Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3880: Donald Trump Trying to Suppress his Anger the Day after Jeff Sessions' Recusal (and The Day Prior to Trump's Wire Tapping Accusations) - Body Language and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTOS)

The image above (and the close-up cropped portion below) was taken as President Trump was exiting from The Oval Office on Friday 3 March 2017. It was widely reported/leaked that Donald Trump had only just finished arguing with some his top staff, including Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus (a video showing what appeared to be an argument had also been published). Purportedly the President had deemed that Jeff Sessions should not have recused himself (the day before) from any current or future investigations regarding Russia (or at least Sessions had done so far too easily/early).

It's important to note that President Trump's, now infamous Tweets - in which he accused President Obama of directing a wiretap investigation of him/his staff/Trump Tower were made early the next morning (4 March 2017).

It's important to note that President Trump's, now infamous Tweets - in which he accused President Obama of directing a wiretap investigation of him/his staff/Trump Tower were made early the next morning (4 March 2017).

One expression we all often make when we're trying to control our emotions is an "Inward Lip Roll" (ILR). As the name suggests, the lips are rolled inward between the teeth. Often (but not always), the lips can temporarily, completely disappear. These images show a partial ILR and most likely represent a moment a split second after - or a split second prior to a more fully expressed example.

The inward lip roll serves as a tool or psyche uses to suppress both the outward display of strong emotion - as well as its inward growth. Indeed, this nonverbal is the source of the centuries-old idiom, "Bite your lip" (e.g., If a person is biting their lip, they cannot speak mechanically - but also they will be less inclined to speak, for their temper will be coming under better control.).

An Inward lip roll is most commonly seen in the context of anger, yet it can also be seen to suppress other strong emotions, such as sadness and joy (e.g., laughing in the wrong social setting), pain, etc.

Conclusion: Donald Trump's expression as he is exiting The Oval Office on Friday 3 March, is highly congruent with the reports that an argument with his senior staff had allegedly just occurred.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3879: Donald Trump, Wiretapping, Adam Schiff & Russia 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3877: Kellyanne Conway re: "Wiretapping" Investigation - Alpha Displays 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3875: Children Interrupt Dad During BBC News interview 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3865: Jeff Sessions and Al Franken - Senate Judiciary Committee during Sessions' Confirmation Hearing

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3819: Turkey's Parliament, Presidential Powers and Constitutional Amendments

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3767: Joseph Gordon-Levitt on playing Edward Snowden - but How Do Tom Hanks and Gemma Arterton feel?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3696: Jimmy Kimmel's 2016 Emmys Opening Monologue - Sarah Paulson brought Marcia Clark

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3634: Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the Democratic National Convention, Emails and Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3574: Selena Gomez's Body Language Reaction to Fans in Montreal


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3864: Uber's CEO, Travis Kalanick Arguing with an Uber Driver regarding Falling Fares - Escalation v. De-Escalation, Body Language and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

The last few weeks have been rough for Uber's CEO, Travis Kalanick. He resigned from Donald Trump's economic advisory council after a trending Twitter hashtag, #DeleteUber, lead to over 200,000 people to delete the app from their phones. Kalanick then went on record saying his contribution was not intended to be an endorsement of President Trump's policies.

A couple weeks later, Susan Fowler, a former Uber engineer, posted a blog which made allegations of widespread sexual harassment at Uber. The company subsequently promised a thorough investigation with Kalanick saying such practices were, "abhorrent & against everything we believe in."

The above video was published on 28 March 2017 (although allegedly occurring on Super Bowl Sunday). In it, Kalanick argues with one of his own drivers. At about 3:45, Kalanick fellow passengers exit the vehicle - then CEO begins speaking with his driver, Fawzi Kamel, which escalates into a heated exchange.

Mr. Kamel gave Kalanick a one-star rating - and later giving the dash-cam video Bloomberg.

Kalanick issued the following statement:

"By now I’m sure you’ve seen the video where I treated an Uber driver disrespectfully. To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement. My job as your leader is to lead…and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away.

It’s clear this video is a reflection of me—and the criticism we’ve received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.

