Showing posts with label Emotional Processing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emotional Processing. Show all posts

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Body Language Analysis No. 4379: Katie Bouman, Black Holes, and Emotional Processing - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTOS)


Katherine Bouman has become the public persona for the first-ever imaging of a Black Hole. She's an American imaging scientist and an incoming assistant professor of computing and mathematical sciences at CalTech. Her Ph.D. thesis was titled, "Extreme imaging via physical model inversion: seeing around corners and imaging black holes".


As a member of the Event Horizon Telescope team, Dr. Bouman helped capture this first image of a supermassive black hole - at the center of Messier 87 (Also known as M87 - a truly gargantuan galaxy composed of a trillion stars - centered approximately 53.49 light years from Earth). This image is profoundly symbolic and significant in the history of science - for the photo matched the theory - and thus, was just what astronomers expected.


This photo, from Katie Bouman's Facebook post, is captioned, "Watching in disbelief as the first image I ever made of a black hole was in the process of being reconstructed".

From a nonverbal perspective, what does this photo of Katie Bouman tell us?

Although we can only see a portion of her mouth, it does seem to be configured in a true, sincere simile. Her left mouth corner - and a hint of her right corner - are both directed primarily upward and also laterally.

Another crucial component of a true smile is seen displayed by Dr. Bouman's cheek muscles (zygomaticus major). These contracted and vectored upward as well.

If her hands weren't covering her mouth, we'd only see her upper teeth.  

We can see that Katie Bouman's upper and lower eyelids are partially closed. Moreover, her lower eyelids each have a dynamic, concave-up furrow present. This evanescent finding is required of a true, sincere smile (a Duchenne Smile).

A seldom noted, but crucial part of a sincere smile is a non-contracted forehead. Note that Dr. Bouman's forehead is relaxed.

Dr. Bouman is also blushing. While not a required element of a true smile of joy-happiness, when accompanying the above-described characteristics - blushing is a sincerity amplifier.

As noted previously, Katie Bouman's hands are covering her mouth. This mouth covering is a signal of emotional processing. Said another way, while the logical portion of her brain knew what was happening - the emotional part of her brain was a more than a bit overloaded processing the event and its the ramifications.

Fascinatingly, during moments of dramatically good, bad, or surprising news - the covering of one's mouth - which often occurs rapidly (along with covering of portions of the cheeks and/or nose) - not only tells us the person's emotional characteristics in that moment - but this dynamic also speaks to a significant part of that person's overall character. Those who exhibit this behavior will have significantly higher sincerity and empathy levels.

Yet, Katie Bouman is displaying some emotional dissonance here. For this photo was taken at the moment when the first (of many) images of the M87 Supermassive Black Hole were being compiled. These were eventually amalgamated into the complete picture (shown above) which we've all since become familiar. In this early stage of this scientific moment, Dr. Bouman, naturally, had some anxiety - which is, in part, manifested with her straight, intertwined fingers. In this context, the collective positions of her upper and lower arms, along with her shoulders - which are all drawn inward and covering her chest - is an anxiety amplifying cluster.

SUMMARY: Katie Bouman's smile is a true, sincere smile of joy-happiness. She's also experiencing some (quite expected) anxiety - as well as some emotional processing during the unfolding of this historical event.


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See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4378: William Barr questioned regarding The Mueller Report

Body Language Analysis No. 4377: Donald Trump, "These aren't people, these are animals"

Body Language Analysis No. 4376: Jacinda Ardern and Donald Trump - a Study in Contrasts

Body Language Analysis No. 4375: Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Security Clearances

Body Language Analysis No. 4374: Nancy Pelosi's Clap-Back to Donald Trump during the 2019 SOTU

Body Language Analysis No. 4373: Matthew Whitaker's Press Conference regarding Robert Mueller's Investigation

Body Language Analysis No. 4332: Richard Nixon, Nikita Khrushchev, and The Kitchen Debate

Body Language Analysis No. 4295: Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos, and Red Flags

Body Language Analysis No. 4254: Tony Robbins, Nanine McCool, and the #MeToo Movement


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Saturday, May 5, 2018

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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Saturday, February 17, 2018

Body Language Analysis No. 4209: Emma Gonzalez, Florida HS Shooting, and Emotional Processing - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)




Emma Gonzalez gave an impassioned speech today. She called out the NRA and President Trump by name during an anti-gun rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Ms. Gonzalez is a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (in Parkland) where, earlier this week, 17 people (14 of them students) were killed and 15 injured during a mass shooting.


























