Body Language Analysis No. 4276: Waffle House Hero James Shaw Jr. Meets His NBA Idol Dwyane Wade - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

On Wednesday, the hero of the Waffle House mass-shooting, James Shaw Jr. was a guest on Ellen. As she often does, Ellen DeGeneres surprised her guest with one of their idols. James Shaw's idol is Dwyane Wade. When Ellen asked why Mr. Shaw looked up to Mr. Wade, James said, "I like the way he carries himself off the court."

What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis of their meeting.

Several times during this video, James Shaw Jr. can be seen with his hand covering his mouth - here with partially contracted fingers.

The rapid covering of a portion of one's face - usually the mouth or cheeks/temples - upon hearing/seeing of good news/event - or very bad news/event - is a signal of what is known as Emotional Processing. The emotional brain is trying to come to terms with what the intellect already knows.

Intriguingly, not all individuals will have this body language response when they rapidly discover/witness either good or bad news. However, those people who frequently behave in this manner will also manifest both Empathy and Sincerity levels which are significantly higher than average. Thus, this nonverbal display not only tells us what a person is thinking-feeling IN THAT MOMENT - but it also gives us overall personality characteristics which allow us to more accurately predict future behaviors.

It's not surprising that a hero has high empathy and elevated sincerity.

Here Mr. Shaw is in a similar configuration - this time, however, his hand is open - and he's touching his face.

Notice too, that on both of these mouth-covering occasions, James Shaw Jr. turns his head and his eyes away from Dwyane Wade. This dynamic adds an additional layer of emphasis - acting as an amplifier of his (temporary) cognitive-emotional dissonance.

James Shaw Jr. also displayed an Inward Lip Roll (ILR) multiple times. An inward lip roll is one signal of the psyche's attempt to suppress strong emotions from growing - both outwardly on the face - but also inwardly.

Intriguingly, this is nonverbal display is quite common - and is manifested with both good emotions, but also with unpleasant emotions. Yet this facial expression is very rarely used by actors - even those actors who are considered very skilled and experienced.

Mr. Shaw also displays multiple false tie adjustments - which in a general sense are signals of anxiety. However, more specifically, this anxiety can be nuanced to the sub-type associated with recognizing the need to "step up to the plate". This is but one nonverbal signal of an attempt at Alpha Up-regulation (How many others can you name?).

SUMMARY: The nonverbal behavior displayed in this video demonstrates that the Waffle House Hero James Shaw Jr. has empathy and sincerity levels which are both significantly higher than average.

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See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4180 (REPOSTING): White House Press Briefing Re: President Trump's Physical - Dr. Ronny Jackson

Body Language Analysis No. 4274: Ariana Grande, Jimmy Fallon, and Recalling the Manchester Bombing

Body Language Analysis No. 4272: Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in Holding Hands - Alpha and Beta

Body Language Analysis No. 4270: Donald Trump Brushes Dandruff off Emmanuel Macron

Body Language Analysis No. 4262: Wendy Vitter, the U.S. District Court, and Brown v. Board of Education

Body Language Analysis No. 4190: Serial Killer Bruce McArthur - and a Common Nonverbal Pattern of Sociopaths

Body Language Analysis No. 4073: Prince Harry and Melania Trump Meet in Canada for Invictus Games - Harry's Hand Signal

Body Language Analysis No. 3978: Keanu Reeves, Chuck Spadina, Sincerity, and Empathy

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3843: 84 Lumber Super Bowl Ad - "The Entire Journey"

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3671: Trump's and Pence's Tweets - Body Language and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTOS)

Donald Trump has once again landed in trouble with his tweets - in what many are saying is attempt to capitalize on the tragic death of Dwayne Wade's cousin in an effort to gain the African-American vote. From a nonverbal perspective, Trump's tweets are also alienating the electorate.

The images above and below are those which Trump has chosen for his Twitter page.

In the photo above Trump's expression is indicative primarily of disgust with an element of contempt. In his individual image below, Mr. Trump is projecting critical evaluation and contempt along with some anger.

Governor Mike Pence's expression is an amalgam of disgust, critical evaluation, anger in addition to clandestine disagreement/clandestine plan.

Are these emotions that both Mr. Trump and Governor Pence feel toward Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? Probably - or at least they would have you believe such to be true.

Will these emotions help to build and solidify their political base? To fair degree this is true.

Will the feelings being projected here help to win over the swing voters? No - they will absolutely not for these are rapport destroying emotions.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3670: Paul LePage's Voicemail Rant 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3653: Donald Trump, ISIS Sarcasm and Duping Delight 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3640: Khizr Khan’s DNC Speech, Donald Trump & Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3596: Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3562: Police Officer Tim Purdy, De-Escalation and Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3522: Felicity Jones in New Star Wars Trailer: "Rogue One"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3504: Raúl Castro Lifts Barack Obama's Arm at Press Conference

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3460: Eli Manning Reacts to Bronco's Super Bowl Touchdown



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Negotiation Secret # 339: Don't Point at Me! I am not your child!

Yesterday at the NBA labor dispute negotiations, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat is reported by many to have got very angry, stood up and shouted at Commissioner David Stern, "Don't point your finger at me, I'm not a (your) child!" No known video or photos exist of this incident at the time of this post (the above photo, discussed below, was taken at a different press conference), but if Stern did in fact point at Wade, or anyone else, it is not at all surprising that he had this or a similar reaction. In most all cultures it is consider a very insulting to point.

If you feel you must call attention to something and you feel the need to point - point with your whole hand, arm out stretched with your palm up and open with your fingers relaxed. This gesture is not thought of as pointing in the conventional sense. It will bring extra awareness to someone/something and not incite negative emotions - indeed it will often help to foster understanding and openness. Of course, your facial expressions/other body language as well as your words and tone should also be congruent.

In the above photo, Commissioner Stern is probably attempting to emulate a "Politicians Point", which has been popularized by candidates and office holders because it too, if used properly, has a very low inflammatory potential. Stern is not pulling it off though (see George Mitchell demonstrate it here - A Friendlier Way to Point). While pointing with two fingers (or a finger and thumb), is not as bad a pointing with a single finger, it still is incendiary and a gesture which should not be used.

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