Body Language Analysis No. 4047: Joel Osteen, Houston, and Hurricane Harvey - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

In the aftermath of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey and the subsequent massive flooding, Joel Osteen has been the subject of much criticism - particularly over social media over the last 24-48 hours.

Pastor Osteen is the leader of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. There is significant controversy regarding any flooding - or near flooding which occurred/almost occurred at/near the grounds of the church. If this near flooding was true, as Osteen says, it would have placed any individuals seeking shelter there in a potentially harmful situation. Others claim that there was no flooding and the images of high water on/adjacent to the church grounds were from an earlier flood several years ago.

Osteen was interviewed several times on several different national networks this morning. One of these interviews is included above. What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis.

Comparing the above interview of Pastor Osteen to videos a few years old, you should notice several long-term patterns:

1. You probably recall that Joel Osteen has a prominent facial tic in the form of dramatic and long-standing blinking. Facial tics have both involuntary and voluntary components. Anxiety is one common factor which typically increases facial tic behavior.

2. He has an asymmetrical mouth configuration while speaking. Evaluating old videos show this dynamic is also longstanding - although it appears to be a bit amplified during this exchange.

Although it can be simply a form of a long-term habit/tic-like phenomenon, asymmetric mouth dynamics during speaking is also commonly correlated with insincerity/deception and bravado/swagger. Excluding tic-like etiologies, the Venn diagrams for these latter two behaviors overlap significantly.

3. Asymmetrical Smiling. Joel Osteen also has a longstanding tendency of smiling much of the time whether he's speaking or not. Osteen does this fairly dramatically - also with a strong bias to his right side.

When a smile is sincere - and it's beginning or fading, asymmetry is not uncommon - however the asymmetry should not be maintained throughout the duration of the "smile". If the smile is routinely one-sided and constantly present, it's a very safe bet the smile is insincere.

4. Constant smiling. This particular behavior of Osteen is profound - but, once again, it's been present for years. Anytime a person displays any facial expression with a continuous or near-continuous frequency - especially when it's far from emotional baseline, it's a tremendous red flag of insincerity.

Whenever a person's face assumes, what for them is a "default expression" (sad, happy, angry, critical, etc.) - and maintains this "facial pose" - it becomes much easier for the brain to deceive. When the stakes are high, convincing deception is a difficult act - it takes significant mental focus, and even then most people can't readily pull it off. Therefore, when a person wears a "living mask" (a constant, practiced, and for them, easy default expression) it's much easier to lie.

As a rule, a person who constantly smiles - out of context and out of proportion - is to be strongly avoided.

5. Stuttering is often correlated with facial tics and tic-like behaviors. Stuttering can be correlated with anxiety, and thus sometimes indirectly associated with dishonesty and insincerity - however, there is no direct relationship.

6. Hard swallowing. You'll note that at several times Osteen's "Adam's apple" (Thyroid Cartilage surrounding the Larynx) moved up-and-down during what is known as a "hard swallow". These actions are good general indicators of a dry throat and anxiety.

7. Touching with fingertips but not full palms when gesturing to the chest. Several times when gesturing to his chest (obscured somewhat by the banner at the bottom of the page), Osteen touches with his fingertips but not with a "Full Palmar Contact". This absence of full contact with the palm of the hand when touching one's chest during a declaration of honesty is also correlated with a lack of sincerity.

8. Constant head nodding. In this context, this action is indicative of (significant) anxiety.

9. You may notice that Pastor Osteen does not answer questions directly - but rather meanders and answers indirectly. Although of course, not body language, such a paralanguage pattern is suspicious, but not definitive, for deception.

10. Osteen's verbal timeline - e.g., when the storm began, when he said the waters receded, when the water truly began to recede, when the church released the statement, when the city asked for help, and when the church began to take people in - all do not appear to line-up. This could, of course, be simply due to Osteen's anxiety and the rushed format of a TV interview.


