Although Cranston is an outstanding actor - he is first a human being. And thus, like all of us, has anxieties - and during this interview some of them were on display (and easily seen - if you know what to look for).
Conan brought up the fact that a pro-Donald Trump supporter artistically modified some of the movie posters for Why Him? During his explanation and interpretation, Cranston's anxiety heightened.
From a body language point of view, at several times during this short video Bryan Cranston displays a "False Tie Adjust". Note that this was performed with the length of the tie, rather than the knot. When the knot of the tie is falsely adjusted, it's indicative of a higher level of anxiety - while manipulating the hanging portion of the tie correlates with lower levels of nervousness.
We can however, further nuance this nonverbal behavior - for although this anxiety is self-recognized, the psyche is also recognizing the need for up-regulating assertiveness. This is one example of the phenomena sometimes colloquially referred to as, "Dialing up the Alpha".
What other nonverbal signals of anxiety did Cranston display here?
Cohen: It has recently been rumored that you and Liam Hemsworth had some PDA at the Waverly Inn. Have you two ever kissed when the cameras weren't rolling?
Lawrence: Liam and I grew up together. Liam's real hot.
Cohen: I, I agree.
Lawrence: What would you have done? [Laughing]
Cohen: [overtalking] I would guess.
Lawrence: [continues laughing]
Cohen: I would say yes.
Lawrence: Yeah.
Cohen: Very good.
Lawrence [inaudible]
Cohen: Very good. Ahhhh, I mean, I'd pick Gale over Peeta any day.
Lawrence: I did.
Cohen: Yes, Okay.
Lawrence: [overtaking, laughing] I did at one point.
0:26
Looking Down to Her Right
(as Cohen says, "... have you two ...")
What does Cohen's "False Tie Adjust" during 0:35 - 0:36 indicate?
0:42
Just after she says, "Yeah"
Looking with her eyes as well as head-heck down to her right
Co-display of Blushing
0:48
Looking Down to Her Right (just before she says, "I did")
Simultaneous partial Inward Lip Roll (ILR) which is
demonstrating her psyche's attempt to quell emotions and emotional display
It's extremely common for a person to look down to their right when they're feeling strong emotions of love, affection, grief, empathy and post-fiero states. Kinesthetic thought-feelings of high intensity (re-living a memory with a significant physical component) also are associated with this same type of eye movement. While by no means a 100% type-phenomena, in this specific example of eye/head/neck movement, it very strongly suggests Jennifer Lawrence had and continues to have sincere affection for Liam Hemsworth.
Zac Efron was a guest on the Tonight Show last night. Many people have gained a considerably higher level of respect for the actor after his encounter with a tiger shark in the wild. Not only did he keep his cool and follow the recommendations of shark experts - but he also held onto the shark's dorsal fin and hitched a ride back to his boat.
From a body language perspective, as with many interactions, this interview includes a multitude of nonverbal displays - some of which are alpha, some beta and some hybrids. A few of these are described below. Intriguingly (and courageously), Mr. Efron also uses body language to avoid a shark attack.
0:31
Mr. Efron displays a "false tie-adjust"
This common nonverbal display is indicative of anxiety. Even though he's an accomplished actor and is quite used to being in front of a camera - here he's NOT method acting - he's human and he's just being Zac. Efron does this again at 0:50 as well as at the 2:12 mark.
0:39
Here we see the palms partially turned down at about a 45 degree angle. This is one of many ALPHA-beta hybrids (here with the alpha being greater than beta).
1:00
This more complete palm down gesture is significant of a higher dominance level.
Had his fingers been positioned tightly together (here there is space between them) and his arm been extended - this would have conveyed an even greater alpha level. His partial (suppressed) sincere smile also helps to make this a bit less dominant.
1:11
This palm-down gesture is more dominant than that displayed above (at 1:00) - for Efron's arm is held further away from his body with his elbow more extended. He also does not have a smile at this moment in addition to having a contracted forehead. However his fingers remain separated - thus leaving some dominance unclaimed.
1:37
Although we can't see this MAP fully (manipulator, adaptor, pacifier), if you watch the video, you can tell Efron adjusts the lower part of his tie. This is a common gesture for men in moments where they are attempting to up-regulate their alpha emotions. This body language is better appreciated in the dynamic context of the video rather than a static image.
2:42
Zac Efron displays a conventional low steeple. The conventional steeple is a considerably high-alpha display and is only recommended for very brief duration (he uses it for about 5 seconds here) during very selective moments (photos of U.S. Presidents using a conventional steeple are exceedingly rare).
