Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3391: Tense Exchange Between Mike Allen and Chicago Mayor Emanuel - Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel had a tense exchange earlier today with Politico's Mike Allen when Allen revealed Emanuel's family vacation plans to Cuba which the Mayor considered private.

From a body language perspective, this provides us with a good number of nonverbal tells indicative of moderate (and higher) levels of anger - several of which are discussed below.





At 1:43, Note Emanuel's Lips - they are thinned out and narrow. They are also configured in a highly characteristic
horizontal configuration. 









Although his nostrils are flared in the above image, a second later (1:44), the flaring is more pronounced.








It's also important to notice the dynamics of his "mustache area" (the region above the upper lip and below the nose) - for here it has grown more tense.





During 1:45, we can see Mayor Emanuel's chin jut forward. Moreover, the tension has also increased in his lower eyelids 








See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3390: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Henry Cavill is portraying what emotions?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1858: What the Eyes Do - Transitioning from Mild to Severe Anger

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1863: Sharapova's Thin Lips of Anger

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3287: Hillary Clinton, Email Servers and Crisis Management

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3097: Buddies at the Grammys? What Does Kanye West REALLY Think of Taylor Swift? Body Language Tells 

Romance, Flirting & Dating Body Language Secret No. 1893: Nonverbal Communication of the Facial Platter 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3355: Spin the Microphone on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show - Gwen Stefani is very attracted to Blake Shelton

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2313: Elisa Lam Video in Elevator at Cecil Hotel - What Her Body Language Tells Us .... 


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3101: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jada Pickett Smith and "Focus" (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Actors get paid to "lie" to us. We want them to deceive us. In fact, as Dr. Paul Ekman has pointed out, when actors perform their craft skillfully and thus suspend our disbelief - they are not in many senses of the word "lying" to us - because we want to believe them - but they are certainly not telling the truth either. It's a special kind of in between. 

Yet actors are people too of course. They get paid to convince us. And it's particularly illustrative from a body language point of view to note when, especially during interviews, we catch actors red-handed. When they're not conversing with Mr. Stanislavski (or they don't get 17 re-dos), it's easy to see through the thin facade of Hollywood.

In the above interview (video has since been removed from YouTube) Will Smith and Margot Robbie are promoting their most recent film, Focus which will be released later this month. What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis.

At the 2:23 mark, Smith continues, ".... You know for me, ahhhh, finding love is the only thing that means anything in LIFE, I married Jada and my life became exponential ffffrom that choice, but, you know, there was a, I could of married Kroweshia ....you know, you know, and we would be talking about, you know, you know I just got out of jail, you know, so ....."

From 2:34 - 2:36 he reaches for and then rubs/scratches his mustache area specifically his philtrum with his right thumb. Smith is not lying when he is speaking about his belief for the priority of finding love in life. Yet he is trying to deceive when he waxes on Jada's exponential value in his life. Being a pretty good actor (and probably a yoga practitioner) Smith then becomes self-aware of his mistake (of facial touching, or in nonverbal parlance, a Manipulator, Adaptor or Pacifier aka MAP). He knows his wife will see this lie. This makes him nervous and he tries to backpedal with multiple "you knows" with an anxiety-driven joke (in poor taste). It's a cover-up, an attempt at verbal shell game. He knows Jada will catch his deception. He then verbally self-deprecates with Margot Robbie agreeing.

What other lie did Will Smith tell in this interview? What other nonverbal, present in both of these images, is also highly consistent with deception?

See also:

Nonverbal Communication No. 3100: Bill Belichick on David Letterman - Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2612: Chris Christie 'Calls a Spade a Spade' (Well … Almost) - Body Language of the 2016 Republican Presidential Hopeful

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2321:  Cardinal Timothy Dolan on "Face the Nation"  Problems in Catholic Church & Electing a New Pope  Clergy are Not Exempt from Body Language Tells ...

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2844: Vladimir Tells a Lie To Obama at Normandy

Negotiation Body Language Secret No. 199:  When a Lie is Told, Heard or Visualized by ....Vladimir's Eye

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2228:  Jay Carney's Body Language -  Contempt disguised as a Sniff ....  for Republicans' Solutions to the Fiscal Cliff

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2968: President Obama tells a Lie in Jest and yet ... 