Note that during her speech, Emma Gonzalez repeatedly touches her face - most frequently her eyes/rubbing her eyes. To be sure, she is intermittently crying - and thus some of these actions are wiping away tears. Yet a high percentage of these gestures are not associated with tearing.

The act of touching one's face during or after witnessing a dramatic event (or after the news of such an event) is a nonverbal signal of Emotional Processing.

Emotional Processing is a manifestation of Cognitive-Emotional dissonance - for while the logical portion of the brain may know what is occurring/has occurred - the parts of the mind which govern emotion have yet to fully understand and digest the event and its ramifications.


























Rapid and repeated facial touching/covering is also a body language phenomenon seen with a joyous news - particularly if it's sudden.

Fascinatingly, those who exhibit this behavior frequently (sudden facial/eye touching/covering after good or bad news) have higher over-all empathy quotients. Thus this behavior is not only a signal for what the person is thinking-feeling in that moment - but it also acts as a good predictor of their behavior during/after future events. In contrast, those individuals who do NOT display this specific nonverbal Manipulator-Adaptor-Pacifier (MAP) have significantly lower empathy levels.


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Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4208: Rod Rosenstein and the Indictment of Russians

Body Language Analysis No. 4206: Mike Pence regarding John Kelly's Handling of Rob Porter

Body Language Analysis No. 4204: Sarah Huckabee Sanders regarding Rob Porter and the Leaking of Classified Information

Body Language Analysis No. 4202: Saoirse Ronan, Ed Sheeran, and Galway Girl (Galway Grill)

Body Language Analysis No. 4196: Trey Gowdy on "Face The Nation"

Body Language Analysis No. 4177: DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen regarding Donald Trump's "Shithole Countries" Statement

Body Language Analysis No. 4149: Zendaya, Zac Efron, and "The Greatest Showman"

Body Language Analysis No. 4100: Bryan Cranston and The Eyelid Pull

Body Language Analysis No. 3969: Vladimir Putin Offers James Comey Asylum


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Thursday, January 25, 2018

Body Language Analysis No. 4185: Tom Hanks, Embarrassment, and Emotional Processing - Nonverbal and Emotional Processing (VIDEO, PHOTOS)




Tom Hanks was recently a guest on The Graham Norton Show. In a response to a question regarding meeting the real people whom he plays, Mr. Hanks dramatically misspeaks (during 1:00).




























About 2.0 seconds later (during 1:02), Mr. Hanks displays an excellent example of a microexpression of (self) disbelief as his left eyebrow raises.

Simultaneously, he also proceeds to look rapidly left, then back to his right and forth is a classic "Double-take" display of surprise. Please watch the video as this dynamic process isn't able to be captured in a still photograph.



























Rapidly (also during 1:02), both eyebrows then raise - along with the entire width of his forehead, and both of upper eyelids. His mouth, although it's not widely opened (e.g., thus a more moderate/suppressed surprise), it still takes on a momentary horizontally-oriented oval morphology.























Tom Hanks' blushing is difficult to visualize as it is largely camouflaged and blended in with the orange background of the stage.

But Hanks also proceeds to cover his mouth with his left fist (1:13). This is a variety of facial covering often seen with embarrassment. More specifically, during moments of emotional processing - although our intellect may know what's just happened, our emotional brains will take a few seconds/minutes (sometimes longer) to fully digest the moment.




























A few seconds later (1:18) we can see a further nonverbal phenomenon - where Hanks' right hand is mirroring his left hand's fist configuration. This right-left hand-mirroring behavior connotes a stronger emotional intensity.

Summary: Although Tom Hanks is an excellent actor, he's not acting here - his disbelief, surprise, double-take, embarrassment, and emotional processing displays are all sincere.


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Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4184: Why Does Donald Trump Point So Often?

Body Language Analysis No. 4182: North, South Korea, and the Olympics

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

Body Language Analysis No. 4178: Donald Trump, "I'm the Least Racist Person", DACA ... and Kevin McCarthy's Anxiety

Body Language Analysis No. 4166: Logan Paul's Apology

Body Language Analysis No. 4161: Vladimir Putin's Not-So-Poker Face

Body Language Analysis No. 4123: Jason Momoa, Aquaman, the Quindent, and a Secret

Body Language Analysis No. 4088: Kit Harington's April Fools' Prank on Rose Leslie

Body Language Analysis No. 4055: What Does Jessica Chastain Feel For Matt Damon?