When a guy is describing how he survived a stare-down with a 14 foot tiger shark, he's certainly has greater social-latitude to use this nonverbal swagger.
I don't pretend to be a shark expert and thus I can't at this time can't validate Efron's advice, yet here (based on the teachings of his mentors) he describes how he used his clear wits and body language to avoid a possibly fatal shark attack.
2:58
"What you're supposed to do is slow down your heart rate and just sort stay calm."
"I held my breath, I sorta crossed my arms and let the shark know I wasn't prey."
3:03
Efron describes staring directly into the eyes of the shark - implying that his body was turned toward the shark as well (e.g., "I'm not afraid of you and I'm not swimming away - but my hands are not in an aggressive configuration either, so this is a truce Mr. Tiger Shark, okay?").
3:54
Just as Jimmy Fallon holds up a picture of Zac with the Tiger Shark - he displays a subtle fear mouth (in a moment of partially reliving the encounter). The camera cuts away before his trepidation is perhaps more fully expressed.
In this YouTube viral, video a pastor recounts a time when he allegedly hit a minor. In his own words ".... And I walked over to him and I went BAMB! ... I punched in the chest as hard as I... I crumpled the kid ... I just crumpled him". There are many body language tells here - the following is a partial nonverbal analysis of some key moments of his own telling of this event.
0:31 Inward Lip Roll (ILR).
An inward lip roll is seen during moments when there is an attempt to suppress an emotion that is far from emotional baseline. Many times it's anger, although it can be sadness, etc. or even joy-happiness.
This is a close up of the above frame. The ILR can also be seen during moments of physical activity which require an increase focusing of thought.
Here the pastor is reenacting his alleged physical assault on another person. Just prior to this moment he described the individual as "... and we were outside one day, a youth group - and ah he was just, just trying [repeated closed fist punching gesture 0:22-0:24] to push my buttons - just kinda not taking the Lord serious" [deep inhaling breath at 0:28]. In this context his nonverbal behavior (inward lip roll) in his re-telling indicates he is re-living his anger experienced during the original event. He is holding onto his anger.
0:33 Both contempt and disgust expressions are present here (contempt > disgust)
Tie Adjust (an alpha up-regulator) and in this moment it's a signal of his anxiety and rationalizing his behavior
0:33.5 Contempt-Disgust persists
Those who easily and/or chronically display contempt portend what other behaviors?
0:37
Tongue Jut
Signaling "I've been bad", "I've been caught" and a self-deprecating emotional tone
0:41 second Tie Adjust
Once again, Dialing up his alpha, a repeated signal of anxiety and rationalizing his behavior
There certainly may be times when a pastor or anyone may fabricate a
story to dramatically illustrate a message - and while this is a possibility here,
this cluster of nonverbal signals strongly suggests the events occurred
as he described them. His need to tell this event is very similar psychologically to a criminal returning to the scene of a crime.
The trial of Oscar Pistorius for the Murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp continues. Yesterday Lt. Col. Vermeulen testified with regards to the cricket bat with which Pistorius used to break down the bathroom door. The prosecution is asserting that Pistorius did not have prostheses on - while the defense says the opposite is true. The following body language analysis does not state one or the other - however it is highly conclusive for considerable anxiety on the part of Lt. Col. Vermeulen during his testimony.
Moreover other nonverbal signals of Vermeulen's are highly consistent with lying.
At 1:03 we see a "False Tie Adjust".
As the prosecuting attorney is describing the position of the cricket bat on the door.
The false tie adjust is highly consistent with significant anxiety.
Nose rub No. 1 at 1:58 - 1:59
As he says, "... Approximately 1.85 meters ..."
Nose Rub No. 2 during 2:14 - 2:15
As the prosecuting attorney says, "Colonel just go back - and I want you to ...."
Nose Rub No. 3 at 2:43
Just as Vermeulen says, "My Lady, if I stand upright, ah, and I'm, 1.79 meters tall ..."
1.79 Meters = 5 foot, 10.5 inches
Most men lie about their height - in the social setting this is one thing - in court it is another.
Nose Rub No. 4 during 3:01 - 3:03
Just after Vermeulen said, "... it would have been a very uncomfortable, unnatural position [inaudible]."
