Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3572: Bernie Sanders on Jimmy Kimmel - regarding Donald Trump Debate - Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

The night after he had Donald Trump on his show, Jimmy Kimmel followed it up with Bernie Sanders. And while in the last several hours it does appear that Trump may have pulled out of challenge to debate Bernie - Senator Sanders' appearance also contains some excellent nonverbal examples.


The video begins with Jimmy Kimmel saying, "I feel like we're, we had a very awkward handshake, I feel like we should do it over again, because ... yeah, okay, there we go, alright ..."

Their initial fumbled handshake wasn't included in this video, yet Kimmel did exactly what one should do when a such a scenario occurs. I recommend saying something similar to, "Hey, I messed up that handshake - would you mind if we do that over?" Handshakes are dramatically disproportionately important moments, particularly if it's the very first meeting and great care should be taken to verbalize any missteps and get these greetings correct.

Another important aspect of this image is the fact that Bernie Sanders turns his whole body toward his host and maintains this configuration after their do-over handshake and continues this position into their conversation. It's amazing the high percentage of otherwise very experienced professionals who don't point their entire body toward the other person - and hold eye contact for 4-5 seconds while they're shaking hands (as of course, they absolutely should).

The above scenario is a bit unorthodox - since both men are on TV in a talk show setting. Presumably their initial handshake occurred with them both standing up. Always keep in mind that shaking hands while sitting conveys significantly less respect.

Beginning at 0:17, Senator Sanders says, "You made it possible for us to have a very interesting debate."

During 0:24, just after he says the word, "... debate...", Bernie pulls in his lower lip. This is known as "Lower Lip Anticipation" or a "Lower Lip Retraction". It's similar to the "Tongue in Cheek" display - in that it signals an emotional tone of "I Just Won" or "I Gotcha". These strong feelings of excitation-anticipation are indicative how Bernie Sanders feels he will perform in a debate with Donald Trump.

This website serves as an objective reference source for the science and art of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. In an effort to be both practical and academic, many examples from/of varied cultures, politicians, professional athletes, legal cases, public figures, etc., are cited in order to teach and illustrate both the interpretation of others’ body language as well as the projection of one’s own nonverbal skills in many different contexts – not to advance any political, religious or other agenda.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3571: Donald Trump to Debate Bernie Sanders? What Trump Feels about Bernie

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2796: Olivia Wilde, Butter, Jon Stewart and the Tongue in Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352:  Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek  Graham Norton Part II

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3503: John Kasich interview regarding Republican Convention

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3473: Adele's Tongue, Ellen DeGeneres and Body Language

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3505: Barack Obama is Interrupted by Raúl Castro & Aide at Press Conference

Dating & Romance Nonverbal Communication Secret No. 1010:  Rashida Jones - What Makes the Twinkle in her Eye?


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3549: Speaker Paul Ryan's interview with Jake Tapper - "I'm just not ready" to Support Donald Trump - Body Language Tells (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Today Jake Tapper interviewed Paul Ryan about the subject of Donald Trump - the 2016 presumptive republican nominee for President. Speaker Ryan is not at this time endorsing Trump. What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis.

Jake Tapper (Beginning at 1:06): "... But doesn't he have to completely revoke in order to become the man that can unite behind the principles and the policies that you support - doesn't he completely have to say ... that ... he doesn't support the deportation of twelve million undocumented immigrants because you disagree with that? That he doesn't support ..."

Paul Ryan: [over-talking] "No, no, I'm not saying that at all ..."

Tapper: [over-talking] "He doesn't support banning ..."

Ryan: [over-talking] "I, I'm not saying that, I ..."

Tapper: [over-talking] "... all Muslims from entering the United States - because you don't support that?"

Ryan: [over-talking] "Well obvious- ... [tongue-in-cheek to his right side then tongue-in-cheek on his left side] I'm - look - who am I? Ah, Look I'm not saying that he's going to support all my policies ..."

Tapper: [over-talking] "You're the Speaker of The House!... You're the Speaker of The House!"