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Saturday, January 6, 2018

Body Language Analysis No. 4169: Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, and Robert Mueller - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)




On Saturday Morning (6 January 2018), Donald Trump met with Republican Leaders at Camp David. What follows is a nonverbal analysis of House Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy's reaction to the President's answer to a journalist's question regarding the possibility of Trump meeting with Robert Mueller.

Journalist (beginning at 18:13): Mr. President, if, if Robert Mueller asks *you* to come to speak with his committee personally, are you committed, still, to doing that? Do you believe that [inaudible] -

President Trump [over-talking]: Yeah, just so you understand - just so you understand - there's been no collusion Ω - there's been no crime - and in *theory* everybody tells me I'm not under investigation - maybe Hillary is, I don't know - but I'm not. But, there's been no collusion - there's been no crime ...

Just after the first time President says, "... there's been no collusion ...", Kevin McCarthy (who is standing in back of Donald Trump's left shoulder and partially obscured by his head) displays a rapid series of nonverbal signals (a cluster).
























18:24 - Representative McCarthy closes his eyelids for a prolonged duration. This signifies psychological blocking behavior - the Majority leader's logical brain knows what the President just said - and yet his emotional brain wants to block it out - e.g., "I can't believe he said that!" This represents a form of emotional processing/disbelief.



























18:24 - His eyes remain closed (more blocking/disbelief/emotional processing). He also begins to express Disgust. The tilting-backward of his head/neck (in this context) is a Disgust Amplifier.


























18:25 - McCarthy's Disgust persists. He then exhibits a Hard Swallow - which betrays his anxiety with the president's statement of "... there's been no collusion ..."



























18:26 - 18:28 - Representative McCarthy rapidly bounces on his toes. This further telegraphs his anxiety regarding the President's "No Collusion" statement.

What significant nonverbal signal of Donald Trump's did you observe associated with his qualifier of:  "... in theory ..."?

Summary: The House Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy is both incredulous about - and feels disgusted toward the President's repeated claims of, "There's Been No Collusion". Moreover, this gives McCarthy significant anxiety.


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Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4168: President Trump's Hands - Conspicuous by their absence

Body Language Analysis No. 4166: Logan Paul's Apology 

Body Language Analysis No. 4164: Emmanuel Macron's Rapport Destroyer

Body Language Analysis No. 3251: (REPOSTING) Donald Trump's Response to the question, "Have you ever asked God for Forgiveness?"

Body Language Analysis No. 4120: Robert Mueller's Nonverbal Metaphor

Body Language Analysis No. 4111: Selena Gomez, Francia Raisa, and a Kidney Transplant

Body Language Analysis No. 4104: Walter Cronkite Reaction to JFK Assassination

Body Language Analysis No. 4065: The Murder of Laci Peterson - Scott Peterson's Red Flag

Body Language Analysis No. 4026: Aubrey Plaza, Ingrid Goes West, and Emotional Intelligence


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Monday, December 18, 2017

Body Language Analysis No. 4153: Watching The Thomas Fire - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTOS)
























The above image was captured on 11 December 2017 at the Thomas Fire (Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties). It is currently the third largest fire in California history. At the time of this writing, over 270,000 acres have burned (422 square miles/1,093 square kilometers). It is currently 40% contained. 

We often tend to hold our hands on top of our heads when we feel a relatively sudden defeat or loss.

This is, in part, is a signal of emotional processing - wherein the intellectual mind knows what is happening/has just happened - but the ramifications of which the emotional mind is still grappling.


























Prisoners of war (or those after police arrest), display identical nonverbal behavior - although, of course, they are forced. Such a posture of surrender not only serves as a method of lessening the likelihood of the captured physically retaliating and/or escaping - but it also psychologically engenders feelings of emotional and mental weakness. 

























This same body language MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) is also common after losses (by players and fans alike) in sporting events around the World.

Intriguingly, not everyone will adopt this nonverbal display - however, those who do have higher levels of both Empathy and Sincerity relative to the average person.


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Online Courses Available 
702-239-8503
Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com

 
See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4152: Ruby Rose and her Mother's (Overgrown) Pig

Body Language Analysis No. 4150: Was Omarosa Fired or Did She Resign?

