly consistent with Deception.
Note Pence’s looks away (diminished eye contact) whilst squirming in his chair at 11:28–11:34. This is indicative of pelvic floor, gluteal, rectal, and scrotal muscles contraction — secondary to fear-anxiety)
Pence is also, most probably, rubbing tops of thighs here (anxiety and fear), although this action can’t be directly visualized (11:30–11:34). Please watch the video as most of these behaviors need to be interpreted in the dynamic context of human movement.
Pence shakes his head side-to-side (11:37), (“no”) as he says, “I’ve spoken about it very openly”. When verbal language contradicts body language, it’s the body language that’s always telling the truth. Pence is lying/he’s withholding important details (a Lie of Omission).
During 11:38–11:39, Pence displays yet another bilateral shoulder shrug.
When confronted with a possible lie or being accused of/associated with an unethical/illegal act, a person telling the truth will NOT shrug their shoulders with the frequency Pence does during this interview.
During 11:42, as Pence says, “strong” (“ah, ah a strong difference ah, ah, I’ll …”) he displays another R2E2 expression (please see above, number 48 of 91–57 of 91). We also hear yet another of Pence’s display of stuttering in a non-stutterer (anxiety, deception).
Note also, Pence’s evoking God (“by God’s grace …” at 11:45–11:46). When confronted in a possible lie, evoking a deity’s/religious figures name is correlated with deception.
Moreover, when Pence says “God’s grace” he displays another bilateral shoulder shrug! (11:45–11:46) and eyelid closure. These simultaneous behaviors are inconsistent with any possible belief of Pence’s that “God’s grace” had anything to do with it.
Immediately after that (11:46–11:47), as he says, “I did my duty under the Constitution…”, Pence rapidly shakes his head side-to-side. Once again his verbal language contradicts his body language.
During 11:50–11:51, Pence displays a microexpression of fear as he says “joint” (“…presiding over a joint session of congress…”).
During 11:56–11:57 and shortly thereafter during 11:58 and again at 12:02, Pence displays multiple back-to-back R2E2 expressions with Shoulder Shrugs.
More head shaking side-to-side (while also closing his eyes,
psychological blocking) during 12:05–12:06 as Pence says, “states were
engaging in appropriate reviews”. Another example of body language vs.
verbal language contradiction.
Pence displays yet another contempt display during 12:08–12:10.
At 12:10, Ms. Brennan asks, “You were not being pressured to influence state governors — is what you are saying?” Pence’s response was screaming guilt as he answers …
At 12:17, after a *Long Pause*, Pence answers, “Ahhh, N, N, N, No — No, there was, th- the-, [deep inhalation] the- there was ust [sic] — the President expressed ah his, his strong belief, ah that I had authority that I did not have under the Constution [sic]…”
This passage is remarkable not only for the frequency and variety of stuttering (in a non-stutterer) — but also for Pence’s slurring of his words “ust” and “Constution” — more strong signals of anxiety and, in this context, highly correlative with deception.
On occasion, we all mispronounce words — however, when those who mispronounce words are also lying — it’s done with an increased frequency — AND, crucially, they tend not correct themselves by re-pronouncing/re-stating the word(s).
Superimposed upon his verbal answer, was Pence’s nonverbal response: chair-squirming/buttocks raising, deeply inhaling, along with his suppressed smile (duping delight) in this context, *screams deception*.
And did you see that conspicuous rapid switch from the side-to-side head shaking (12:18) to the up-and-down head nodding (12:19) just prior to his deep inhalation and chair squirming/buttock raising?
Throughout much of this video, Pence displays what for him is an extremely common expression — an Elevated Central Forehead Contraction together with a Partial Mouth Smile.
Everyone makes this expression occasionally (hopefully not too often) during moments of:
• Arrogance • Contempt • Smug Disbelief
(Note all three of these thought-emotions have other possible expression displays)
But those who make this expression often (as does Pence) or in particular contexts, there exists an extremely high association with Sociopathy and Psychopathy (Antisocial Personality Disorder).
SUMMARY: Mike Pence’s body language, verbal language, and paralanguage displayed during this video segment indicates that he lied on multiple occasions.
Vice President Mike Pence called Arizona Governor Ducey in order to pressure him to overturn Arizona’s results of the 2020 Presidential Election — and he did so under instructions by Donald Trump.
All individuals, professionals, and businesses/organizations who want to (need to) dramatically improve their Body Language Skills and nuance their understanding of Emotional Intelligence please email me: Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com Group and individual sessions 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 many different contexts.