Ryan: "He ... he won. He won fair and square. He won fair square on his policies ..."

1:34.2

Tongue-in-Cheek
to his right side

1:34.8

Tongue-in-Cheek
to his left side














Tongue-in-cheek nonverbal displays can have different meanings depending upon the other verbals, paralanguage and nonverbal signals with which they're clustered. Here the two back-to-back tongue-in-cheek displays mean "I just won" or "I gotcha" - and in so doing they're showing us a disparity between what Speaker Ryan is thinking-feeling vs. what he is saying. 

Although Ryan once again (later in this same video) has denied that he would personally make a bid for the White House this November, what additional body language signals do you see in this interview which indicate The Speaker of The House knows of a strong plan B the republican leadership have in their collective back pockets?

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3548: Reince Priebus at White House Correspondents' Dinner 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3546: Carly Fiorina's and Ted Cruz's Awkward Raised Hand Holding

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3411: Donald Trump's Vulgarity, "Schlonged" and Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3400: Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, Visual Recall and "Truth or Truth"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3399: Donald Trump, a Bald Eagle and Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3397: Close Encounter - Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Ryan Gosling - SNL

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3347: Paul Ryan, The Speakership, Four Conditions and One Repetitive Facial Expression

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3547: Kate Middleton on Cover of Vogue's 100th Anniversary Issue

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3433: Barack Obama, The State of the Union and Paul Ryan - Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Tonight Barack Obama gave his final State of the Union Address. There were, of course, truly thousands of nonverbal signals within this speech. One particularly interesting body language moment wasn't displayed by the President - but by Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan.

At 0:32 in the above video excerpt, President Obama continues, "... I believe a thriving private sector is the life-blood of our economy. I think there are out-dated regulations that need to be changed. There is red tape that needs to be cut."


The audience then makes what appears to be a bipartisan applause.

In the next few seconds Speaker Ryan displays two quick "Nose Pulls" (aka "Nose Pinches") during 0:47 and 0:48.

Then we see him lean over to get a handkerchief out of his back pocket. Be assured that his decision to (pseudo) wipe his nose was made only because of his nose pull - not due to his nose running. He knows that he shouldn't have touched his face in this manner in such a public forum and the wiping is his psyche's attempt at a ruse. 

This nose pinch/pull is an example of a robust variety of nose-touching. It's a type of alpha up-regulator - and is seen where assertiveness is needed. On some level, the person displaying a nose pull or pinch may feel a level of embarrassment - which is often self-inflicted, by their own words - although here of course, Mr. Ryan's listening. He's (along with others) being "called-out".

During 0:49 we see the Speaker display a clear "Tongue-in-Cheek" nonverbal signal.

In this cluster context this tell indicates Paul Ryan is thinking-feeling, "Gotcha" or "I Just Won". Depending on the nonverbals with which it is clustered, the tongue-in-cheek may have other meanings (What are these?).

In summary, this set of nonverbal signs tells us that Mr. Ryan was in the moment feeling the need to be more assertive and up-regulate his alpha emotional tone within the context of his relatively new role as Speaker of the House - AND he has a specific plan/idea for doing so, wherein he feels a significant political victory. The tongue-in-cheek often thus has a clandestine-plan component. In effect, what he was really taking out of his back pocket (metaphorically) was an ace that he was waiting to deal.


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3432: Leonardo DiCaprio reacts to Lady Gaga at Golden Globe Awards

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3329: Robert De Niro Hears Tom Hiddleston's Robert De Niro Impression - The Graham Norton Show 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2352: Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek - Graham Norton Part II 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2796: Olivia Wilde, Butter, Jon Stewart and the Tongue in Cheek 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2796: Olivia Wilde, Butter, Jon Stewart and the Tongue in Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3077: Barack Obama, The 2015 State of the Union Address Part II & What John Boehner Doesn't Believe

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3273: Marco Rubio, The Republican Debate, Monotonous Body Language and Anxiety

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3190: Taylor Swift's Body Language of Feigned Surprise 
 

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3011: Jennifer Lawrence on David Letterman - Tongue-in-Cheek Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Jennifer Lawrence was a guest on "The Late Show with David Letterman" last night. Always hilarious, the talented actress was the source of a multitude of nonverbal moments - just two of which are examined here.

