Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3700: George Clooney comments regarding the News of Brad Pitt's and Angelina Jolie's Divorce - Body Language & Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Although in this brief interview George Clooney first discusses publicly that his friends - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are getting a divorce - by evaluating his body language we can discern that at the very least he had foreknowledge of something strongly amiss in their marriage - and was he not surprised.

During 0:25 - just after the CNN reporter says, "... Angelina and your friend Brad ..." and Clooney answers, "Oh, what happen?" - Clooney's forehead and eyebrows contract and elevate - but simultaneously his upper eyelids partially close. This is an unnatural facial movement of emotional dissonance and not in any way indicative of surprise or sincerity - moreover in this context it's a signal of foreknowledge and insincerity.

Less than a second later Clooney pulls in the right side of his jacket.

This is essentially simultaneous with the repositioning of his notebooks higher and more centrally over his chest. This configurational change is an emotionally protective barrier formed just after he hears the word "divorce".

Then at 0:27 George looks up to his right - the quadrant to which most right-handed people (as is Clooney) momentarily gaze when they are visually recalling a specific event.

Then at 0:28 Clooney again closes his upper eyelids - this time completely - while contracting and elevating his eyebrows and the full width of his forehead.

Clooney continues (at 0:32), "... That's, that's a sad story and unfortunate for a family [smiling]. Ah, it's an unfortunate story, ah, ta - about a family. I feel very sorry to hear that..."

Smiling at this specific time is extremely out of context. This phenomenon is a variant of what, in body language parlance, is known as "Duping Delight". Clooney thinks he has fooled us into believing that this is the first he's heard the news (Moreover, a paralanguage signal of his insincerity here is that he feels the need to tell us twice).

During 0:43 Clooney displays a classic expression combination of regret and disgust. 

Summary: Although this is unpleasant "news" for George Clooney to hear, he had prior knowledge of trouble in Brad Pitt's and Angelina Jolie's marriage. This "news" did not surprise him. It's important to point out here that although Clooney is an accomplished actor and he can fool us when he's "in character", when George is just being George, he's no better than average at deception.


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3699: The Tulsa Police and the Shooting Death of Terence Crutcher

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3698: Hillary Clinton v. Donald Trump in Upcoming Presidential Debates, My Contribution to This Month's Article in "The Atlantic"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3695: Donald Trump, "Take Their Guns away", "Let's see What Happens to Her"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3689: Times Square Kiss on V-J Day

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3674: Drake Presents Rihanna with Vanguard Award - 2016 Video Music Awards - MTV

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3620: Cristiano Ronaldo's Injury, UEFA Euro 2016 and Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Quiz-Analysis No. 2967: George Clooney & Amal Alamuddin Wed in Venice - All The World's a Stage - Sincerity level of Smiles

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3036: Angelina Jolie runs into Amy Pascal after email Hack

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2434: Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z"

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2986: Fury (2014 Film) - Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Acting & Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Too often we give actors a free pass because of their fame, the accomplishments of the director, the plot of the film, the level of action, the realism of the set/props, etc. "Fury" starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, Michael Peña, Jason Isaacs, and Scott Eastwood - was released yesterday in U.S. theaters. What follows is a nonverbal analysis from just two moments of the movie. Does the body language of the actors fit the context? Are they accurate and proportional to the scene?

Here Pitt's character (Don "Wardaddy" Collier) just learns about a new assistant driver for his tank crew (Norman "Machine" Ellison - played by Logan Lerman).

This image shows Pitt in a moment of combined frustration and anger. The mouth alone has several components. Note the how thinned his lips are - this is highly characteristic of anger. Pitt's teeth are clenched - otherwise we would be additionally seeing a full Inward Lip Roll (ILR) - this is a partial one because of his clenched teeth. A full ILR expression is a nonverbal which is unfortunately very rarely utilized in acting. Pitt's jaw is also jutted forward along with nostril flaring. His bilateral near-complete eyelid closure signifies a highly emotional processing of new information and its associated anger-frustration. The additional MAP (manipulator, adaptor, pacifier) of Pitt wiping his hand tightly backwards over the top of the head is highly correlative to frustration-anger.

