Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2740: Matthew McConaughey Tells Us What He REALLY THINKS about the Motion Picture Academy - Body Language, Ear Screws and Deception (PHOTO)

Last night Matthew McConaughey won an Oscar for his role as Ron Woodroof in "Dallas Buyer's Club". He very much deserved it. Mr. McConaughey is an outstanding actor and he routinely suspends the disbelief of millions. In speaking after winning "Best Actor in a Leading Role", his own human thought-feelings were on display for the World to see - with no re-takes.

Early in his acceptance speech, McConaughey says, " ...[laughter] Thank you - Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you - to the Academy for this - all 6000 members ...". Just as he says, "... all 6000 ...", he shows us an "Ear Screw" (image above). Additionally, this nonverbal is performed with his middle finger. This body language MAP displayed within this cluster-context (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) indicates that McConaughey was lying when he was thanking all 6000 members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (this was one group to whom he was NOT thankful - although he certainly sincerely thankful to many others) and he was simultaneously flipping some of the 6000 the bird.

This nontraditional location (in his ear rather than high and in front of one's body) of an emblem (a nonverbal, the meaning of which is regionally or universally known, in this case the derogatory display of his middle finger) is known as a "Partial Emblematic Slip" (Ekman) - and it is highly consistent with deception.

This is yet another example of just how subconscious body language is - and despite the fact that Matthew McConaughey gets paid to lie to us (and we reward him and others with huge income and status for being very good at it) - he is only human. And particularly when he plays himself, his nonverbals will betray him just like the rest of us.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2399:  Matthew McConaughey on David Letterman and a  Very Common Body Language Tell

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 333:  A Common False Diagnosis:  The Asymmetrical Sincere but Suppressed Smile

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2400:  One Way Deception Could be Minimized in the Court Room -  O.J. Simpson's in Court

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2033:  Lie Detection, Sergey Lavrov and Syria

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 743 and 744:  Sarkozy's Shhhh!  and a Partial Emblematic Slip 

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication # Analysis 1492:  Ben Bernanke's Duping Delight &  Partial Emblematic Slip

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2739: Barack Obama at DNC Speech - Quieting a Heckler

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2727: "I am a Ukrainian" Video - Body Language



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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2315: Daniel Day-Lewis Wins His 3rd Oscar - Even the Best Actors will "Leak" Their True Feelings via Body Language ... Here via a Microexpression of Fear

Last night Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Oscar for playing Abraham Lincoln in "Lincoln". No other man has done so - but some ladies have. And one was on stage with him. Meryl Streep who won her third Academy Award in 2011 for her role in "The Iron Lady" as the U.K.'s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Katharine Hepburn has won four). When Mr. Day-Lewis made a joke about himself playing Thatcher, he looked down for a moment and simultaneously displayed a nonverbal "Microexpression of Fear". This can clearly be seen at the 0:29 second mark in the above video as he flashes the "Mouth of Fear". 

While microexpressions are not limited to fear, it is one of the most common emotions "leaked" by these very evanescent nonverbal signals - and probably the easiest for most people to spot. 

This is a fantastic demonstration, that no matter whom you are - and while Daniel Day-Lewis is considered by many one of, or perhaps the greatest actor ever - the primal and absolute nature of body language will always betray one's true emotions - which very often are contradictory to the spoken word.

See also:

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1081:  Newt's Mouth of Fear

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

Body Language Secret # 702:  Mouth of Fear,  trying to Smile and  Forehead of Pain

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1927: Italy's Fans watching Euro 2012 Final - Expressions of Fear

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2261:  Mom pulls Python off of her 2 year old daughter -  Body Language & Microexpression of Fear

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2103:  Great Example of a Microexpression of Fear

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2031:  Tina Fey arriving at Alec Baldwin's Wedding,  Fear-Empathy with a (partial) Sincere Smile - Emotional Dissonance

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