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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3025: Vladimir Putin, Alpha Hand Signals and "The Claw" (PHOTOS)

This image of Vladimir Putin was taken several months ago just after Russia's annexation of Crimea. Here we see great examples of two nonverbal illustrators. The Russian President's right hand is formed in what is known as "The Claw" - his hand held up with fingers forward as if he were a raptor about to grab his prey with talons. This is a considerably alpha body language illustrator - and as with most alpha nonverbal signals - if used too often, for too long a duration or out of context - it rapidly becomes hyper-alpha. Note Vladimir's face - particularly his mouth and mid-face - they are contracted - displaying considerable tension. Aggressive hand signals are very often accompanied by simultaneous or nearly simultaneous facial tension. The hands mirror the face.

Mr. Putin's left hand is held out far from his torso and forward. His palm is directed downward and it's grasping the side of the lectern. This cluster is also an alpha body language configuration - though a good amount less than "The Claw" - so it can be held for longer duration and has less chance of "back-firing with too much alpha".

Politicians will virtually always use an excessive amount of alpha body language when speaking to audiences which already share their views and/or when they are trying to engender enthusiasm - and Vladimir Putin is certainly no stranger to such scenarios.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3024: Officer Darren Wilson's Interview - Does He Feel Remorse For Killing Michael Brown?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3009: Vladimir Putin, Chivalry and China's first lady Peng Liyuan

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2942: Vladimir Putin's & Recognizing Duplicity in Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2937: Vladimir Putin - “If I want to, I can take Kiev in two weeks” and Critical Evaluation - Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3014: Vladimir Putin - Odd Man Out Down Under at the G20 Summit

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2616: John Kennedy and Richard Nixon Handshake at Kennedy Inaugural Address, One Body Language Maneuver to Counter a Dominance Display

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2337:  Rick Santorum at 2013 CPAC  Body Language,Facial Tension & Hand Tension

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2940: David Cameron at NATO Summit - His Thin Lip Grows Thinner (PHOTO)

Today, along with other NATO
leaders, David Cameron gathered at a Summit in Newport, Wales. There they expressed outrage against Vladimir Putin's aggression in Ukraine as well as for ISIS-ISIL within Iraq and Syria.

The British Prime Minister is not known for his full lips. In a neutral expression, his upper lip in particular is thinner than most.

In this image, Mr. Cameron's upper lip is so thin it essentially disappears (do not confuse this with an "inward lip roll"). The width of his mouth is also foreshortened along with a tightening of his "mustache area" (tissue between the upper lip and nose - regardless of gender). Careful attention to his lower eyelids also reveals mild tightening.

These findings taken in toto constitute a nonverbal cluster consistent with anger. Of course, many times politicians feign emotions - here however, David Cameron is feeling and displaying sincere anger.

While many people can recognize dramatic facial manifestations of anger, contempt, disgust, joy, sadness, surprise, fear, etc. - a much smaller subset can accurately identify moderate, let alone mild or subtle displays of these and other emotional states. Your ability to spot these faint findings of emotion will give you at a profound advantage.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2939: Barack Obama in Tallinn, Estonia - Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2935: David Cameron and ISIL-ISIS-IS

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2409:  David Cameron & François Hollande -  Variations on the Hand Chop & Palm Orientation

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2433:  Vladimir Putin & David Cameron Disagree on Syria -  A Body Language Evaluation of Russian Leader

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2061:  David Cameron Defends London Olympics against  Mitt Romney's Remarks -  Alpha Dominance and Illustrators -  Matching Hands and Feet as Sincerity Amplifiers

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2912: Gerald Ford Pardoning of Richard Nixon - Body Language Tells (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, addressed the nation 40 years ago today and announced his resignation. He officially left office at noon the next day. Nixon was flying over Missouri when Gerald Ford took his oath of office.

On 8 September 1974, President Ford addressed the nation (see video below). These images show the moment when Ford signed proclamation 4311 which gave Nixon a full and unconditional pardon from crimes committed related to the Watergate Scandal or any other crime committed while in office as U.S. President.

Although this photo above is of lower resolution, you can note that Ford's jaw is clenched and the muscles covering the front of his chin are contracted and dimpled (1:24 in the video below). Moreover, his "mustache area" (between the upper lip and nose) is tightened. Simultaneous nasal flaring is also present.

Had Ford's jaw not been clenched - his lips - which are partially rolling inwards (ergo a truncated "Inward Lip Roll") would have been fully expressed. Because of his jaw clenching however, his Inward Lip Roll (ILR) could not form in its entirety. The "Peri-Lip Bulge" which can be seen below Ford's lower lip is essentially only seen in the presence of a clenched jaw.