Pitt's Nonverbal Grade in this acting moment: A

Here Lerman's character is firing his machine gun. His character initially hesitated because of fear and that is what emotion he's trying to project. However higher levels of fear are difficult for most actors to replicate accurately.

One thing that is nearly impossible to for any actor to perform is to consciously make their pupils dilate - as they would in moments of great fear. Photoshop/CGI can be used to replicate this, but great care must be used so as not to misplace or eliminate the corneal reflections.

Pupils aside, Lerman's eyelids should be opened wider than we see here. His nostril flaring is being performed well (accurate for this level of fear) - however his mouth's morphology is not acting nearly as good. The corners of his mouth, while they are being pulled back here and somewhat downwards - are a bit off. When the mouth corners are pulled backwards but primarily the upper teeth are exposed - with little or no exposure of the lower teeth, this is consistent with lower levels of fear (such as social embarrassment). However when the fear is dramatic (such as for the very high levels of fear as would be occurring in this moment of life and death), the lower lip is pulled down much more so - thus we should see no upper teeth - but his lower teeth should be dramatically exposed.

Logan Lerman's grade for this moment: B-

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2985: Penélope Cruz is Esquires's 2014 Sexiest Woman Alive - Body Language of Flirting

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 353: Brad Pitt's Smiling Eyes - Sincere and Insincere Smiles

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2434:  Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding  Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2983: Shia LaBeouf on His Arrest on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1858:  What the Eyes Do - Transitioning from Mild to Severe Anger

Nonverbal Communication Quiz-Analysis No. 2869: Barack Obama's Executive Action on Immigration Reform, The Rose Garden 30 June 2014 - Sincere or Insincere?

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2874: Truck Driver Calls Out Cop for Speeding and Talking on Cell Phone

_________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2489: Angelina Jolie and "Maleficent" - Body Language Signals of Sincerity and Disengagement (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

The video above includes a few moments of Angelina Jolie in the midst of promoting her new movie, "Maleficent". Below are two very different body language signals both involving Jolie's right hand.

In this image, captured at 0:08, Ms. Jolie's right hand is placed directly on her sternum and upper left chest. The beautiful actress makes this MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) with full palmar contact - thus maximum contact is made above her heart. 

Angelina of course recently has undergone major surgery - thus Maleficent is her first post-surgery film. This nonverbal signal is a strong indication she has a very high level of sincerity about her joy to back doing what she does so well.




If Mrs. Brad Pitt would have touched with only the finger/thumb tips, this body language would have indicated a significant lack of sincerity.

Those who consistently touch over their hearts with full contact of the hand also have high empathy quotients.

This second posture proved difficult to capture on a still image, however when the video is viewed, one can clearly tell that Ms. Jolie had her right hand in her pocket when she was speaking about how, "... Since I was a little girl, Maleficent was always my favorite ...[breathy laugh] ... No surprise ... um, I, I was terrified of her, but I was so drawn to her ..."  

It is relatively unusual to see a woman, particularly a woman seen on camera so often, with a hand in her front pocket during a public statement. Such a nonverbal display suggests a significant level of a lack of emotional comfort and disengagement. This low confidence level display within this context - and via a movie super star - is highly suggestive of deception with her statement (not with being on-stage). Ms. Jolie's favorite character was almost certainly NOT Maleficent, but Sleeping Beauty. The princess. She who found her prince.

What other signals signify a probable lie here?

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2397:  Angelina Jolie on Motherhood & Her Own Mom  Body Language Tells ....

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2434:  Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding  Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z"

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 353:  Brad Pitt's Smiling Eyes - Sincere and Insincere Smiles

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2074:  Mitt Romney and Senator Kelly Ayotte  What Body Language Tells?

Leadership Secret # 91:  Sarah & Todd Palin - Sincerity and Trust with Pledge of Allegiance

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2207:  Body Language, Sincerity and Mahmoud Abbas  United Nations grants Palestine "Nonmember Observer State"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2271:  Golden Globe Awards - Best Original Song Adele & Taylor Swift - both Nominated, One Winner - One Body Language of Sincerity & Another of Contempt then a Suppressed Smile
____________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2434: Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z" (Video, Photo)

Brad Pitt is interviewed in the above video regarding his upcoming film, "World War Z".  At the 0:35 mark, Angela Jolie's husband can be seen displaying a "Tongue in Cheek" nonverbal just after he says the word territory in the following sentence: " ...I, I, I, I love these big summer films and ahhh ... and hadn't really ventured into that territory ...." (The movie-star's stuttering is very notable here).

