Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2430: Dolph Lundgren is an Alpha Male and He Wants Everyone to Know It - Seated Crotch Display (Video, Photo)

In the video featured above, Dolph Lundgren is shown in the "Seated Crotch Display" configuration. This nonverbal is an alpha body language display and is seen almost exclusively in men. Male co-workers, friends or adversaries will often sit around a table in this manner (legs very widely splayed) in what is one type of a subconscious display of relative dominance. When in a professional setting of mixed company, men who use the seated crotch display will lose rapport and very often offend women (and most men are completely unaware of this turn-off).

Depending on the other nonverbals with which it is clustered, the seated crotch display (SCD) can also be a sign of sexual interest and/or sexual display in both men and women (Think of a male peacock, ruffed grouse, etc.) Although a considerably less common body language of females - when the SCD is used by women, it is much more indicative of sexual interest as opposed to a dominance display.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2313:  Elisa Lam Video in Elevator at Cecil Hotel - What Her Body Language Tells Us ...

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2330:  Body Language of Foot Placement on another Person's Chair

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2267:  Body Language at the 2013 Golden Globes - The Influence of Color on Human Sexuality - Claire Danes, Zooey Deschanel & Jennifer Lawrence

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2299:  Rihanna & Chris Brown at 2013 Grammys - What Their Body Language Says

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2327:  What is meant by "Eye Contact"?  A Body Language Fundamental

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2422:  Amy Adams on Jimmy Kimmel -  Body Language, Flirting and Dating

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2282:  Jay Carney and the Dominant Spider - White House Press Secretary's Body Language re: National Labor Relations Board Vacancies

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2242:  Rihanna & Chris Brown at Lakers Game  Body Language of Dominance, "Ownership",  Narcissism and Submission

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2061:  David Cameron Defends London Olympics against Mitt Romney's Remarks - Alpha Dominance and Illustrators - Matching Hands and Feet as Sincerity Amplifiers 
 

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2340: Mayor "Sly" James' Microphone Hijacked During his Kansas City, Missouri's - State of City Address Body Language Tells - Not what you'd expect

Kansas City, Missouri's Mayor "Sly" James was interrupted this morning during the State of the City address. The as yet unidentified man was then wrestled to the ground and arrested for assaulting a police officer - with probable other charges to follow. No doubt the microphone hijacker's behavior was illegal, unacceptable and not part of what most people consider acceptable civil discourse in a reasonable society. 

From a body language perspective the mayor's reaction is intriguing. Many assassinations occur during speeches. Mayor James' lack of moving away from the intruder goes against natural instinct of the vast majority of people. Doing so would not have colored him in any negative light. On the contrary, protection of oneself is very human. The Mayor's personal space (and even his intimate space) was invaded - abruptly, in a potentially violently fashion and by a stranger - all in a particularly unusual setting. It is interesting to speculate if, had a similar event happened to him in another place where the Mayor was not acting as a leader or the alpha male, whether he would have retracted away from a potential assailant. The vast majority of people are "hardwired" to pull away - as part of our human self-preservation reflex. Thinking is not part of this. It's a reflex - even if he were a 10th degree black belt. To back rapid away when your personal/intimate space is compromised in such a rapid fashion is not cowardice, it is fully human.

Early on, the Mayor shows no signs of anger. In the first image below, his lips are pursed - which is a strong nonverbal indicator of a clandestine disagreement from a relative alpha who has the power and resources to pull of his plan. Of course seconds later, the mayor sees "his plan" fully exercised by his body guards.

Very often these same pursed lips expression are displayed in the calm of a business meeting. And in such settings the words being said are often relatively or even very friendly. Watch their body language instead though - for while those who give this facial signal are voicing little or no disagreement - while their thoughts and emotions are expressing huge disparity. Prepare for an "end run".

In this second image (below), Mayor James' is displaying nonverbal signals of anger.  The thinning of and tension in his upper lip and "mustache area" is particularly telling here. There is also significant nostril dilation. Note this occurs once the police officer grabs the interrupter - thus the Mayor feels less threatened.

Note it is also still pursed - so their are at least two emotions present.