The nonverbal cluster context displayed here - tells us that President Ford was both angry as well as trying to suppress both this outward display and the inward crescendo of his anger.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2911: Beck Hammon Part II - Blushing & a High Sincerity Quotient

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2371:  Barack Obama & Anger in the Rose Garden -  POTUS's Body Language & the Gun Laws

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1859:  The Prince is Angry at the Queen's Jubilee

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2894: Maria Kirilenko, Alex Ovechkin and Subtle Body Language of ....

Negotiation Secret # 45: Faith Hill's Inward Lip Roll

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 377:  Inward Lip Roll with a Bitter Smile 

Negotiation Secret # 322: Megan Fox's Lips





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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2816: Donald Sterling Interview - Body Language Tells (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling gave an interview today with CNN's Anderson Cooper. A portion of this interview is included in the above video.

At 2:16 Cooper begins, "Did you apologize to him, er ...?"

Sterling then responds, "Well .... Aaaah ... if I said anything wrong, I'm sorry. He's [Magic Johnson] a good person and he [pause with expression of disgust during 2:27.8 - 2:29.8] and what am I gonna say ..."

Donald Sterling then went on to describe how although is great, he feels that Magic Johnson is not a good role model for the children of Los Angeles.
 

In this close up view of Donald Sterling's face, we see a classic expression of disgust. Note the tightening of his "mustache area" and a flaring of both nostrils. A disgust amplifier is also present in the partial closing of his eyelids.

What other nonverbal signal here demonstrates the presence of a second emotion?




See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2640: Disgust at Denver area School Shooting - Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2443:  Kristen Wiig's Disgust & Fear Face -  Graham Norton, Chris O'Dowd and Fly Eating

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2811: Jason and David Benham are Dropped from HGTV - Body Language of Subtle Contempt, Anger & Disgust

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2603: Sarah Palin's Body Language - She Feels Disgust toward Pope Francis and ... She Tells a Fib

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2799: Magic Johnson Comments Regarding L.A. Clippers Owner Donald Sterling Alleged Racist Remarks - Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2801: Adam Silver Bans Donald Sterling for Life - Alpha Body Language Tell

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2798: Donald Sterling, Prejudice and Body Language of Contempt

Nonverbal Communication Quiz No. 2815: A.J. McCarron, Asymmetrical Smiles and the 5th Round? - Body Language

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2507: Secretary of State Kerry's Disgust - An Oft Overlooked and Camouflaged Body Language Signal (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

United States Secretary of State John Kerry made the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows this morning. The War in Syria, the Syrian government's recent use of poisonous gas on its own people and how the U.S. will respond to this act is of course of great urgency. President Obama announced yesterday that he will seek congressional approval for military action. What follows is an analysis of one particular of the Secretary's nonverbal signals.

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

Beginning at 0:07 in the video above, Major Garrett asks John Kerry, "Now Mr. Secretary, I know you believe the President's decision to seek congressional authorization is courageous, but isn't it bowing to a political reality that had been communicated to the President later ... late this week, that there would be significant congressional backlash if he didn't give Congress in a role - and that backlash, in part, reflected the inability of the administration to make its case this past week?"


This image captured at 0:23 is shows  the beginning milliseconds of a microexpression of disgust. This emotion is hidden within the disguise of a nose sniff and thus it's almost never recognized as such. This nonverbal signal occurs just after Mr. Garrett says the word, "... backlash ..." for the second time (during 0:23 and underlined above). Note the tightening (muscle contraction) of the area above his upper lip and below his nose (aka the "mustache area"). Both of Secretary Kerry's nostrils are also flared (dilated).

This photo is captured a fraction of a second after the one shown above. There is significantly increased nasal flaring as well as more tension in the mustache area.

The corners of Kerry's mouth are slightly depressed in this moment as is his lower lip (both consistent with disgust).

His thinned upper lip also is strongly suggestive of the presence of a component of anger.

It is a very common phenomenon that in the split second just prior to, during or immediately after a display of disgust, contempt or anger - that the eyelids shut for an extended or prolonged blink.

An increased rate of blinking is a different but related body language tell.

These subtle but significant nonverbals act as body language amplifiers. Here they amplify disgust and to a lesser degree anger.


It is also important to note that the Secretary's right upper eyelid is "droopy" (see first two images and video). This condition is known as "ptosis" and is most probably age-related. This change is separate and distinct form the other eyelid dynamics described above. It is advisable, particularly because of his importance on the World stage, that Secretary Kerry has this condition surgically corrected - as it will influence the way others interpret the diplomat's emotions.