[Hmmm, take the movie "Troy" for example. It was released in 14 May 2004. A summer block buster perhaps? Or what about "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" released 7 June 2005? Each had all the fanfare and hype of a "summer blockbuster". Both of these films has also generated about half a billion dollars.]

The tongue in cheek nonverbal can have multiple meanings depending on the other specific body language-facial expressions with which it is clustered. In other contexts the tongue in cheek body language can indicate, an alpha dominant display, a sexually provocative expression, anger, sadness or grief, or "I gotcha"/"you were caught"/"I just won". In this context however, the tongue in cheek indicates that Mr. Pitt is telling a lie.

What other simultaneous and near-simultaneous nonverbals are also consistent with Mr. Pitt's attempt at deception?

Tongue in cheek displays tend to be biased to one side if the context is beta/negative (e.g. sadness, lying) and to the opposite side in an alpha/positive scenario (e.g. sexual context, I gotcha/I just won/you were caught, an outright alpha display). These left vs. right sided tongue tendencies are idiosyncratic to the person and should be normed.

When the tongue in cheek is used in the setting of a lie, this highly specific move helps in the suppression of a smile, blushing or laughter. Thus in the context of a lie it has significant overlap with the phenomenon of "Duping Delight".

Are you able to differentiate the various tongue in cheek emotions? Could you do so on the street? During a deposition? On a date? Trying to close a sale?

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352:  Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek  Graham Norton Part II

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2085:  Dina Eastwood - Tongue-in-Cheek Variant

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1892:  Harry Reid, "That's a Clown Question Bro!" - Tongue in Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2215:  Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio Joke and Hint regarding the  2016 Presidential Race - "Tongue-in-Cheek" Body Language

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1153:  President Obama's Tongue in Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2093:  Ann Curry's Tearful Goodbye - Matt Lauer's Classic "Tongue-in-Cheek" and Duplicitous Smile

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 353:  Brad Pitt's Smiling Eyes - Sincere and Insincere Smiles

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2397:  Angelina Jolie on Motherhood & Her Own Mom  Body Language Tells ....

___________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1450: Rick Santorum's Contempt and Frown - The Proverbial Twisted Smile

Rick Santorum is showing us a classic body language display of contempt in this image. Any unilateral smile is highly suspicious for this very toxic emotion. The "squinting" or partial closure of the former U.S. Senator's right eye is highly congruent with contempt and taken together with his unilateral "one-sided, pseudo-smile"- clinches this emotional diagnosis. Notice that neither of Santorum's lower eyelids have the required concave-up furrow characteristic of all sincere smiles (See Secret # 353: Brad Pitt's Smiling Eyes - Sincere and Insincere Smiles). Note also that the squinting lid and contempt-mouth findings occur on the same side of Santorum's face. 

What is most intriguing and a brilliant nonverbal tell here - is that the left side of Rick Santorum's mouth is frowning. The right side of his face is displaying contempt and left side of his face is signalling sadness. This is the proverbial "Twisted Smile".  Regardless of your speaking ability, your resume', your platform or your looks - you won't win votes or get people to follow your lead with this facial expression.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Dating & Romance Nonverbal Communication Secret No. 1010: What Makes the Twinkle in Her Eye?

What makes the Twinkle in Her Eye? This is not a straightforward answer - as there are several components behind the "twinkling".

The first requirement for a twinkle in the eye - is that the smile must be sincere. A smile with a "high sincerity quotient" must have the eyelids partially closed. Without partial eye closure, there is no sincerity. This is an absolute. However, not all partial eye closure equates with sincerity -  think of subtle to moderate anger - a' la Clint Eastwood. In order for a sincere smile and thus true Joy-Happiness to be occurring, there must be the dynamic of a very subtle lowering of the eyebrow (very difficult to see) and a highly characteristic concave-up furrow in the lower eyelid (very easy to see - e.g., here on Rashida Jones). See also: Secret No. 353: Brad Pitt's Eyes - Sincere and Insincere Smiles.