I want to profoundly apologize to Fawzi, as well as the driver and rider community, and to the Uber team.

—Travis"

The term, "leadership help", is code for anger-management.

What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis of the above video.

4:51 - Mr. Kamel gestures with loose, palm-up illustrator at the beginning of the conversation. Palm-up gestures are wise, for they engender listening, build rapport and are de-escalating.

5:10 - Travis Kalanick points in Mr. Kamel's direction, but not quite directly at his face/torso as Kalanick's voice begins to elevate in volume.

5:17 - Mr. Kamel, points with index finger - but not at Mr. Kaanick.

5:26 - Now Mr. Kamel points at Mr. Kalanick with his index finger as he tells his CEO, "I lost $97,000 because of you. I bankrupt because of you."

5:35 - At this statement, Kalanick is taken aback for a moment. His "Chin in Hand" configuration, is de-escalating, however it is very short-lived.

5:37 - Mr. Kalanick, points with another finger-point-jabbing illustrator as he says, "Hold on a second. What have I changed about 'Black'?"

5:40 - This chin/neck rub, while contemplative and can be de-escalating (depending on the other nonverbal signs with which it is clustered), it's also indicative of heightening anxiety.

5:45- another finger-point jab by Kalanick, as he says (his first), "Bullshit".

5:56 - Kalanick point-jabs again as he says, "They blame everything in their life on somebody else..."

5:59 - Kamel finger-points while Kalanick flicks the bottom of a chin as he shouts a sarcastic, "Good Luck!" The CEO's gesture is common in some parts of Europe and the Mediterranean region for "I couldn't care less", "I don't give a damn" and/or "Get Lost".

The simple act of using palm-up gestures rather than palm-down gestures is de-escalatory. Using palm-down illustrators - and particularly pointing - as well as the even more extreme pointing-jabbing or even fists gestures are considerably escalatory. Not only do these body language signals up-regulate or down-regulate the other person's emotional tone, but they just as importantly have the same effect on one's own emotions.

Self-awareness and self-regulation are essential to emotional intelligence. So, if you're Mr. Kalanick or possess a similar lack of impulse control, be very aware of what your hands are doing. Relaxing your hands will relax your facial muscles - and in turn, dial-down your temper. Hand tension (palm-down gestures, pointing, pointing-jabbing, pointing-chopping, fist-clenching, etc.) will make your facial expressions angrier and your emotions more volatile.

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See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3863: Kellyanne Conway, Disrespect and The Oval Office

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3861: Emma Stone, The Oscars and Sincerity

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3859: Steve Bannon Touches Reince Priebus' Leg at CPAC

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3839: Andrew Garfield, Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2818: Representative John Lewis: "Donald Trump Won’t Be A ‘Legitimate President' "

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3798: Elle Fanning, Channing Tatum and Dialing Up the Alpha

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3709: Kate Middleton - The face you make when you’re married to a prince but you meet Justin Trudeau

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3535: Prince, Sexual Signals and Body Language

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2826: Caroline Wozniacki & Rory McIlroy Call Off Their Engagement - Body Language and Dominance (PHOTO)

Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy called off their engagement yesterday.

This image was taken one week ago in London. From a body language perspective it is notable because it shows a switch in dominance. Ms. Wozniacki's hand is on top in the dominant position - which of course leaves Mr. McIlroy's on the bottom (submissive and demure).

This hand-holding configuration is the opposite from the vast majority (96%) of male-female relationships - as well as numerous previous examples of Wozniacki and McIlroy. Thus the timing of Caroline's recent and new-found alpha emotional mindset strongly implies that she was the decision-maker in the couples break-up.

Temporary shifts (e.g. female alpha - male beta) in such hand-holding dominance signals who holds the cards regarding the subject of the latest discussion-disagreement.