The microphone hijacker however, has a distinct signal of emotional and/or physical pain on his face - most notably shown by the contraction of his central forehead muscles.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2274: The Eyes & Mouth of Fear -  Body Language of Ahmed Dogan during  Attempted Assassination

Invading Personal Space

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1212:  Invading Barack Obama's Personal Space

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 915:  Interpersonal Space of Candidates

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2330:  Body Language of Foot Placement on another Person's Chair

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1896:  IMF Managing Director - Christine Lagarde Pseudo-Prayer & Pursed Lips

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2072:  Jay Carney's Lip Purse while NOT commenting on  Mitt Romney's Visits to the U.K., Israel and Poland

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2339: Alpha, Beta, Body Language & Rapport Destroyers

Although a still image, the scenario above shows several key nonverbal signals and tells a story - almost as if it were a video. The alpha male, on the right is displaying an index finger (forefinger) point - and in what is probably a "wag" or chopping motion along with it. The finger point is a cross-cultural and universal negative gesture. Extremely offensive, it will cause both anger and fear along with decreased comprehension of whomever at which the appendage is pointed. It is not a way to build rapport. On the contrary it is a huge rapport destroyer. When this overly aggressive gesture in amalgamated with a chop, it amplifies these negative emotions to the extreme.

Here the primary recipient (the man in the middle of this image) is displaying a common body language manifestation of anxiety - false mastication or false chewing of the inside of the cheek. Sometimes it is the tongue or lip which is softly bitten and/or chewed. Notice his upper eyelids are also opened wider than normal. In this context, this eye nonverbal signifies fear. Be mindful though, for in other nonverbal clusters these dynamics have completely different meanings. His superior (alpha) is invoking a hierarchical display resulting in fear, anxiety and a poorer awareness of details in his subordinate (beta).

Too many confuse being in a leadership position with being a leader. And when it comes to body language there are no exceptions. Autopilot doesn't cut it.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1876:  Noomi Rapace, Anxiety & False Mastication

Negotiation Secret # 33: Spanish Football & False Mastication

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2084: Lolo Jones's False Mastication/Jaw Clenching

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1522:  False Mastication in Court - Alicia DeBolt and  Adam Longoria

Negotiation Secret # 704:  False Mastication and  Contraction of the Central Forehead

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2122: Eyes White and Wide - Three Body Language Examples with  Two Different Emotional Cause

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 1167: Danica's Lips, Danica's Eye
 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis #2160: Index Finger (Forefinger) Pointing in Politics - The Third (and Final) 2012 Presidential Debates -  Body Language of Being an Alpha Male without Offending

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1918: Vladimir Putin - Pointing with Pen Surrogates - Sharp vs. Blunt


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2060: Tony Blair's Seated Crotch Display of Dominance

Tony Blair, a previous Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, is a typical alpha male. And like most alpha males, his default is to display his dominance. In this interview, he is driving home the importance of maintaining strong and persistent international pressure on Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian Government (Tony Blair is special envoy to the Middle East for the "Quartet on the Middle East" - United Nations, Russia, The United States and The European Union). During the 0:38 - 0:44 segment, when the camera pans out, Blair's extremely widely splayed legs exemplify this dominance and strong belief with this nonverbal.

Men adopt this "seated crotch display" when they are amongst other males, to display their relative alpha status. This holds true whether there is friendship or animosity. It is an extremely common way for a President/Prime Minister/CEO to sit during an interview or high-level meeting. In a business setting, men are nearly universally oblivious that the display of this body language offends most all women. In such settings, it is a strong rapport destroyer. This can also be true for men and women in social settings - and in these scenarios, it is a strong signal of sexual attraction.

See also:

Analysis # 1811: Jamie Dimon - the Day Before the Announcement of  JPMorgan Chase's $2 Billion Loss

Analysis # 401: Male Dominance Display - Faux pas

Analysis # 593: Projecting and Detecting Confidence 

Analysis 1899: Bill Cassidy and "Obama-care" - Letting your Body Language Detract from you Message

 

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1874: Bad Handshake - Political Prevalence

In this image, Mitt Romney is committing an essentially ubiquitous mistake among politicians (regardless of party) - the "Political Double-Hander" (Pease). There are many ways to sabotage a handshake and this is but one. A common error of over-alpha-males, the double-hander is universally negatively received. It's a rapport destroyer. The average person makes some allowances for this bad-greeting within the context of the politics - but if a candidate wants to build rapport and presumably your vote, they absolutely should refrain from using it (and outside the realm of politics, its use substantially increases the likelihood of narcissistic personality disorder). Be warned - unless a person knows you fairly well, the double-hander is a nonverbal indication that they want something from you. Here the former Massachusetts Governor obviously wants her vote.

See also:

Analysis # 731: Beautiful Prime Minister - Bad Handshake

Analysis # 703: Bad Handshake? - Let me Count the Ways!