Summary: Much of Pastor Joel Osteen's behavior seen in this video is chronic - and not specific to this particular interview. Such findings muddy the water. Yet much of this long-term behavior is correlative with insincerity. Moreover, this not just one or two items - but multiple findings indicative of anxiety and insincerity. Thus while there is insufficient evidence in this video to indicate Pastor Osteen is being deceptive with respect to the Hurricane Harvey controversy, there are ample nonverbal findings here correlating with a chronic, low level of sincerity.


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See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4046: Melania Trump, Hurricane Harvey, and "Destroying Empathy 101"

Body Language Analysis No. 4044: Kim Jong-un's Choreography

Body Language Analysis No. 4042: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor - Official Weigh-in

Body Language Analysis No. 4040: James Clapper Regarding Donald Trump's Fitness for Office 

Body Language Analysis No. 4022: Jessica Alba's Rules for Naming Her Baby

Body Language Analysis No. 4008: Veteran Who Survived Dunkirk Reacts to Film

Body Language Analysis No. 3953: Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron meet in Versailles

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3885: Vogue's 73 Questions with Selena Gomez

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3816: Secretary of State Nominee Rex Tillerson



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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2559: John Boehner's Body Language - Microexpression of Contempt vs. Facial Tic (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Many are aware that John Boehner has a facial tic. Of course this does not exempt him from nonverbals displays which are indicative of valuable emotional tells. What follows is just such an example.

Note: The original video has, since the original post, been removed from its online source. The images below however, were captured from this video. 

Rep. Boehner's stated (begins at 0:01) "Our leadership team met with ah, our members today, ah, trying to find a way forward in a bipartisan way, ah, that ah we continue to provide fairness to the American people, ah, under Obamacare. Ah, there are a lot of opinions about ah what direction to go. There have been no decisions about exactly we will do. Ah, but we're going to continue to work with out members on both sides of the isle, ah to try and make sure, ah that there's no ah issue, ah of default and to get our government reopened."

At 0:06, just after the Speaker of the House says, "... trying to find a way forward in a bipartisan way ...", Mr. Boehner displays a classic example of a microexpression of contempt. His "mustache area" is vectored primarily upward. His left nostril is also flared. In addition, the valuable "contempt amplifier" of simultaneous and partially closed eyelids are present.

Most of Speaker Boehner's "facial tics" are just that - a longstanding and frequent idiosyncrasy (see below). And indeed when viewed at regular speed, very few people can distinguish the difference between one of his baseline tics and any type of microexpression. This particular example however was not a facial tic. John Boehner clearly is feeling contempt in this moment.

This example (at 0:12) is a nearly symmetrical mouth tic - one very typical for the Ohio republican (His mouth, midface or eyes are not displaying a microexpression).

What other body language signal(s) do you see in this moment though?

This asymmetrical mouth expression is also a facial tic (captured at 0:16). Note there is no tightening or elevation of Mr. Boehner's "mustache area".











When you watch these three moments in the video, can you distinguish the difference between these examples? How many microexpressions (and the ramifications) have you missed today?

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2235:  Barack Obama and John Boehner - The Fiscal Cliff and Contrasting Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2254:  John Boehner's Speech Today - One Major Body Language Improvement - The U.S. Speaker of the House Should Make

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1877:  John Boehner's Open ConsiderationNonverbal Communication Analysis # 1877:  John Boehner's Open Consideration

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2236:  John Boehner & the Fiscal Cliff Plan B Failure - Body Language of Duping Delight

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2318:  John Boehner at Rosa Parks Statue Unveiling - A Body Language Signal of Squelching Tears 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2276:  Michelle Obama's Eye Roll .... What was she thinking? and  What Did Boehner's & Barack's Body Language Say? 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2248:  Barack Obama's Body Language regarding  the Republicans & the Fiscal Cliff on  "Meet the Press" 

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2243: The NRA, Asa Hutchinson's Body Language, Speaking out of the “Side of the Mouth” and the Importance of "Norming"

In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut - Former congressman, DEA Administrator and U.S. Attorney Asa Hutchinson has been asked by the National Rifle Association to lead its plan to put armed guards in every American school. In the above interview Mr. Hutchinson speaks to CBS News anchors Jeff Glor and Rebecca Jarvis about this idea. The importance of "Norming" in the assessment of body language is showcased here. Asa Hutchinson consistently speaks with a conspicuous bias to the right side of his mouth - not just throughout this video, but in all videos - and has probably done so throughout his life. For him this is normal behavior. If we did not take the time to evaluate past speeches, television appearances, etc. and assess the prevalence of this nonverbal display, we would make false conclusions regarding his facial expression and the corresponding emotional states. 

