Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2256: Steubenville, Ohio High School Alleged Rape - Body Language of Sincere Contempt on the Small Screen

In this video piece from two days ago, Erin Burnett and Susan Candiotti report on the alleged rape of a 16 year-old girl by high school students in Steubenville, Ohio. At the 1:12 mark on the video, Burnett displays a classic, yet relatively mild, nonverbal expression of contempt. It is important to note here that it is her expression is what is mild here - not her underlying emotion of contempt - it is quite significant. This contempt is characterized by an asymmetrical tightening of the mid-face. There is subtle nostril dilation along with an elevation of the cheek, upper lip, and the area between the nose and lip - all on Ms. Burnett's left side. She also tilts her chin down and partially closes her left eyelid. News professionals are supposed to detach themselves from the stories they report on - yet if they do this too much, they are aloof and cold. To strike the "happy medium" day-in and day-out is difficult task - and thus it often comes off like poor acting - which it indeed is. Not here though - Erin Burnett has true contempt for the accused individuals (and hopefully everyone who watches this/is aware of the details of this incident) for whom she hears/watches in the highlighted video.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1910: Natasha Smith Sexually Assaulted in Tahrir Square -  Post Assault Interview

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1868: John McCain's plea before the Senate for Direct American Involvement to Stop  Syrian Government Killing its own People

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1840: Brian Banks and The Innocence Project - Auditory Recall, Contempt, Self-doubt and Syntax 

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 385:  Lack of Eye Contact in the Context of Guilt

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2167: Colin Powell Endorses President Obama - His Body Language Display of Anxiety, Contempt & the Self-Righteous Head Wiggle

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2058: DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's "False Contempt" The Importance of "Norming"

Nonverbal Communication Intelligence Analysis # 2111: Mitt Romney on Libya Embassy Killings -  Multiple Displays of Contempt

Below is the full leaked (and nauseating) video:





Below is the warning video that the hacktivist group "Anonymous" has posted:

___________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2241: Body Language of a Senator's Mug Shot -Michael Crapo's DUI

United States Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID) was arrested on Sunday 23 December for DUI in Alexandria, Virginia. Crapo was pulled over after allegedly running a red light. His blood alcohol level was tested at 0.11 (anything 0.08 or over in Virginia is considered intoxicated). Subsequently he has released a statement of apology to his family and constituents - and states he is taking full responsibility for his actions and is expected in court on 4 January 2013. 

In the above arrest photo "mug shot", Senator Crapo's body language-facial expression displays subtle disgust. We cannot say what or who at which his disgust is directed - however it's a safe bet it's towards himself. His slight nostril dilation (flaring), subtle mid-face tension as well as his mild backwards tilt (chin-protrusion) is a nonverbal cluster of disgust.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1841: Disgust in Response to Rep. Barney Frank's "Hoodie" Joke

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1496: Tiger Woods' Body Language of Disgust & Biofeedback

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2045: Body Language of Disgust in New Delhi

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 271: Bruce Willis' Disgust with very little Mouth Component

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2164:  Mitt Romney's Disgust Display regarding  President Obama's Relationship with Putin and Russia -  ".... I'll give you more flexibility after the election ...."

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 273:  Anger and Disgust in Azerbaijan

Negotiation Secret # 72 & 73: Christine Legarde's Disgust & Incredulity

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2051: Mitt Romney regarding Campaign Finance Rules - Near-Microexpression of Disgust

During this recent interview in Israel, Mitt Romney describes his feelings regarding an aspect of campaign finance rules with which he voices a strong disagreement. At the 0:24 - 0:25 mark, he displays a facial "near-microexpression" of disgust (expression here is of slightly longer duration than is classically defined for microexpression, 0.04 to 0.50 seconds). Note his mid-face tightening (mustache area) with both nostrils flaring and dynamic contraction on the bridge of his nose. His head/neck also retracts slightly as well as a concomitant partial closure of his eyelids, an increase in the "crow's feet" and lowering of his eyebrows. His nasal-labial furrow also becomes more pronounced. Since Mr. Romney's verbal and his nonverbal message are congruent, his sincerity quotient his high on this issue. 

