Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3867: What Makes the Twinkle in Her Eye? Emma Stone, Romance and Flirting - Body Language and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTOS)

What makes Emma Stone's Eyes Twinkle? The etiology of "Twinkling Eyes" is a multifactorial and fascinating phenomenon.
 
The first, and by far the most important, component for a sparkle in the eye - is that of a smile, and it must be a sincere smile.

A "high sincerity quotient" smile must have eyelids which are partially closed - it's an absolute requirement. It's also a profoundly important distinction that all "partial eyelid closure" does not necessarily yield smiles - and the remainder of the face must always be taken into account. Recall Clint Eastwood in "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". His acting expression was often that of mild to moderate anger.

When there is a momentary partial closure of the lids, this action squeezes the very thin layer of fluid on the surface of a healthy cornea and conjunctiva (the "tear film") onto a temporarily smaller surface - ergo this thin fluid becomes a bit "deeper" for a few moments. This extra fluid "depth" acts as a more efficient mirror and reflects light with greater efficiency - giving her eyes a "twinkling" effect.

After careful examination of the image below, you will see two light reflections in each of Emma's eyes - one on the cornea, near (over) the center of each pupil - and another just above the margin of each lower lid - where the tear film has a bit more depth - giving us an extra "sparkling" source.

Another requirement for a true, Joy-Happiness Smile is the short-lived, dynamic, concave-up furrow in the lower eyelids.

A Sincere smile must also have a relaxed (non-contracted) forehead. Indeed a forced and insincere smile is easily and often betrayed by an elevated and furrowed forehead.

Another requirement of a sincere smile is that if any teeth are showing (sometimes no teeth are showing during a sincere suppressed smile), they must be only the upper teeth (the exceptions being sincere smile-associated laughing, a high camera/visual angle or a downward tilting of the head/neck).

When sincerity is present, the cheek muscles will primarily vector upward - and not as much out to the sides. False smiles pull the corners of the mouth out laterally, rather than upward. Thus the mouths of fake smiles are often opened wider (left to right) than those of true smiles.

In this image, Emma Stone is outside - therefore her pupils are smaller with the bright sunlight. If she were inside, her pupils would be larger. Large pupils make a larger, darker, highly contrasting background for the light reflection - and make the twinkle more visible (e.g., a lighter color against a darker, larger background is much easier for other people to see).

Besides the relative darkness (which is one reason why dimly lit restaurants feel more romantic) - both affection (of a non-sexual nature) as well as sexual attraction are two other very common causes for larger pupils. Greater attraction equals larger pupils - and larger pupils leads to more sparkling.

Another cause of an increased or decreased "Twinkle Factor" is the angle of the light source. Without light there can be no twinkle - so to get a greater reflection, the light must be positioned behind the observer (e.g., if your partner is looking at you, the light source must be behind them [but not directly, lest it will be blocked by their head]).

Of course it the light is too bright, this will irritate the eyes as well as contract the pupils - which is one reason why candles engender eye twinkling (candles are dimmer than artificial light). Moreover, if a candle is used as a source of light - the constant changing amplitude of the flame (e.g., flickering) will amplify the tinkling effect - giving an extra dynamic quality to the eyes.

The level of love must always taken into account. Frida Kahlo once said, "Take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic." The presence or absence of love makes a portion of the "twinkle" subjective. Much like beauty, some of the twinkle depends on the other set of eyes - the eyes of the beholder.

Summary: In short, a "twinkle"/"sparkle" in the eye is influenced by...

1. The eye portion of a sincere smile (which always has partial eyelid closure and greater reflectivity)
2. The mouth portion of a sincere smile (aka "Duchenne" Smile) with upward vectored cheeks
3. A Relaxed Forehead
4. Medically Healthy Eyes
5. The type of light source
6. The angle of the light source
7. Larger vs. Smaller pupils (e.g., the level of ambient light)
8. The presence or absence of Affection and Love


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3865: Jeff Sessions and Al Franken - Senate Judiciary Committee during Sessions' Confirmation Hearing

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3863: Kellyanne Conway, Disrespect and The Oval Office

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3861: Emma Stone, The Oscars and Sincerity

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3858: Milo Yiannopoulos resigns from Breitbart with "Apology"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3672: Jessica Alba, Swass, Body Language and Emotional Intelligence

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3512: Emilia Clarke, "Me Before You" and Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3812: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone & La La Land - Backstage Interview Golden Globes 2017

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2802: Emma Stone & Jimmy Fallon Lip Sync Battle - Body Language Tells


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1835: Dario Franchitti Wins His Third Indianapolis 500 - His Disingenuous "Thank You"

Dario Franchitti won his third Indianapolis 500 today. During an emotional interview after the race, he speaks of his friend Dan Wheldon - last year's winner who perished this past October in the IZOD IndyCar World Championship at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This video is loaded with body language, however there's one tell in particular that should catch your attention. At the 0:43 mark, just as Franchitti finishes saying, "... thank you to this Target team ...", he displays an nonverbal classic "ear screw" with his left index finger in his left ear canal as he looks down to his right. This ear screw is a clear signal that this particular "thank you" is insincere, and he's discontented with someone on the "Target team" or the team as whole. Although we cannot see his eyes, his head & neck move down and to his right. It would be highly unusual if his eyes were also not gazing in this same direction. Looking down and to one's right (particularly for the right-handed) is an extremely common saccade during negative emotional moments.