If a person only occasionally speaks out of one side of their mouth, this is a strong sign of insincerity. There are often components of anxiety present as well. To the body language beginner, this asymmetrical speaking style can resemble contempt. Contempt looks somewhat different though and although it can be a prolonged nonverbal display, it's usually is seen in short bursts, even microexpressions.

Mr. Hutchinson has this speaking idiosyncrasy. He makes this expression nearly continuously at least to some degree. For him, this particular nonverbal does not signal contempt, anxiety or insincerity. With the help of a speech therapist, this habit can be minimized and unlearned. Such would be a wise course of action, particularly in children and those early in their careers. For even though few people can read body language accurately, all things being equal - most everyone is left with an uneasy feeling when they are spoken to out of the "side" of the mouth in this asymmetrical fashion. They often won't even notice this sign, they are simply left with a "gut feeling". In this case their gut feeling would be wrong. So one may not have ill-intent or ill-will, but such body language will give people the wrong message.

See also:

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1163: The Importance of "Norming" in the  Evaluation of Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1889: Vladimir Putin & Barack Obama at the G-20

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2191: Anne Hathaway's Impersonation of Katie Holmes on SNL -  "Norming" Katie and Variations on a Theme

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2238: Sandy Hook Elementary Teacher Lauren Rousseau's Boyfriend's Body Language - Grief & Suppression of Negative Emotions & Empathy

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2233: Body Language, President Obama, 20 Children  and the Tongue-in-Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2231: A Common Facial Expression of Mass Killers - Using Body Language as a Threat Assessment Tool

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2232: Vicki Soto, a Hero, Body Language and a Mother's Love & Affection  - Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Interview

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2229: President Obama and a Body Language Signal of  Holding Back Grief, Tears & other Negative Emotions 

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Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1033: A Sure Signal of Insincerity or Contempt

Every politician does it. Republican, Democrat, Socialist, Marxist, Communist. Politicians say things that they do not fully believe. They profess to care when they don't. They say they don't care when they really do. They claim to be "absolutely sure" when they don't really know - and they declare they don't know when they surely do. These acts are at least insincere, perhaps worse. One sign is of insincerity is speaking with the mouth asymmetrically. Unless it is part of that person's normal (and highly atypical) body language speaking behavior - talking out of the side of the mouth is a sign of insincerity or contempt (although no display of contempt is seen here by Mr. Romney. Distinguishing contempt vs. insincerity is a difficult nonverbal nuance for the body language novice to make).

In this CNN video, U.S. Presidential Candidate hopeful, Mitt Romney made a comment for which he has received a lot of negative press lately - "I'm not concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there, if it needs repair I'll fix it ......". Throughout the majority of this interview, Mr. Romney speaks predominantly out of the right side of his mouth. Whenever a person is interviewed hundreds of times a month, it is difficult to convey caring and depth of emotion. Ay, there's the rub! - how to convey sincerity when you've said the same thing a thousand times. But boredom does not insincerity or contempt make. When you tell your "significant other" that you love them, do you sound bored? I hope not. Of course, this is not the same emotional context, but all who profess to lead should study sincerity - how to detect it and how to become it. It will change them only for the better. People will follow you if you're sincere and they will leave you if you're not. Mitt, Newt, Barack, Rick, Ron .... and for that matter, Vladimir, Hu, David, Nicholas, Manmohan, etc. all would do well to watch video of their speeches and interviews. It may be just a bit painful.

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