Officer Vermeulen should not have this level of anxiety during testimony. He is not on trial - Pistorius is. Nose rubs (or touches, scratches) when oneself or another person are making declarative statements are highly correlative with deception or belief of deception. The person feels they are hearing deception - regardless of who is speaking.
The third nose rub example is particularly useful and should be acted upon. Most men lie about their height - in the social setting this is one thing - in court however it is another. There is a high probably Vermeulen is telling a lie here. If his barefoot height is less than 1.79 meters, then:
A. He is lying about his height
B. This should call into question his other testimony in general context and discredit his expertise
as a witness - e.g. liars lie.
C. His nose rubs nonverbals shows us a particularly strong "norm" correlation with deception -
indicating that other nose rubs are also indeed lies.
This body language alone does not indicate whether Oscar Pristorius is guilty or innocent of premeditation - it does however show that Lt. Col. Vermeulen is not being objective and is very probably being deceptive.
Lt. Col. Vermeulen - you have been measured (and normed) and found wanting ....
Jake Gyllenhaal was recently on Jimmy Kimmel to promote his recent movie, "Prisoners". During the interview he spoke about his recent travels with English folk-rock band "Mumford and Sons" around the Southwest United States on a train as they toured.
Note: The original video has, since the original post, been removed from its online source. The images below however, were captured from this video.
Gyllenhaal shows us a common MAP-surrogate (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) known as a "Tie Stroke" at the beginning of this video. A tie stroke is a form of substituted self-touching where the long portion of the tie is lifted, adjusted and/or caressed during moments of heightened anxiety - rather than touching a body part.
Kimmel: "I think it was about a year and a half ago, you were with, you ah, went to see 'Mumford and Sons' the band." Gyllenhaal: "Yes." Kimmel: "And, a, a, you wound up going on tour with the band, True?" Gyllenhaal: "Yes. True." Kimmel: "How did that occur... and why?" Gyllenhaal: "[a two second "Tie Stroke" begins, 0:17 - 0:19] Ah, Well, I cou, I count ah luckily in, in, ah this blessed life that I feel like I live, I count ‘Mumford and sons’ as, as a close friends I, I, I, I have a lot of friends from England. I’m not really sure why that happened but it did. And ah, and ah, they ah, I happened to meet them years ago before …."
Gyllenhaal feels anxiety that his groupie-like behavior is being discussed in such a public forum.
His multiple examples of stuttering are further (paralanguage) and congruent examples of his nervousness in discussing this subject.
There are multiple other body language tells of anxiety in the few seconds surrounding this moment. Did you see them all?
The tie stroke is usually downwardly vectored. The false tie-knot adjust (see below for this another similar signals) is a more obvious nonverbal consistent with even higher levels of anxiety.
A-Rod gave a press conference yesterday. Along with thirteen other players, he is facing disciplinary action by major league baseball for performance enhancing drug (PED) usage. The video of this event is included above and three (of many) body language signals are isolated and discussed below.
Many times resting the chin (e.g., 0:43 - 0:51 and 1:24 - 1:29) on the hand is a sign of boredom - but no so here. This high surface area self-touch of the hand to the face is nonverbal tell of high anxiety.
What other signals clustered with the chin-rest in this moment allows us to make this distinction from boredom?
What is another meaning of the chin-rest?
"Licking the teeth" as A-Rod does here (e.g., 0:14 - 0:15 and 0:42 - 0:43) is a common manifestation of anxiety.
Care must be taken not to mistake this for a "Tongue in Cheek" display.
Alex Rodriguez rubbed his neck and the underside of his jaw for a significant length of time. This begins with a nose rub (1:36) followed immediately by a bilateral face rub (1:37 - 1:38). Neck touching is a significant anxiety indicator and is sometimes seen in its analog form - the false tie adjust.
Women typically will not touch such a large area of the neck or with such a large area of the hand or all the fingers & thumb. The majority of times women touch the neck with just one or two fingers.
Often the manubrial notch (aka the supra-sternal notch) or the tissue just above it - is an area touched during times of particular anxiety as A-Rod does here from 1:39 to 2:02 . And although Rodriguez does not do so here, it's common to see the manubrial notch rub with a coexisting mild fear expression on the mouth and/or eyes.
Aurora, Colorado Police Chief, Dan Oats is seen here at a press conference yesterday exampling what is known as the "false tie adjust". It is a very reliable body language signal of anxiety - and more specifically a fear-sadness sub-type (In this context it also is suggestive of empathy). Also known as the "Manubrial-Touch", it is seen both in sexes - with women often touching/moving/holding the pendant of their necklace. Variants of this nonverbal are also seen when there is no tie or necklace present - with a touching/rubbing/scratching of the upper portion of the sternum - the manubrium.