See also:

Secret # 1236: Kofi Annan Does Not Believe

Secrets # 394 & 496: Rick Perry's Nonverbal Mistakes in Iowa

Secret # 199: When a Lie is Told, Heard or Visualized by Vladimir's Eye

Secret # 29: Eye Rub When Someone Else is Speaking - Angela Doubts Vladimir

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1822: President Obama's Stand on Same-Sex Marriage - Is he Sincere?

Ten days ago, during an interview with ABC's Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, U.S. President Barack Obama made an open declaration in support of same-sex marriage. Is he sincere? - Or is the President using this issue as a political tool during an election year? The vast majority of people answer this question based on their political bias. If this was another issue, and this were another man/woman - and you were sitting across the table from him during a crucial negotiation, could you tell if he was bluffing? If you were a defense attorney, and your client (the defendant) was gay, and you were selecting a jury (voir dire) - would you pick him to serve on the jury? What OBJECTIVITY TOOLS do you have at your disposal? 

Body language is a tool to enhance your objectivity when, as human beings, we are all inherently biased.

What does the President's head position tell you in this video?

What about the direction of his eye movements?

Did his forehead contractions suggest sincerity or insincerity?

What did his rate of blinking tell you?

Are his hand gestures (illustrators) consistent with deception or truth?

What MAPs (Manipulators, Adaptors, Pacifiers) did you spot?

What does the President's foot/leg position tell you?

If you were the President's body language/speech coach, what would you advise him to change in this video if he had a "do-over"?

Do you allow your personal biases to color your judgment as to guilt vs. innocence, sincerity vs. insincerity or truth vs. deception? OF COURSE YOU DO. The question is what are you doing to become more objective?

Fifty-five to Eighty percent of all direct human communication is Nonverbal. If you're not skilled in both the nuance of interpretation body language - as well as how you present yourself, moment to moment, in context - then you're placing yourself at a massive disadvantage. It's as if you would put ear plugs in - and pretend that you're listening.

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Negotiation Body Language Secret # 717: Barry Bonds and the Obstruction of Justice

Federal prosecutors want Barry Bonds to go to Prison. They are seeking a sentence of 15 months for the former San Francisco Giants star. The charges stem from his obstruction of their investigation into BALCO, steroids, human growth hormone and other performance enhancing substances and their illegal sale and distribution to professional athletes.

The most common reason for a nose "itch" is not a rash, a nasal hair or allergic rhinitis - it's anxiety. This is also true for similar sensations elsewhere on the face and neck. There are many reasons for anxiety however, and deception is but one - but it's a very common one. Depending on the particular area touched/rubbed/itched/etc., the other nonverbals it is clustered with, the paralanguage and the statement analysis/language analysis - if you know what to look for, your ability to detect lies is very significantly enhanced.  

Everyone tells "white lies". The next time you tell one, or even think about telling one - if you're self-aware (everyone thinks they are - but this is true for very few) - you'll notice that somewhere on your face or neck will probably itch. You may be like Barry Bonds or Megan Fox (See Lie Detection Secret # 652: Megan Fox has got an Itch) and scratch your nose, you may be like Jon Corzine (See Negotiation Body Language Secret # 339: When a Lie is Heard or Told) and scratch next to your ear. It can even work in reverse, for if you hear or see something you believe to be deception, as Angela Merkel does here (see Negotiation Secret # 29: Eye Rub when some else is speaking - Angela doubts Vladimir) - you'll have similar sensations and may rub your eye like the German Chancellor.

Remember, there is no one body language signal for detecting a lie. Many things must be taken into account (see above) - including the honest person who experiences anxiety associated with being falsely accused. Paul Ekman calls this the "Othello error" after the character in the Shakespeare play of the same name, who falsely reads his wife's (Desdemona) signs of anxiety as that of guilt.

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Negotiation Body Language Secret # 339: When a Lie is Heard or Told

Self-touching fits into a class of nonverbal behaviors that are known as Manipulators, Adaptors or Pacifiers (MAPs). MAPs are significant body language signals of anxiety. When the area being touched involves the ear, eye, nose, mouth, cheek or anterior (front) neck - there's an even higher correlation with deception. The remainder of the head and neck have a lower correlation with lying.

Jon Corzine, former Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, U.S. Senator and Governor of New Jersey testified before the U.S. House Agriculture Committee today. He resigned on November 4th of this year from MF Global, where he was CEO and Chairman since March 2010. MF Global declared bankruptcy on October 31, 2011 - the eighth largest in U.S. history. The company is under investigation by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Among other things, $1.2 billion is missing. Hmmm...

Corzine was asked repeatedly during his testimony about the missing money: "I don't know whether this is inadvertent. I don't know whether in the flows of transfers someone held on to some funds," Corzine said. "I don't have the ability other than to speculate where they would be."

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