3:18

Although somewhat low-resolution - here we can see David Letterman's tongue-in-cheek display (to the right side of his mouth) after he learned what Justine Ciarrocchi said when she and Lawrence first met (Ciarrocchi is Jennifer's friend who then became her personal assistant and who Letterman had met earlier in the green room).

3:19

The tongue-in-cheek migrates as Dave pushes forward and down, just above his front, lower teeth - pushing his lip out.






The tongue-in-cheek can have a variety of meanings depending on the other nonverbals with which it is clustered - such as: "I just won", "I gotcha", sadness/grief, deception, anger - or, as it does here - projecting sexuality.

3:49

Justine Ciarrocchi is shown here in the instant before (unbeknownst to her) she goes on camera.

This body language cluster of leaning forward, edge-of-seat positioning, hands covering an open mouth, eyes open widely and forehead contracted - is a highly classic configuration of anticipation.



See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3010: McStay Family Murders - Body Language Signs of a Sociopath

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2796: Olivia Wilde, Butter, Jon Stewart and the Tongue in Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2665: Nick Saban's "Tongue in Cheek" Body Language - What Does It Mean?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2434:  Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding  Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2899: Jennifer Lawrence, Katniss Everdeen, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I" Trailer and Recognizing Facial Components of Fear-Surprise

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2316:  Jennifer Lawrence's Response to Her Oscar Stumble -  Silver Linings Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2604: Obamacare Girl "Adrianna" on GMA - Body Language Harbingers of ....

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2994: Mike Jones to Barack Obama - "Mr. President, Don't Touch My Girlfriend" (VIDEO, PHOTO)

Last week while Barack Obama was voting early in Chicago, Mike Jones (a random voter who happened to be voting as well) told the President, "Don't kiss my Girlfriend". As he did so he pointed his index finger his left index finger towards her (Aia Cooper). This universally offensive body language takes on an additional alpha meaning here - it's a dare or a challenge - very much like drawing a line in the sand. Rather than cherishing or valuing his girlfriend, it objectifies Ms. Cooper.

Yet this illustrator is not by any means the only telling information here. At the 0:55 second mark, just after he says, "Now he's, now he's really jealous" - a brief "Tongue-in-Cheek" expression can be seen on the President

Depending on the other nonverbals with which it is clustered, the tongue-in-cheek can indicate, anger, sadness, deception, grief, or even sexually provocative emotional tones. Yet none of these are applicable in this moment (Can you tell why [nonverbally] none of these aforesaid emotions are present here?).

In this instant, the President is feeling smug, e.g., "I just won" or "I got you".

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2665: Nick Saban's "Tongue in Cheek" Body Language - What Does It Mean?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2434:  Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding  Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352:  Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek  Graham Norton Part II

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2962: Denzel Washington, Lenny Kravitz & David Letterman - Body Language of .... 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis #2160: Index Finger (Forefinger) Pointing in Politics - The Third (and Final) 2012 Presidential Debates - Body Language of Being an Alpha Male without Offending 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2360:  Bill Clinton and the Body Language of a  "Loose Hand, Palm Up Point"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2989: Jessica Chastain, "Interstellar", David Letterman and a Partial Emblematic Slip
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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2876: President Obama on Key Bridge regarding John Boehner's Lawsuit - "So Sue Me" - (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Last week Barack Obama stood next to the Key Bridge and taunted Republicans. In response to John Boehner's lawsuit, the President said, " .... so sue me! ..."

As usual, any person even briefly speaking regarding any emotional subject gives up a lot of body language tells - and here Mr. Obama is no exception.

Below is a partial nonverbal analysis of one particular signal.

" ... Boehner sued me for this; and I told him, 'I'd rather do things with you - pass some laws - make sure the Highway Trust Fund is funded so we don't lay off hundreds of thousands of workers'; it's not that hard. [tongue in cheek during 1:57-2:00] Middle class families can't wait for republicans in congress to do stuff ...."