Chief Oats also has a classic nonverbal expression of fear displayed with his mouth. While he may not enjoy press conferences or speaking in public, he is for now one of the mouth pieces regarding the tragic shooting in the early morning yesterday. Most everyone fears being the bearers of bad news.
Notice also how many people behind him have their eyes closed. This is not coincidence. One reason for prolonged eyelid closure is emotional processing. It's a body language signal that one's emotions are trying to catch-up to reality and what the "logical brain" already knows. Thus it is common to see prolonged eyelid closure (and eye covering with the hands) during times of fear.
Diamond is displaying a "false-Tie Adjust" - a common male body language signal indicative of anxiety, fear, vulnerability or concern. It seems he has some good reason for such anxiety. This example of an nonverbal MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) has female analogs as well - playing with a necklace, touching or rubbing the lower neck - at or just above the manubrium (the upper portion of the sternum).
Diamond is used to being in the limelight - as are all senior executives - and in the above photo his poker face isn't bad. But human he is, and his emotions and thoughts leak out for everyone to see - just like the rest of us - if you know what to look for...
When a guy adjusts his cuffs or straightens his watch, it is the male analog of the more feminine nonverbal of the "Hair Adjust Behind the Ear" (HABE). Timothy Geithner, the U.S. Secretary of Treasury, is certainly an alpha male - but from time to time, even alphas need to dial it up a notch. The cuff or watch adjust is a body language signal showing that, in the moment, the psyche is attempting to be more assertive. The emotional tone is one of "assertive-anxiety". Of course, the shirt cuff and a watch occasionally need adjusting, but the vast majority of time when men perform these gestures - they feel the need to be a less beta and a little more alpha. Certainly beta males will exhibit this and other "up-shifting" nonverbal behaviors more than alphas. It's not a measure of the person's overall personality, rather what the emotional brain is feeling in that moment.
The "False Tie Adjust" is a very common body language display for men - even those from Mother Russia. It's a reliable indicator of anxiety. Of course, his tie does not really need straightening. There are other nonverbals clustered here too. Usually the Jaw Jut is a nonverbal signal of anger, but not in this context. Similarly to the false-pout displayed here, in this setting they are both indications of Mr. Putin trying to "dial up his alpha". Yes, from time to time - even Vladimir needs more assertiveness.
Rachel Reupke is a audiovisual artist from London. Here she is shown at the Zinebi Short Film and Documentary Festival in Bilbao, Spain on November 23, 2010. Her right hand is massaging her neck and and specifically touching & covering her "Manubrium". This is the (proper anatomical) name for the top of the "breast bone" (manubrium-sternum bone). This particular self-touching is a very common Manipulator-Adaptor-Pacifier (Navarro). If you search your visual memory, most everyone can recall seeing this many times. Upon searching your memory further, you will remember that this gesture was often accompanied by significant (sometimes underlying) emotion. It is a more commonly observed behavior with women/girls/boys, although men do this as well. A common adult-male equivalent is the false tie-adjustment. Both are significant signs of anxiety, concern, discomfort, fear, worry or vulnerability - and they're very reliable.
Interestingly, and similar to the thought process which hopefully accompanies any medical diagnosis, an absence of a sign or symptom can be just as significant as its presence. I am reminded here of the Sherlock Holmes Short Story (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who, like myself, a physician),"Silver Blaze", where Holmes says, "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time is now easily explained: the dog made no noise because no stranger was there...Obviously the midnight visitor was someone whom the dog knew well". When anyone is known to use this gesture, and yet it is not seen during times when they're recounting stories which would normally cause significant anxiety, stress or discomfort - this lack should call into question their honesty. The same is true of any other body language signs which are "normal" for a given individual in a specific emotional state.
It's a mystery why Sarah Palin, a former governor and many other well-financed, educated, powerful, and otherwise well-informed people don't seek out body language expertise before they (or their publicist, campaign manager, etc.) choose photographs which send signals that they don't want to send. Insecurity, anxiety and vulnerability are not qualities that anyone would want to show deliberately. A public relations faux pas.
Although Cranston is an outstanding actor - he is first a human being. And thus, like all of us, has anxieties - and during this interview some of them were on display (and easily seen - if you know what to look for).