The primary reason why the eyes "twinkle" is that when there is a momentary partial closure of the lids - this squeezes the tear film (the very thin layer of a highly specialized fluid on the surface of our eyes) into a smaller space - thus this swallow layer of fluid gets "deeper" for a few seconds. This extra "depth" reflects light more effectively - so the eyes appear to twinkle. If you look carefully at the lovely Ms. Jones, you can see two light reflection in each eye - one near (over) the center of each pupil - and a second one below just a fraction above each lower lid (where the tear film is a fraction of a millimeter deeper) - ergo more "twinkle"!

As far as the mouth goes, with sincere smile - as the gorgeous "Parks and Recreation" Star exemplifies, only the upper teeth should be visualized. If the lower teeth are showing (with the exception of laughter) there is a component of a forced or posed smile - ergo insincerity. There are exceptions to this, as one can suppress the mouth component of a smile - which of course is termed (go figure...) a "suppressed smile". This is still a sincere smile, but may be easily confused with other emotions and nonverbal nuance.

Now back to the eyes. When the pupils are larger, the "background" for the light reflection contrasts greater with the "foreground" twinkle - and makes the twinkle more visible (a light color against a dark background is simply easier for your eye to see). What causes larger pupils? When a person is sexually or affectionately (e.g., without a sexual component - such as a parent to child or vice versa) attracted to another - pupil diameter will increase. More attraction equals more twinkle. Of course, a darker environment will also cause pupils to become larger. This is one instinctive reason why dimly lit restaurants are considered more romantic. Rashida does not have larger pupils in the example above.

The angle of the light source-to the subject also plays a role. To give the greatest twinkle, it must be positioned behind the viewer (e.g. You). The source of the light may certainly influence the twinkle as well. If it is too bright - as very often is the case - it will cause the pupils to contract - thus detracting from the "twinkle".  A candle's light source has the advantage of being dim (so as to engender larger pupils) and dynamic. This constantly changing flicker adds considerably o the twinkle-effect. And you wondered why candles were romantic?!

Love must not be excluded as a cause of a "twinkle" in the eye. Since a "twinkle" is subjective - like beauty - it ultimately depends on the perception of the beholder. So if you love another, or you believe they love you - this very much colors your perception.

In summary, the perceived and real components of the "twinkle" in the eyes are caused by:

    1.  Partial eyelid closure component of a sincere smile -
         causing a deeper tear film on the surface of the eye.
         This leads to more reflectivity as well as a second reflection in each eye.
    2.  The mouth component of a sincere smile
    3.  The type and angle of the light source
    4.  Larger pupils
    5.  Love and/or affection: are they present?

Just in time for Valentines Day ....

___________________________

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 353: Brad Pitt's Smiling Eyes - Sincere and Insincere Smiles

One requirement for a smile to be sincere, is there has to be dynamic momentary partial closure of the eye lids. Without a partial eye lid closure, the smile is insincere. Period. I wish to strongly emphasize that this does not mean the person as a whole is insincere - merely that in that moment, regardless of what their mouth looks like or what words are being spoken - they are having to "push out" what is known as a "Social Smile" (Ekman). They are acting happy (or happier) than their true emotions in that moment.

Here are two images of Brad Pitt's eyes. The mouth's were similar in the original photos - but I wanted to isolate his eyes for a great nonverbal teaching point.

When a sincere smile is made, the eye lids partially close - but it is primarily a secondary, passive closing. This closure is caused by a contraction of the orbicularis oculi (pars orbitalis) muscles which, in a sincere smile are always subconsciously controlled. This muscular contraction causes the lower lids to bunch up in a very characteristic fashion creating a concave-up furrow (crease) in the lower eye lids. This is wonderfully exampled in the image above.

In contrast, the photo below shows Brad Pitt at the same age, with his eye lids are closed in an identical amount. Notice that there are no creases/furrows in his lower lids in this image though. This is because a different muscle is being used to close the lids - the orbicularis oculi (pars palpebralis). This is consciously controlled  in a forced "social smile" and thus even when great actors are "trying to smile" - they often have a difficult time doing so. This is why method acting is so valuable. 

In conclusion, not only must all sincere smiles have partial, momentary partial eye lid closure - you must see this characteristic furrow in the lower lids as well. Otherwise - the smile is NOT sincere.

___________________________________________________________________________________