When someone's words and body language are in disagreement however - always believe the body language.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1207: Never Let Them See You Sweat

Rick Santorum is wiping the sweat from his forehead. That's okay. Everyone Sweats. But didn't Momma tell you never to let 'em see you sweat? It's not necessary to tilt your head down to wipe one's forehead - but Santorum and most everyone does this when anxiety is a contributing factor. Self-touching (although here there is a handkerchief "insulating" - for the most part - against a direct touch) fits into a class of nonverbal behaviors known as Manipulators, Adaptors or Pacifiers (MAPs). There are certainly some exceptions, however the vast majority of MAPs indicate anxiety. Often there is another coexisting negative emotion being expressed as well. Rick has a mild amount of mid-face tightening along with subtle nasal flaring. We cannot see the right side of his face - and thus this could be a subtle display of contempt - if unilaterally expressed. If both sides of the former U.S. Senator's face looks like this - then this body language is a mild display of disgust.

Tonight was a huge disappointment to Rick Santorum, as Mitt Romney won both the Michigan and Arizona Primaries. Chin up Rick. There's always Super Tuesday.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Negotiation Secret # 389: Muammar's Constant Contempt

Mummar (Moammar) Gadhafi's (Gaddafi's) face was virtually always in a state of Contempt. Contempt is a very specific emotional state wherein you place yourself above another person or group of people. More than almost any public figure - Gadhafi's face and mind were locked in this emotion. In this image, you can see a moderate example (perhaps a 4, on a 1-to-10 scale) of contempt. Mild mid-face tightening is easily visible and very subtle nostril dilation is present. What is more obvious though - and classic for contempt - is the unilateral lip-mouth elevation, which incredible as it may seem, is often mistaken for a subtle smile. An alarm should always go off when you see a "one-sided smile" - for it is never sincere. What many people miss is Gadhafi's head retraction - a pulling back of his head - which gives this "triple chin appearance" (it certainly may be less obvious than this however). Gadhafi's eyebrows are also pulled inward and down - a manifestation of contempt's common co-conspirator - anger.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Negotiation Secret # 102: The Often Overlooked Midface

The girl is angry. Her anger level is mild to moderate. She demonstrates this emotion by displaying an excellent example of mid-face tightening. Her upper lip is narrowed and tightened (but not rolled in)- a reliable sign of anger. The entire "mustache area" (I refer to this region the same for both sexes - a simple and orienting descriptive term) is tightened as well. This tightening is most easily seen by observing the two tissue ridges of the philtrum becoming flattened (The philtrum is the central concave depression with two lateral raised lines of skin that extends from the inner edges of each nostril to the central upper lip - this conjunction makes the two slightly pointed prominences on the upper lip "peak", giving the "cupids bow" appearance to the upper lip). Look for this dynamic flattening. It is a clue to anger. It often is accompanied by at least some degree of nostril dilation (which is also seen with other emotional states such as disgust - bilaterally, and unilaterally with contempt, etc.). The skin of the lower lids are also tightened (along with being partially closed). So start tuning into this mid-face tension, lest you miss early signs of anger. 

______________________________________________________________________________________

Negotiation Secret # 47: Jaw Jut and Mid-face Tightening

Sporting events are a great place to see emotion and body language. Whether in the crowd, the players or the coaches - we routinely see a wide variety of emotion in a short period of time. Here we see Pete Carroll, the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, with his lower Jaw protruding in the 2010 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. This is known as a Jaw Jut. It is a sure sign of moderate to severe anger. It also is a signal that the person is not aware of the level of their anger. More importantly, when you see this, there is a significantly greater chance of escalating anger as well as a physical demonstration of the anger. If you or your children see this on the playground, or in the board room, be warned and walk away.

You may also notice that Mr. Carroll's  upper lip - as well as the are between the upper lip and the nose are significantly tightened.  These are also reliable (and much more common) signs  of anger.

________________________________________________________________________________________