Mr. Kerry is clearly disgusted in this moment and the timing of his expression strongly implies that the source of his disgust is the "backlash" directed at President Obama of which Mr. Garrett speaks (Although it is very possible that his disgust may directed towards the events in Syria, the news anchor himself or the manner in which he asked the question).

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2504:  Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez and a  Commonly Missed Body Language Signal

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2443:  Kristen Wiig's Disgust & Fear Face -  Graham Norton, Chris O'Dowd and Fly Eating 

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2449:  Jessica Korda Fires Her Caddie &  Recruits her Boyfriend  Body Language at Women's U.S. Open

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2286:  Ronaiah Tuiasosopo's Body Language on Dr. Phil's Interview - The Voice and Mind of "Lennay Kekua" - Part I

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2045:  Disgust in New Delhi

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

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2416: Brit Marling, the Every Woman & "The East" Body Language of Mild to Moderate Disgust and ...

The beautiful and talented Brit Marling stars in the new movie, "The East". She also co-wrote and co-produced the film.

Several times during the 0:36 - 0:45 (example imaged below) segment, Ms. Marling gives us a great body language-facial expression of mild-moderate disgust (about a 3 or 4 on a scale of 1-10). Note her mild nostril dilation (aka nasal flaring) coupled with her mid-face tension. In particular the area between her upper lip and nose (aka the "mustache area") vertically elongates and grows tense. This causes the philtrum to lose definition. Superimposed over her speech, a subtle and evanescent down turning of the corners of her mouth can be seen as well as a slight protrusion of her lower lip. Notably Brit's eyelid closure and lowering of her eyebrows are also consistent with disgust.

What other nonverbals does Ms. Marling display? What other emotions is she feeling?

See also:

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 ....

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2045:  Disgust in New Delhi

Negotiation Secret # 72 & 73: Disgust & Incredulity

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2390:  Charles Ramsey Interview & Cleveland Kidnappings -  Sarcastic Disbelief, Disgust and Exclamation

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

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2191:  Anne Hathaway's Impersonation of Katie Holmes on SNL -  "Norming" Katie and Variations on a Theme

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis #1856: Egypt's Former President's Fall from Power - Hosni Mubarak After Sentencing

This recent image of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was taken just after his sentencing. Earlier today he received a life sentence for his role in the killing of pro-democracy protesters during the Egyptian Revolution in the spring of 2011. Approximately 840 protesters were killed and over 6000 were injured. This photo was taken while Mubarak was in a helicopter as it dropped him off at a prison hospital. It is reported that the former Egyptian leader refused to leave the aircraft for over 30 minutes.

Although this is not an optimal photo and his eyes are covered in sunglasses, Hosni Mubarak is displaying enough to reveal a classic facial expression of Disgust. With his lower lip protruding and his upper lip raised together, tightening of the "mustache area" with bilateral nostril flaring clinches this body language tell. Mubarak's forehead is also relaxed with a lowering of his eyebrows and dynamic contraction wrinkles on the bridge of his nose. If we had a full view of his face we would also expect to see some contraction-furrows on his chin and a temporarily increase of crow's feet on the lateral sides of each eye.

Hosni Mubarak does not believe he is guilty and consistent with this emotional mindset; he's displaying classic nonverbal signals of disgust. We can read his mind.

See also:

Analysis # 1552: The Self-Righteous Head Wiggle & the Buffett Rule

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

Analysis # 1773: Junior Seau's Body Language During His Last Interview

Analysis # 1816: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Contempt & Mary Richardson Kennedy's Social Smile

Analysis # 72 & 73 : Christine Lagarde's Disgust & Incredulity

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

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) spoke at the Graduation ceremony Sunday at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Hubie Jones, a civil rights pioneer was also honored at the ceremony and Rep. Frank made a joke which many in the audience found offensive. In an obvious reference to Trayvon Martin, Frank joked that, "... and Hubie, I think you now have a hoodie you can wear and no one will shoot at ya ..."

