Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2170: The San Francisco Giants, Surprise, Bird Poop and Body Language

If you're a Detroit Tiger fan, this video may not be quite as funny - yet it does provide a very instructive nonverbal lesson. Reporters Bethany Crouch and Paul Robins were outside Candlestick Park filming a story on the (then upcoming) World Series (which the Giants swept), when a bird poops on Robins' head, glasses and shoulders. At the 0:23 mark, Ms. Crouch displays a classic facial expression of surprise. The most important two key components visible here are the rapid and vertically elongated, oval and open mouth - as well as the widely opened eyelids. You may have to pause this video several times to freeze it at the optimum moment - for true and sincere surprise is the most evanescent of all body language-facial expressions. Here it lasts less than a second. If what look to you like surprise lasts longer than two seconds - there is either a feigned component present (very common), the entire display is false - or there is significant psychological shock - e.g. witnessing a car accident or traumatic event.

Note also the pulling backwards (retraction) of Bethany's torso - which is also a very natural and sincere response in surprise.

Another fascinating quality of the emotion of surprise is that it's almost always rapidly replaced by a second emotion such as fear, anger, sadness ... and here joy-laughter. If there is an absence of another emotion very shortly a "surprise" - this is yet another nonverbal signal of insincerity.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1914: Sincere Surprise - Often Feigned & Difficult to Capture - Spain Beats Portugal in Euro 2012

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2159: Tom Hanks drops the F-bomb on GMA - Body Language of Fear, Surprise, MAPs and a Bitter Smile

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 212: Eyes White and Wide - Three Body Language Examples with Two Different Emotional Causes

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1261: IMF Director Christine Lagarde - True Surprise - Rarely Captured

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 387: Missy Franklin's Surprise and Disbelief

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Negotiation Body Language Secret # 501: Bonding and Rapport Facilitators - The Laughing Lean

Laughter is really more of a bonding facilitator than it is necessarily a pure byproduct of humor. A common example of this phenomenon is manifested daily in cinemas all over the World. When the same comedy is played, people always laugh more when the theater is crowded - compared to when it's sparsely filled.

There are several body language gestures which can accentuate this laughing-bonding-rapport building process. A very common one is demonstrated here between U.S. First Lady, Michelle Obama and Ms. Oprah Winfrey. As bouts of laughter are near maximum crescendo as well as their peak, it is very common for those laughing to subconsciously reduce their interpersonal space. This is very often and sincerely manifested nonverbally by a leaning of the head(s) and upper body towards the other person. It often is mutual and simultaneous. Sometimes during extreme laughing bouts there may even be a touching of heads. This head tilt is significantly more common and pronounced with women compared with men.

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