Analysis # 1041: Russia's Dominance Over Syria

Analysis # 1510: Handshakes, Statesmanship and Dominance - Manmohan Singh & Asif Ali Zardari

Analysis # 379: Dominant Handshake Tendencies

Analysis # 1131: Romney's Handshake, Santorum's Bicep and Dominance 

Analysis # 1032: Romney, Rapport and Handshakes

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Negotiation Body Language Secret # 772: Haley Barbour's Dominance

Yesterday, on his last day in office as Governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour pardoned, granted clemency or early release of 203 prisoners. Although some of these individuals have already been released, today a Mississippi judge has blocked any additional inmates from going free. In this image, we see Gov. Barbour a few years ago being visited by then President George W. Bush. Haley's Hand is rotated inwards about 40-45 degrees - and partially on top of Bush's hand, thus this is a subtle to moderate dominance display. It is obviously not as overtly dominant as the completely palm-down handshake used by so many alpha males of the political persuasion, but it's a definitive dominance display none the less. You can bet President Bush got the message. 

It is very possible that the highest office holder in a modestly populated southern state is accustomed to being very dominant to essentially everyone he meets and re-meets. Ergo, he may be oblivious to the dominance message he's sending to the President and leader of his own political party. It's also possible he's deliberately and very consciously doing so - although this is considerably less likely. Deliberately or not - negative repercussions still result - as the recipient is another human being with a very human brain, psyche and ego. It's one thing to project dominance to a subordinate or perhaps, in the right setting, someone you perceive to be a peer. It's quite another to send similar signals to your superior. Governor Barbour was probably very unaware he was "one-upping" President Bush. Being ignorant of your own body language and the signals you're sending can be very detrimental to your career. Bruised anyone's ego today?  

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Negotiation Secret #593: Projecting and Detecting Confidence

Projecting confidence through Body Language is a incredibly valuable life and business skill. This photo is obviously posed for the new film "Ides of Mach". Left to right are Marisa Tomei, George Clooney, Evan Rachel Wood and Ryan Gosling. Let's forget for a moment that this is a promotional photo and pretend it's "real world". Contrasting the two males, who projects the most confidence? Mr. Clooney does and here's why:  His upper body is aligned toward the camera while his lower body is slightly turned. While the seated male crotch display is often a dramatic turn off to nearby women (especially in a business setting, but even in personal life; see Negotiation Secret # 401: Male Dominance Display - Faux pas), George is not overdoing it here - a moderate stance is achieved. He's projecting confidence and possibly attraction to Ms. Wood. George's unilateral left arm akimbo is another good example of some confidence/dominance while not overdoing it with his right arm as well. How much confidence display is too much? Just ask Clooney. He's confident without being a narcissist.

Ryan Gosling on the other hand is sitting with his knees much closer together and his feet are probably almost touching (If his knees were any closer, it would be considered by most to be a bit effeminate. Again, this is a promotional photo - Gosling's being told how to pose - or how to ill-pose). Moreover, his hands are crossed in a variation of the seated "fig-leaf" - this too projects low confidence. He's is the only one whose body is not pointed at the camera as well. Gosling is clearly acquiescing to the Beta male position in this group, while Clooney is the clear Alpha.

Even Clooney's and Gosling's leather jackets demonstrate the Alpha-Beta contrast. In study after study, men are always rated much higher when dressed in black (or navy blue if we were also including sport coats/suits) vs. lighter colors. This is true in professional as well as personal life. The best example I can site here is the Nixon-Kennedy Debates (see "A Watershed Body Language Moment: Nixon - Kennedy Debates, 1960) Kennedy wore a dark navy suit which contrasted well against the background of the stage, while Nixon wore a significantly lighter color and blended into the background. Thus their clothes became a visual-metaphors for how well defined they were as men and candidates. For the majority who watched this first televised U.S. Presidential debate, Kennedy was the clear winner - while those few who listened on the radio, called it a draw or gave Nixon the edge. 

How would those around you rate your confidence? Alpha or Beta? Narcissist or just right? Are you sure?

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Negotiation and Dating Secret # 111: The Great Phone Tell

There's no diplomatic way to say this, but those who hold their cell phones with their elbows high and straight out to their sides have big egos (exceptions - see below). This is especially true when it's done in public and in crowds. It is a dominance display and it's rarely seen in women. It's typically seen in  alpha-males with narcissistic tendencies, however it can also be seen in beta-males when there are women in close proximity to whom there is an attraction or if he feels the need to project confidence (e.g. constructive or nonconstructive criticism of a subordinate). But in these circumstances, this nonverbal signal is only temporary. If it's seen consistently, then it's a very reliable sign of an "excessive alpha", narcissistic personality. All the ladies out there take note - when the man in your life holds the phone this way - always approach with caution. In the business world - this is a sign that he will probably be very difficult to deal with. Despite what he may say, he will be thinking, "What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine." Come prepared with a strong plan B in your back pocket.

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