One of the students included in the news video (above) interviewed after the ceremony displayed multiple excellent examples of body language tells of disgust as she also vocalized her opinions of Barney Frank's joke (0:54, 0:55, 0:57 - 0:59 and 1:00 - 1:01). Particular nonverbal facial signals of disgust (most, but not all of which are seen in this example) include: wrinkles (muscular contraction) on the bridge of the nose, accentuated and deepening nasal-labial furrows on the side of the nose, protruding of the lower lip, raising of the upper lip with (+/-) protrusion, tightening of the area between the upper lip and nose (the "mustache area"), flaring of the nostrils, lowering of the eyebrows, crow's feet formation/accentuation on the lateral sides of the eyes, dynamic chin wrinkling and a relaxed forehead.

See also:

Secret # 271: Disgust with very Little Mouth Component

Secret # 1496: Tiger Woods' Disgust and Biofeedback

Secret # 273: Anger and Disgust in Azerbaijan

Secret # 925: Liam Hemsworth's Disgust and Anger

Secret # 72 & 73: Christine Lagarde's Disgust and Incredulity

Analysis # 1548: Trayvon Martin's Death - George Zimmerman and his First Court Appearance

Analysis # 1491: Barack Obama on Trayvon Martin "If I Had a Son, He'd Look Like Trayvon"

Analysis # 1696: George Zimmerman's Testimony - Fear, Incredulity, Regret & Contempt

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1824: Mexican Political Candidate Natalia Juarez - Subtle Contempt

Natalia Juarez is a philosophy professor at the University of Guadalajara. She's also running for a congressional seat in the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PDR). A couple of weeks ago she decided to shake up the campaign and has posed in some controversial billboards. In one she appears topless with six other women, with breasts partially covered and left arms/hands raised in fists. The caption on the billboard reads, "I dare you to build a new project for a nation with no prejudices."

Guadalajara - the second largest in Mexico, is a politically conservative city, however Ms. Juarez, and the PDR are not. During the 0:55 - 1:17 segment of the above video, when Natalia says, "Conservative people are never going to vote for me, never! Even if I dressed as a nun and carried a rosary and said that my party was going to give away Bibles and rosaries, they wouldn't. Conservatives area never going to vote for me." - she displays a subtle level of contempt on the right side of her face.

Contempt is a very specific emotion wherein we place another person or group beneath us. You believe them to be inferior to you. It is a very powerful and damaging emotion. Dr. John Gottman has shown that the display of contempt is the number one predictor of relationship failure. It is so powerful an emotion that it inhibits the human immune system - and thus the recipient of contempt will even suffer increased rates of infection and disease.

The Body language of contempt are often confused with subtle or partial (unilateral) smiles - but are more accurately are characterized as a snarl. Nostril dilation often accompanies this along with mid-face tension in the "mustache area" and upper lip. The upper lip is raised and the lower lip may protrude. While the forehead is relaxed, there often is wrinkling (crow's feet) on the same side of the face as the snarl. Chin wrinkling may also be displayed. The nasal-labial furrow on the side of the nose is often pronounced along with wrinkling on the bridge of the nose.

While most everyone can identify dramatic nonverbal of emotion, I'm continually amazed at the percentage of learned, traveled, educated and accomplished people who have significant difficulty recognizing moderate, let alone subtle examples of emotions.

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

Tiger Woods is perhaps back on track - and just in time for The Masters. After a dry spell of two and a half years - Tiger won his first PGA tournament late last month at The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. In this image of Tiger, we see a mild-to-moderate display of disgust. His mid-face tightening of the "mustache area" accompanied by flaring of the nostrils is highly indicative of the display of disgust. Less dramatic (and secondary) body language signals of this negative emotion are seen in the slight dimpling of Woods' chin, the moderate wrinkling between his eyebrows (as well as lowering of those brows) and the parentheses shaped furrows on each side of the golfer's lower nose & mustache area. Collectively, these configurations comprise a cluster of contempt.

Like most high achieving athletes, Woods holds himself to high standards - and is self-critical. Thus this body language/facial expression of disgust is a very common one for Tiger. I put forth the argument, that if Tiger Woods maintained a facial expression closer to being emotionally neutral at such crucial times, this would improve his performance. The same would hold true for any athlete, student, surgeon, sales person, attorney, etc. Greater emotional self-awareness is a natural by-product of nonverbal training & practice and is an extremely valuable, rarely considered and very under-utilized form of biofeedback.

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Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1403: Gustaf Gets Galled

King Carl XVI Gustaf is angry. What key cues can you spot? There are several that you shouldn't miss.

The most obvious (and somewhat less reliable) sign of anger is the drawing together and downwards of the Swedish Leader's eyebrows. If this were the only facial change we saw, then we also have to consider that Carl was perplexed or intensely concentrating. People in the midst of times of intense thinking are often mistaken for being angry. But as usual, there are other nonverbal cues available.