The word "hot" is an example of a homonym; thus a woman may be described as "hot", ISIS is a "hot" topic, it's "hot" out in Phoenix, or a particular Peperoncini is "hot" - all have different meanings. Yet we have no difficulty discerning these meanings here because of the other words accompanying them in their respective sentences. Unbeknownst to many - there are multitudes of nonverbal homonyms as well. So be careful to never interpret a body language signal in isolation.

Depending on the other nonverbals with which it is clustered, a "Tongue in Cheek" has several possible meanings. It can indicate "I just won", "I gotcha", sadness/grief, anger, deception, and even (but certainly not the meaning in this example) a projection of sexuality. Which of the other nonverbals seen clustered here in this video give President's tongue in cheek an accurate meaning within this context?

See also:

Nonverbal Communication 2875: Eugenie Bouchard, Wimbledon and Tongues - Body Language Nuance

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2796: Olivia Wilde, Butter, Jon Stewart and the Tongue in Cheek - Body Language 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352:  Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek  Graham Norton Part II

Nonverbal Communication Quiz-Analysis No. 2869: Barack Obama's Executive Action on Immigration Reform, The Rose Garden 30 June 2014 - Sincere or Insincere?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2843: Barack Obama & Vladimir Putin in Normandy

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2665: Nick Saban's "Tongue in Cheek" Body Language - What Does It Mean?

A frequently asked question within the field of body language is, "What specific emotion or thought is meant by this or that body language signal(s)? It is not always a straightforward answer. One primary axiom of nonverbal communication is that many (but not all) body language signs often have wholly different meanings depending on the other nonverbal signals with which they are clustered. A nonverbal "Cluster" occurs when two or more body language configurations happen simultaneously or within a very short period of time. Reading these nonverbal sentences (clusters) is absolutely paramount for accurate interpretations. Focusing on only one sign - and the error of monolithic interpretation - is a rookie's mistake.

A homonym - in both spoken and written languages, is one of a group words that is spelled identically and pronounced the same, however it has different meanings. For example, it's always "hot" outside in Las Vegas in August, a peperoncini can also be "hot", we may call Kaley Cuoco "hot" – and the subject of the Obamacare Website has been a “hot” one for several months now. Here we see four completely different meanings of the word “hot” – and yet one has no difficulty discerning the exact meaning of the word in the context of the other words in the sentence. An analog of this curiosity is seen in body language as well. An identical nonverbal symbol (or a very subtle variation) can have a completely different meaning depending on the setting - or the other "words" in the body language sentence.

There are many examples of Nonverbal Homonyms. One common case in point is the "Tongue in Cheek". In the image above, University of Alabama's football coach, Nick Saban can be seen with his configuration. A tongue in cheek signal may indicate "I just won", "I gotcha" (you were caught), sadness/grief, anger, projecting sexuality, or even deception. Noticing the other nonverbals in the “body language sentence” gives the tongue and cheek a context and thus can entirely change its meaning. Therefor when reading any article or book on nonverbal communication or listening to an “expert”, it is wise to always take this phenomenon into account.

Tongue in cheek displays tend to be displayed one side in the context an alpha/positive scenario (e.g. sexual context, I gotcha/I just won/you were caught, an outright alpha display) and on the opposite side if the meaning is beta/negative (e.g. sadness, lying, anger). These right vs. left sided tongue in cheek biases are idiosyncratic to the person and should be normed with this in mind.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2434:  Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding  Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352:  Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek  Graham Norton Part II

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2554: Harry Reid's Body Language Lets Us Know What He's Thinking - Short Term Debt Limit Hike

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2233:  Body Language, President Obama, 20 Children  and the Tongue-in-Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2085:  Dina Eastwood - Tongue-in-Cheek Variant

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2093:  Ann Curry's Tearful Goodbye -  Matt Lauer's Classic "Tongue-in-Cheek" and Duplicitous Smile

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2664: Anchorman 2 Cast on Graham Norton - A Body Language Signal of Embarrassment

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2510: NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, "Stop and Frisk" Policy & Tongue in Cheek Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTO)

Ray Kelly, New York City Police Commissioner was recently on "Face the Nation". In the video interview included above he spoke about the city's controversial "Stop and Frisk" policy. At the 3:56 mark he begins, "...We just had a 'Center for Disease Control' study come out that said, 'New York City has the lowest ratio of teenagers carrying guns than any city in ah, in America ... so....' "

Note: The original video has, since the original post, been removed from its online source. The images below however, were captured from this video. 