Body Language Analysis No. 4148: Kayla and Roy Moore's Antisemitism

Body Language Analysis No. 4146: Roy Moore, Red Flags, and Sociopaths

Body Language Analysis No. 4138: Matt Lauer, Intimidation, and Aggression

Body Language Analysis No. 4105: An interview with Sophia the Robot at the Future Investment Institute

Body Language Analysis No. 4071: Fans' Reaction to Trauma - Young Girl Hit By Foul Ball at Yankee Stadium

Body Language Analysis No. 3979: Ivanka Trump, "I Try to Stay Out of Politics"

Body Language Analysis No. 3946: Melania Swats Away Donald Trump's Hand as They Arrive in Israel

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Body Language Analysis No. 4095: Celtics' Gordon Hayward Breaks His Leg in Dramatic Fashion During Game with Cavaliers - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)




Gordon Hayward fractured his tibia and dislocated his ankle in dramatic fashion Tuesday night as the Boston Celtics lost their first game of the season in a 102-99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

























This image was taken seven seconds after the fracture. Notice the position of Hayward's hands. His palms are centered on his temples.























Multiple players and audience members also are touching/grabbing parts of their heads' and faces'.























Jaylen Brown puts his hands on back/sides of his head. In addition, his mouth is open in a classic surprise configuration. Note how there are no teeth visible (indicating sincere surprise).


























Dwayne Wade kneels as he touches his eyebrows/lower central forehead. In this context, his closed eyelids are empathy amplifiers.





















Here, fans for both teams can be seen covering the tops of their heads. Their elbows are directed laterally with their armpits exposed. This configuration of Head Touching after a dramatic event is more common with the event is negative (note how similar this is to a surrender pose during an arrest or in war) - and it's also more common in men than women.






















LeBron James adopts a similar posture as Dwayne Wade.






















In this photo we see onlookers adopt three variations of this same phenomenon.


























Multiple fans and players even use clothing or towels as surrogates to aid in covering their faces'/mouths'.

A rapid covering of the head and/or face is a commonly seen body language reaction immediately after witnessing, hearing of, or even reading about an extreme and unexpected event. This is true whether it's very good or bad news - although this nonverbal behavior is certainly not exhibited by everyone.

Rapid covering of the head and/or face is a manifestation of "Emotional Processing" - when the intellect knows what has happened, but the emotional brain is still grappling with what's occurred. The emotional brain has disbelief for what the logical brain knows to be real.

Fascinatingly, those individuals who cover their faces'/heads' after such events have higher over-all empathy levels - as well as higher sincerity quotients. Those who don't display this behavior have lower empathy and low sincerity quotients. Such observations allow a careful observer to predict how a person will behave to later and completely unrelated events/scenarios.


Group Appearances and One-on-One
Online Courses Available 
702-239-8503
Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4094: Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and Calling the Families of Fallen Soldiers

Body Language Analysis No. 4092: Rex Tillerson responds to Bob Corker's "Castration" Comment

Body Language Analysis No. 4090: Harvey Weinstein, Sexual Assault, and Impulse Control Disorder

Body Language Analysis No. 4083: President Trump, Puerto Rico, and Meeting San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz

Body Language Analysis No. 4077: A Facial Expression Common to Both Bad Actors and Sociopaths

Body Language Analysis No. 4052: Hitler's Cryptorchidism and Emotional Dissonance

Body Language Analysis No. 4047: Joel Osteen, Houston, and Hurricane Harvey 

Body Language Analysis No. 4012: Anthony Scaramucci's and Reince Priebus' First (and Last) Photo in the Oval Office 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3911: Simone Biles gets Pranked on "Ellen"


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Friday, September 22, 2017

Body Language Analysis No. 4071: Fans' Reaction to Trauma - Young Girl Hit By Foul Ball at Yankee Stadium - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTO)





On Wednesday, New York Yankee third baseman, Todd Frazier, hit a 105 mph line-drive foul into the stands. Tragically, the ball struck a young girl. At last report, she is "stable" and recovering in New York-Presbyterian/Columbia Hospital.

From a body language perspective, the image below illustrates some highly characteristic behavior. Notice the three standing adults who are all facing approximately toward the photographer. The woman with her left hand touching her forehead, the man in the center with both hands on top of his head, and the man on the right side of the image covering his mouth and lower nose with his left hand.