If you see an increase in exposure of the "whites of the eyes" (sclera) - three primary and common emotions (there are other less common ones though) should immediately spring to mind - anger (moderate to severe), fear and surprise. Note that in particular, the King's right eye has an increased "white and wide" appearance. However, even if we didn't observe this ocular body language, the tension we see in his "mustache area" is certainly driven by this negative emotion. Both of Gustaf's nostrils are flared - consistent with anger and disgust. In particular, the thinning of his lips is highly correlative with anger.

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Negotiation Body Language Secret # 925: Hemsworth's False Smile is Worthless

At first glace to the untrained eye, Liam Hemsworth's mouth looks as if he's trying to squeeze out a smile at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards. If you look carefully though, you'll notice his "mustache area" is slightly tensed and his upper lip is mildly stretched and thinned as well. Hemsworth's nostrils are flared too. His eyelids are partially closed, but not in the sincere smile manner. If his lids were closed as a result of a true, felt smile - we would see the classic, concave-down furrow nonverbal sign in Hemsworth's lower lids (see Secret #921: Spotting Giants' Sincerity). This young actor is not smiling sincerely at all, moreover his attempt at a social smile is also poor. Liam's emotions are disgust (best exemplified by his flared nostrils) and anger (his out-of-context Clint Eastwood-like eyelid squint as well as his thinned upper lip).

Anyone can spot severe anger or disgust. How skilled are you at picking out moderate or subtle examples? Miss them at your own risk.

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Negotiation Body Language Secret # 373: Papademos, Greece and Eyelids

Pictured above is Lucas Papademos, the New Prime Minister of Greece. Notice his eyelids are both partially closed, but his left is closed a bit more. This is a fantastic tell of a negative judgement and/or a skeptical opinion. You can almost hear him rendering a negative statement here - and yet it's incredible how often people will speak positivity about a person and/or issue and use this expression. Duplicitous! Now of course, the Prime Minister may very well had making a negative declaration in this moment - and if he was, this facial body language is completely expected. However...if you see another use this facial nonverbal tell - but they speak glowingly - believe their body language, not their words. Watch out!

There often is co-existing mid-face tightening seen with this asymmetrical eyelid closure as well, particularly in the "mustache area". Lucas demonstrates that splendidly here. Also be on the lookout for nasal dilation. Mr. Papademos' left nostril is brilliantly flared here, indicating coexisting contempt. I wonder to whom he was speaking?

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

It is useful to teach body language, as with any subject, one subtopic at a time, but nonverbal signals in the real world rarely occur in isolation, but in clusters - simultaneously or very close in time, with verbals and many other distractions thrown in. Here, Bruce Willis' contempt is difficult for some to see, primarily because he is displaying very little mouth component - the right side is only slightly elevated. What's more visible though is his mid-face tightening, specifically his nostril dilation. His nares are dilated, but more so on his right. This is highly consistent with contempt (unilateral) - and disgust (bilateral). Another subtle and almost never looked for signal seen with both of these emotions is the tightening of the "mustache area" (MA) - Bruce's MA is fairly tense. The closing of his eyelids along with the lowering and coming together of his eyebrows are indicative of disgust and contempt too, but also anger. In this context, the eyelid and brow changes primarily represent anger - since so little lower facial component of disgust-contempt are present. Although this is close to Willis' "Tough Guy" cliche look - there is real emotion here.

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Lie Detection Secret # 652: Megan Fox has got an Itch - Not!

When we have a momentary rise in our anxiety level, in an extremely high percentage of the time portions of our head and/or neck will itch. This is not imaginary - they truly itch. There are probably several reasons for this that have not to date, been fully elicited - however one of these is a simple rise in blood pressure. The blood vessels will press on surrounding tissue - which of course contains nerve endings and this pressure leads to pruritus. When a lie is told (or heard) we tend to experience this itching/swelling in some areas more than others. The nose is particularly prone to this phenomenon. Another region is just above the lip and below the nose - in the "mustache area". So when we tell a lie, we scratch the nose and above the upper lip particularly often. Part of this particular gesture is "vestigial behavior" from childhood - when the mouth is immediately covered once a lie is told. We partially, but never completely "unlearn" this response as we grow older. Here, the lovely Megan Fox is shown in this highly characteristic Body Language maneuver.

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