Just after he says, "...so...", during the 4:08 mark, Kelly displays a classic "Tongue and Cheek" body language. This expression can have several different meanings depending on the other nonverbals with which it is clustered. In this context it indicates an alpha level of confidence, a smugness, "I just won", "I just caught you" or gotcha emotional tone.

Though none are present here, in other body language context-clusters it can signify an attempt at self-soothing associated with anxiety, deception, anger and even sexual provocativeness.

Do you know how to differentiate these subtypes?

Although many don't necessarily think of it as such, the tongue-in-cheek display is a specialized variation of self-touching or MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) body language and is 99.9% of the time it is initiated and used subconsciously.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2233:  Body Language, President Obama, 20 Children  and the Tongue-in-Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2434:  Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding  Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z"

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1153:  President Obama's Tongue in Cheek and the "Birthers"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352:  Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek  Graham Norton Part II

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2215:  Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio Joke and Hint regarding the  2016 Presidential Race - "Tongue-in-Cheek" Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1892:  Harry Reid, "That's a Clown Question Bro!" -  Tongue in Cheek 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2462:  Rachel Jeantel responds to Critique of Juror  George Zimmerman vs. State of Florida  Tongue in Cheek Body Language
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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2233: Body Language, President Obama, 20 Children and the Tongue-in-Cheek

In the video above of President Obama's eulogy for those innocents killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, he names off all twenty of the children, "...Charlotte, Daniel, Olivia, Josephine, Ana, Dylan, Madeline, Catherine, Chase, Jesse, James, Grace, Emily, Jack, Noah, Caroline, Jessica, Benjamin, Avielle, Allison ....", he then says, "God has called them all home. For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on, and make our country worthy of their memory ..." Just after the President says, "memory" (above at 1:15 and imaged at bottom of post) he displays a "Tongue-in-Cheek" nonverbal on his left side. 

The tongue-in-cheek is a facial expression-body language which, when clustered with nonverbals not seen in this example, will indicate other emotions - such as self-righteousness, smugness, "I just caught you" (e.g. gotcha!), "I just won", telling a lie, anger , alpha-dominance and a variation can even signify a sexually provocative display. None of these apply here though. In the nonverbal cluster-context seen in this Newtown address, this display is associated with anxiety and is an act of self-pacifying/self-comforting. Indeed it is a body language form of a MAP (Manipulator, Pacifier, Adaptor) or "self-touching". For most people, delivering a eulogy can certainly be an anxiety provoking experience - even if you're the leader of a country. After such an emotionally wrenching shared-experience that this mass murder was - we all need to be comforted and reassured.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2231: A Common Facial Expression of Mass Killers - Using Body Language as a Threat Assessment Tool

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2215: Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio Joke and Hint regarding the  2016 Presidential Race - "Tongue-in-Cheek" Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1892:  Harry Reid, "That's a Clown Question Bro!" -  Tongue in Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2093: Ann Curry's Tearful Goodbye - Matt Lauer's Classic "Tongue-in-Cheek" and Duplicitous Smile

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1153:  President Obama's Tongue in Cheek - in Response to the "Birthers"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2085:  Dina Eastwood - Tongue-in-Cheek Variant - Sexually Provocative

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2232: Vicki Soto, a Hero, Body Language and a Mother's Love & Affection  - Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Interview

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2229: President Obama and a Body Language Signal of  Holding Back Grief, Tears & other Negative Emotions 


The Complete Eulogy can be viewed below.

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