Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3148: Tidal's (Re)Launch - Jay Z, Kanye West, Deadmau5 & Madonna - Four Different Standing Configurations - Four Different Thought-Emotions - Body Language (PHOTOS)

The above image was captured last week at the re-launching of the TIDAL music streaming service. While this is but a moment in time, it does provide a very useful body language teaching moment.

Madonna is standing in a modified fig-leaf position. She is of course, a very alpha personality - yet in THIS particular moment, she's definitely feeling more beta and with a lower confidence level than she's been on many an occasion.

Deadmau5 is standing with his hands in his back pockets and his thumbs-forward. This is a good alpha-beta hybrid stance and shows a high-confidence, but not one that is too high or too assertive.

Kanye West is standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest and without his hands visible. This signals he's defensive, closed-minded and - when we correlate this with his facial expression - we can say that Kanye is also feeling threatened and impatient. He wants out of this spot-light. He feels very beta and acquiescent to Jay Z's alpha, intelligence and relatively superior social skills.

Jay Z has his hands behind his back. We cannot tell how they are clasped, yet we can say this is a very confident, alpha stance. It sends signals of leadership and strength - yet as with all alpha signals, if this is over-displayed (for longer durations) - it will transmit signals of hyper-alpha mindsets, arrogance, aloofness, and condescending emotional tones. It's not surprising that he's standing this way since he's the principle business actor of the new Tidal music-streaming service, but he should not remain this way for too long.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3147: Kentucky Loses to Wisconsin in Final Four - John Calipari's Body Language 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3143: Jay Z's "Tidal" Music Service - An Alpha Dominant Display - Body Language

Negotiation Body Language Secret No. 831:  Rick Santorum's Hands and the Alpha-Beta Hybrid

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1867:  Ann Romney - Demure vs. Assertive Stance

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2605: President Obama and Health Insurance Cancellation Fix - and an Alpha-Beta Hybrid Body Language Illustrator

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3134: Ted Cruz to Announce his Candidacy for 2016 Presidential Race - Why He Will Never Win - Body Language

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3143: Jay Z's "Tidal" Music Service - An Alpha Dominant Display - Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Yesterday Jay Z launched a music streaming service - "Tidal". Of course it's in its infancy - but this innovation has as a primary goal of putting more money in the musicians' pockets - even at the expense of less profit for the company. Jay Z has a little help from family (Beyoncé) and a few of his friends - Kanye West, Madonna, Jack White, Jason Aldean, Deadmau5, Rihanna, Daft Punk, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj,  Alicia Keys, etc. - but make no mistake Jay Z is at the helm. And although most feel this video is slickly produced - it's full of insincerity and thin veneers.

The palm-down, hand gesture Jay Z repeatedly uses here is termed "The Dominant Spider". This illustrator is used by those with an alpha emotional tone. It tends to be displayed primarily by alpha males and somewhat less-so with alpha females. The up-and-down motion amplifies this emotion (He strikes down on the table multiple times [0:45-0:47 and 1:19-1:22]). When directed toward the audience - it grows even more aggressive and is then called "The Claw" (and in the vast majority of scenarios, the claw is too aggressive).  The dominant spider is not as dominant or as negatively received as the palm-down, closed-fingered or gesture. The dominant spider should be used sparingly - only for a short moment or two in order to assert dominance, confidence and authority. As with most alpha body language, it's very often over-used - which doesn't take much - and thus backfires and becomes offensive and specifically will project arrogance as well as condescending and patronizing emotions (Notice that Kanye is gazing at his hand).

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3142: Mike Pence - Governor of Indiana interview with George Stephanopoulos & the Religious Freedom Restoration Act - What Makes Gov. Pence Look Worse?

Negotiation Secret No. 702: The Dominant Spider - Muammar Gaddafi (Moammar Gadhafi)

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret No. 1059:  Santorum's Dominant Spider

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1871: Barack Obama  Explains His "Private Sector is Doing Fine" Comment -  The "Dominant Spider" vs.The "Split-Finger Fastball"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2132: Variations on a Theme - The Palm-Forward Dominant Spider (The Claw) vs.  The Split-Finger Fastball

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2499: NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, "Stop and Frisk" and a  Body Language Display of Dominance

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2872: Beyoncé Changes Lyrics of "Resentment", Calls Out Jay Z for Cheating - Body Language Tells (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Last Saturday (28 June 2014) in Cincinnati, Ohio during a concert appearance in her "On The Run" Tour, Beyoncé called out Jay Z for cheating. She changed the lyrics in her song, "Resentment" in two places - one of which is detailed below. She is of course a seasoned performer and can ad lib as well as anyone - yet she is still human. Ms. Knowles displayed significant nonverbal signals of anxiety about changing these lyrics - not due to any traditional performance anxiety - but because she knew she was now making her private life public.

Note: Since the original writing of this post, the source video has since been deleted from YouTube.

Beyoncé changed the line "I'll always remember feeling like I was no good / Like I couldn't do it for you like your mistress could" to "I'll always remember feeling like I was no good / Like I couldn't do it for you like that wack bitch could."

Here we see a "Hair Adjust Behind Ear" nonverbal as Beyoncé sings,
"... But I'm much too full of resentment ..." during 2:18 - 2:19

 2:26 - another hair adjust

And once again (third time in 11 seconds and the only time during the song):

"I'll always remember feeling like I was no good [hair adjust behind ear with opposite arm at 2:30] Like I couldn't do it for you like that wack bitch could."

What is the significance of reaching across the face in this context?






Hair adjusting near and in back of the ears (HABE) is a common anxiety tell - yet more specifically it shows the anxiety within the context of "dialing up one's alpha". That is to say, when this nonverbal is displayed it clearly shows a person (more common in women than in men) is trying to be more assertive and gather a bit of courage to up-regulate their alpha qualities. It doesn't indicate that the person is a beta personality - simply they are momentarily trying to be more dominant. This is exactly what Beyoncé is doing here in telling the World of her husband's of infidelity.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2871: Kate Middleton, Andy Murray and Wimbledon - Body Language of Empathy-Fear

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2848: Iliza Shlesinger, Hair Adjust Behind Ear, Dialing Up Your Alpha & Comedy

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2177:  "I'm Tired of Bronco Bamma and Mitt Romney" -  We're all Abigael Evans  Dialing up her Alpha

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1411:  Dialing Up Her Alpha -  Dana Perino

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2702: Barack Obama - Anxiety and Non-engagement; Body Language Signals

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2493:  Jewel in Disguise at Karaoke Bar,  Body Language Cues to Lack of Nervousness  

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2831: "Walking Contest", Anxiety, Mirroring and False Intimacy 

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