Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2778: April Fools Prank, Embarrassment and Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

On 1 April Taylor Nefcy and some other students at Thomas Aquinas College punked their Macroeconomics professor Stephen Barrows. He had a policy that if anyone got a call on their cell during class - they would have to answer it on speaker phone so everyone could hear. He didn't count on this hilarious "April Fools" prank though. The moment is captured in the above YouTube video.

Barrow's Body language analysis (partial) demonstrates several key signals of embarrassment as well as sincerity and empathy tells.


Here Professor Barrows covers both his mouth and nose with his lecture notes. This and other surrogates may substitute for the hands during moments of emotional processing.

Had he not been so embarrassed, Barrows would have noticed other students covering their mouths as well - thus giving a clue that he is being set up.

The professor turns away here in an example of a body language amplifier (and extension of his emotional processing). This is a very common nonverbal accompanying embarrassment.

Note the two women to the right of Ms. Nefcy are mirroring Barrows' nonverbals and are also turning away. He is embarrassed for himself - and they are embarrassed for him.

For most of the video Barrows' left hand is in his pocket - for he didn't like embarrassing Ms. Nefcy. He was and still is withdrawing from the moment. He doesn't want to be there - yet he must. 

The moment he figures out that this was an April fool's Joke - he covers his whole face, flexes his entire body in a startle-like response and blushes deeply.

Here Barrow's blushing is easily seen.

What other important nonverbals are seen here?

In this moment - just after Barrows finds out he is being videoed - he displays a full palmar contact over the apex of his heart.









We see encapsulated in this short and funny video several body language signals of high sincerity as well as high empathy quotients - extended mouth and nose covering (by hand and via surrogate), whole face covering, mirroring, blushing and full palmar contact.

Any guesses as to whether Professor Barrows has changed his phone policy?

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2777: President George W. Bush's Paintings of World Leaders - Putin, Berlosconi - Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2764: Embarrassment, Affection & Flirtation - Mila Kunis & Ashton Kutcher - Kiss Cam Body Language

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2664: Anchorman 2 Cast on Graham Norton - A Body Language Signal of Embarrassment

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2582: Jay Carney Dismisses (and is Embarrassed by) Low Obamacare Enrollment Numbers 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2776: James Franco's Mea Culpa - Body Language Tells 

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

This video has three great nonverbal examples of two different emotions - that to the casual observer may seem identical - but are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The reporter's (Dan) eyes are opened extra-wide at the 0:15 mark, again at 0:16 and again at 0:18 - 19. During all three of these segments, his forehead is also actively contracted (with horizontal furrows) - which is difficult to see with his hat on, but is most clearly visible at the 0:16 mark. In this context this is a strong nonverbal signal of  insincerity and a form of pseudo-surprise. In true surprise the eyes flash widely open - but very briefly - and not repeatedly. If it lasts longer than a second or two - it is false. Sincere surprise also is followed rapidly by a second emotion (later this happens here - see below - but it's not immediate and occurs for a different reason). True surprise will have a rapid and widely open mouth, typically with a vertical oval shape. When this furrowed forehead is seen often - particularly with widely opened eyes - it's a red flag for a personality of insincerity. Steer clear.

The body language of fear for this infant has a significantly different forehead. There is an absence of horizontal furrows (folds) and for the most part it's relatively smooth - but with significant fear - as is displayed by this infant ("Drew the farm kid") - has a wide V-shaped bulging of muscles, the vertex of which meets between the tightly pulled together and downward directed inner eyebrows. Note his eyes are also opened very widely - which is classic for fear.

Interestingly at the 0:30 second mark, Dan the reporter also flashes a microexpression of fear - which unlike his earlier false-surprise-insincerity - IS sincere. He just made a child cry - and he's on live T.V.

At the 0:37 - 0:45 mark the male anchor is simultaneously covering BOTH of his eyes with his notes - usually performed with the hands - this a classic body language sign of empathy based embarrassment and emotional processing. He knows what just transpired, but he's still emotionally processing it. Then he still looks away (rotating his head far to his right) and then expresses a fear-mouth (0:46 - 0:47) - still empathizing with the reporter and/or child).

See also:

Analysis # 1171: Not So Fast Swift .... Taylor's False Surprise

Analysis # 1003: Obama's Dropped Jaw Smile

Analysis # 133: Blake Lively - Surprise or a Smile or Neither?

Analysis # 1261: True Surprise - Rarely Captured - Christine Lagarde

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1834: Signals of Emotional Processing & Emotional Overwhelm

Sammie Hicks is a ten year old girl who lost her hearing in both ears as a toddler. Recently she underwent a cochlear implant which has allowed her to hear in a near-normal capacity. This video shows the moment when the implant was switched-on and her body language-emotional response immediately afterwards. Her tears are met with a sudden mouth covering and eye covering - first to a lesser degree and then more dramatically. When people experience or witness something dramatically good or ill, it takes a while to emotionally process this new information. This is often nonverbally expressed with mouth and bilateral eye covering (a variation of a Manipulator, Adaptor or Pacifier aka MAP). In Sammie's case this is experienced directly, but it can be experienced secondarily via empathy. In fact, when you watched/listened to video for the first time you probably covered your mouth in a similar fashion, with your eyes tearing-up, contracted your central forehead, tilted your head/neck to one side and touched your upper chest/neck with your dominant hand - all clustered signals of strong empathy.

See also:

Secret # 1212: Sudden Mouth Covering

Secret # 221: Spontaneous Mouth Covering & Empathy

Secret # 21: Surprise + Fear + Empathy

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