When we witness or are told of a dramatic event - it takes a few moments to emotionally come to terms with what has transpired. It may be incredibly good news - or it may be awful. Sudden facial, head, (or less commonly neck) touching signifies that, although the intellect may realize what has occurred - the emotional brain takes longer to process it ("Emotional Processing"). 

But not everyone performs this sudden facial-head-neck touching (and certainly this photo is only a single frame) - yet those individuals who do display this reaction will also possess higher empathy quotients as well as higher sincerity quotients compared to the general population. Thus, this sudden nonverbal dynamic tells us not only what is happening in the thought-emotions of the moment - but it also is an accurate over-all personality predictor for how the person may react in other scenarios.

May this little girl make a complete and speedy recovery.






















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Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4070: President Trump Announces New Sanctions Against North Korea

Body Language Analysis No. 4068: Donald Trump's UN Speech - Nikki Haley's Reaction to The President's Threat to "Totally Destroy North Korea"

Body Language Analysis No. 4065: The Murder of Laci Peterson - Scott Peterson's Red Flag

Body Language Analysis No. 4061: Pennywise,"IT", and Bill Skarsgård's Demonic Smile - Why is IT so Scary?

Body Language Analysis No. 4052: Hitler's Cryptorchidism and Emotional Dissonance

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

Body Language Analysis No. 4014: Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Donald Trump, and Healthcare

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3876: John McCain's "State of the Union" Interview re: Donald Trump, Michael Flynn, Wiretap Allegations and Russia

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3860: Ian McKellen, The Oscars and a spot-on Maggie Smith Impression


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Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Body Language Analysis No. 4039: Blue Angels, Surprise, Emotional Processing, and Empathy - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)





This Blue Angels "Sneak Pass" reaction at the Chicago Air and Water Show, although very brief, examples some fantastic displays of body language. What follows is a partial analysis.






















Note the woman with the aqua colored jacket over her right shoulder just as the F-18 Hornet surprises the crowd by flying from behind only 80-90 feet over the beach.




























Although the resolution is a bit low in this motion-captured image, we can see that her eyelids and her mouth are opened very wide. More specifically, her mouth is opened in a vertically-oriented oval shape - with no teeth visible.




























In this next image, her mouth is opened even more widely - still in a vertically-stretched oval shape - and still with no teeth visible.




























She then covers her mouth with her hands and her jacket as she momentarily also closes her eyes.























Now contrast her body language with the shirtless man on the right side of the image. The entire time he has his hands on his hips in a finger's forward, arms-akimbo configuration (high alpha).

The woman discussed here is experiencing surprise. Surprise is the shortest-lived of any emotion (startling is not an emotion, but a reflex) - lasting only two-three seconds and then replaced with another emotion (in this case joy-wonder).

The mouth of sincere surprise is opened in a vertically-stretched oval shape with no teeth showing - exactly as we see here. When surprise is being feigned (as it often is), the teeth are invariably showing and the mouth is stretched horizontally.

When something incredibly surprising, unbelievably wonderful, or suddenly tragic - with high frequency a substantial percentage of people will cover portions of their faces (typically their mouths and/or cheeks) with their hands. This nonverbal act tells us two important things:

1. In that moment, although the person's intellectual brain knows what's transpired - their emotional brain is still trying to process the events and ramifications ("Emotionally Processing").

2. The people who consistently display this sudden hand-to-face covering during such events possess over-all empathy quotients and sincerity quotients which tend to be significantly higher than those who don't have this reaction under similar conditions. This observation allows much more accurate prediction of their behavior in other scenarios.


Group Appearances and One-on-One
Online Courses Available 
702-239-8503
Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4038: Donald Trump's Afghanistan Speech

Body Language Analysis No. 4035: Hope Hicks, Jared Kushner, and Phone Tells

Body Language Analysis No. 4033: Prime Minister Theresa May Regarding Charlottesville Violence, "I see no equivalence"

Body Language Analysis No. 4031: One Gesture to Never Use When Condemning Neo-Nazis

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

Body Language Analysis No. 4010: Lisa Murkowski Responds To Donald Trump's Criticism

Body Language Analysis No. 3979: Ivanka Trump, "I Try to Stay Out of Politics"

Body Language Analysis No. 3948: The Manchester Bomber, Nonverbal Communication, Threat Assessment, and Emotional Intelligence

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3873: Brie Larson's Eyes, The Bachelor, and the Edge of Consciousness


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