See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1921:  Who was More Dominant -  Tom Cruise or Katie Holmes?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2520:  Cristiano Ronaldo greets Gareth Bale at  First Training Day at Real Madrid,  Dominance, Team Captain and Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2595: Barack Obama's Emotional Dissonance, Low Confidence and the "Turtle Retreat" - He Does Not Want To Be There

Romance, Dating & Marriage - Body Language Secret # 1500:  Six Degrees? Leaning In, Head Touching and the Manubrium - Kyra and Kevin are 10th Cousins, Once Removed

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2825: Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki break off their Engagement - Body Language Tell


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2514: Anthony Weiner's Confrontation - Contrasting and Controlling Anger - Body Language in a Brooklyn Bakery (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

In the above video, Anthony Weiner, a democrat who is a candidate for the New York City Mayoral race, is arguing with a man who called him a "scumbag" and who Weiner later described as a "heckler". The following is a partial analysis of the argument focusing on some oft overlooked body language principles.

Throughout the vast majority of this confrontation, Anthony Weiner invaded the other man's personal space - and indeed at times he appeared to almost touch him. While his heckler did not come nearly as close to Weiner with his hand/arm gestures (illustrators).

The other man rarely pointed at Weiner. When he pointed, the vast majority of the time he pointed up or with a slight angle tilted towards Weiner. This is a very important distinction.

This image summarizes the incident in a nutshell. Weiner pointed many times with his index finger (forefinger) directly at the other man - very often directly at his chest, while his confronter only once reciprocated.

Here the other man uses a palm up gesture with the index finger, middle finger and thumb coming together meeting at a common point. It is important to emphasize that his palm is up and he does not have a closed fist - IT IS LOOSE. 

Weiner, who repeatedly used the index finger point (which is insulting and highly derogatory across all cultures and countries) has a CLOSED FIST.

Anytime a closed fist is used, it will engender facial tension and anger. Tension in the face also will bring on tension in the hands. Both actions facilitate the other. Note the Weiner's face shows a high amount of anger while the other man's shows little.

Here Weiner displays a "Jaw Jut" which here is highly indicative of significant anger. Indeed, although it did not occur in this example, when a male in particular exhibits a jaw jut, their temper is growing especially thin and increases dramatically the probability of the beginning of physical altercation.




If you see a jaw jut with an index finger point (or fist) - take precautions for violence is very possible.

Here the "heckler" points for one of his very few times (especially when compared to the number of infractions Weiner committed) and his face in turn begins to take on a higher amount of anger.

As Weiner exits the bakery he is asked, "Do you get that often?" He answers, "No" (then makes this expression of significant anger) and further says, "But when I do, I don't back down".

This is a microexpression of anger. Its duration is very brief. His extremely thinned and horizontally oriented straight lips, clenched jaw, dilated (flared) nostrils and widely opened eyelids (here only his right eye is partially captured in the crucial instant) is an example of a nonverbal cluster of high anger.

This encounter is an excellent illustrator of the nonverbal principle, that when angry, insulting and confrontational body language is used - it will engender and escalate those same emotions (as demonstrated by Weiner). Moreover refraining from this body language helps to avoid this anger crescendo (exemplified by the other man). This principle is very important and often unaddressed in those with anger management problems. Intriguingly, those with impulsive behavior of anger also have increased probability of other impulsive behavior.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2475:  Anthony Weiner & Huma Abedin Part IV - More Sexting Will Surface

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2405:  Anthony Weiner's Running For Mayor of New York - His Body Language & His Sincerity Quotient

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2469:  Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin and the NYC Mayoral Race  Body Language & the Five Burroughs, Part I

Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1446:  Tension in the Mouth - Tension in the Hands

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2493:  Jewel in Disguise at Karaoke Bar,  Body Language Cues to Lack of Nervousness

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2039:  Fight Outside Florida Courtroom - Jaw Jut Prior to Violence 

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Negotiation Body Language Secret # 1488: Ron Paul's Glasses, Authority and Time

Presidential hopeful Ron Paul is shown here taking off his glasses. This is a common body language tell when stalling for time is the emotional driver. Specifically, when a person needs a few moments to emotionally or intellectually process new information or when formulating a decision, the glasses will often be removed. Very often in such scenarios the glasses will be repeatedly taken off, put back on, taken off again, etc. Cleaning the lenses during these maneuvers is also often seen and is a further stalling adjunct. Glasses are also commonly removed at the point of the feigned theatrical denouement of an argument - commonly displayed in the court room, a political setting or during negotiations.

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