Body Language Analysis No. 4224: Greta Gerwig's reaction to Guillermo del Toro's Best Picture Oscar Speech - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Note: The original video has, since the original post, been removed from its online source. The image below however, was captured from that video.


Greta Gerwig is only the fifth woman in history to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Director. Many thought her film, Lady Bird, was also a sure bet to win Best Picture. Yet Guillermo del Toro and The Shape of Water won both awards.


From a nonverbal point of view, Greta Gerwig's reaction to Mr. del Toro during his speech is an excellent body language teaching moment.

During 1:53, just as Greta says (reading her lips), "I love him" - just before and during the first portion of the word, "love" - her central forehead momentarily contracts and elevates. It's crucial to emphasize that this forehead elevation involves just the central portion and not the entire width of her forehead. 

Her inner (medial) eyebrows also elevate.

Simultaneously, Ms. Gerwig's right palm is in full contact with her sternum as her fingers extend over the left side of her upper chest. This hand placement is, of course, over the heart. The fact that Greta is right-hand dominant is also an important detail.

Her hand positioning of:

• her Dominant Hand
• with Full Palmar Contact with her Chest
• Held over Heart

in addition to her:

• Central Forehead/Medial Eyebrow Contraction and Elevation
• Just before and as she begins to say the word, "Love"

is a nonverbal-verbal cluster indicating a very high degree of both empathy and sincerity.

Summary: Greta Gerwig's nonverbal display during Guillermo del Toro's acceptance speech is classic - and reliable body language behavior demonstrating both her high sincerity and elevated empathy quotients.


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See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4223: Donald Trump to Republican Senator, "You're Afraid of the NRA"

Body Language and Medical Analysis No. 4221: Why are Donald Trump's Pupils Intermittently So Large?

Body Language Analysis No. 3399 (REPOSTING): Donald Trump, a Bald Eagle, and Fear

Body Language Analysis No. 4218: Dana Loesch, Threat Assessment, and Red Flags

Body Language Analysis No. 4202: Saoirse Ronan, Ed Sheeran, and Galway Girl (Galway Grill)

Body Language Analysis No. 4198: Lupita Nyong'o, Black Panther, and Attention to Detail

Body Language Analysis No. 4181: Ann Curry, Matt Lauer, "Verbal Sexual" Harassment, and NBC

Body Language Analysis No. 4158: Michelle Williams regarding Kevin Spacey - "All the Money in the World"

Body Language Analysis No. 4093: Fear and Harvey Weinstein - Emma Watson's Reaction


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3867: What Makes the Twinkle in Her Eye? Emma Stone, Romance and Flirting - Body Language and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTOS)

What makes Emma Stone's Eyes Twinkle? The etiology of "Twinkling Eyes" is a multifactorial and fascinating phenomenon.
 
The first, and by far the most important, component for a sparkle in the eye - is that of a smile, and it must be a sincere smile.

A "high sincerity quotient" smile must have eyelids which are partially closed - it's an absolute requirement. It's also a profoundly important distinction that all "partial eyelid closure" does not necessarily yield smiles - and the remainder of the face must always be taken into account. Recall Clint Eastwood in "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". His acting expression was often that of mild to moderate anger.

When there is a momentary partial closure of the lids, this action squeezes the very thin layer of fluid on the surface of a healthy cornea and conjunctiva (the "tear film") onto a temporarily smaller surface - ergo this thin fluid becomes a bit "deeper" for a few moments. This extra fluid "depth" acts as a more efficient mirror and reflects light with greater efficiency - giving her eyes a "twinkling" effect.

After careful examination of the image below, you will see two light reflections in each of Emma's eyes - one on the cornea, near (over) the center of each pupil - and another just above the margin of each lower lid - where the tear film has a bit more depth - giving us an extra "sparkling" source.

Another requirement for a true, Joy-Happiness Smile is the short-lived, dynamic, concave-up furrow in the lower eyelids.

A Sincere smile must also have a relaxed (non-contracted) forehead. Indeed a forced and insincere smile is easily and often betrayed by an elevated and furrowed forehead.

Another requirement of a sincere smile is that if any teeth are showing (sometimes no teeth are showing during a sincere suppressed smile), they must be only the upper teeth (the exceptions being sincere smile-associated laughing, a high camera/visual angle or a downward tilting of the head/neck).

When sincerity is present, the cheek muscles will primarily vector upward - and not as much out to the sides. False smiles pull the corners of the mouth out laterally, rather than upward. Thus the mouths of fake smiles are often opened wider (left to right) than those of true smiles.

In this image, Emma Stone is outside - therefore her pupils are smaller with the bright sunlight. If she were inside, her pupils would be larger. Large pupils make a larger, darker, highly contrasting background for the light reflection - and make the twinkle more visible (e.g., a lighter color against a darker, larger background is much easier for other people to see).

Besides the relative darkness (which is one reason why dimly lit restaurants feel more romantic) - both affection (of a non-sexual nature) as well as sexual attraction are two other very common causes for larger pupils. Greater attraction equals larger pupils - and larger pupils leads to more sparkling.

Another cause of an increased or decreased "Twinkle Factor" is the angle of the light source. Without light there can be no twinkle - so to get a greater reflection, the light must be positioned behind the observer (e.g., if your partner is looking at you, the light source must be behind them [but not directly, lest it will be blocked by their head]).

Of course it the light is too bright, this will irritate the eyes as well as contract the pupils - which is one reason why candles engender eye twinkling (candles are dimmer than artificial light). Moreover, if a candle is used as a source of light - the constant changing amplitude of the flame (e.g., flickering) will amplify the tinkling effect - giving an extra dynamic quality to the eyes.

The level of love must always taken into account. Frida Kahlo once said, "Take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic." The presence or absence of love makes a portion of the "twinkle" subjective. Much like beauty, some of the twinkle depends on the other set of eyes - the eyes of the beholder.

Summary: In short, a "twinkle"/"sparkle" in the eye is influenced by...

1. The eye portion of a sincere smile (which always has partial eyelid closure and greater reflectivity)
2. The mouth portion of a sincere smile (aka "Duchenne" Smile) with upward vectored cheeks
3. A Relaxed Forehead
4. Medically Healthy Eyes
5. The type of light source
6. The angle of the light source
7. Larger vs. Smaller pupils (e.g., the level of ambient light)
8. The presence or absence of Affection and Love


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3865: Jeff Sessions and Al Franken - Senate Judiciary Committee during Sessions' Confirmation Hearing

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3863: Kellyanne Conway, Disrespect and The Oval Office

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3861: Emma Stone, The Oscars and Sincerity

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3858: Milo Yiannopoulos resigns from Breitbart with "Apology"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3672: Jessica Alba, Swass, Body Language and Emotional Intelligence

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3512: Emilia Clarke, "Me Before You" and Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3812: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone & La La Land - Backstage Interview Golden Globes 2017

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2802: Emma Stone & Jimmy Fallon Lip Sync Battle - Body Language Tells


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3483: Kate Winslet's Reaction to Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar for Best Actor - Body Language (PHOTOS)

This is Kate Winslet just after Leonardo DiCaprio won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in The Revenant.

When evaluating this moment from a nonverbal perspective, there several crucial components which are very telling. Grouped together these signals are called a "cluster".

1. Note Kate's central forehead is contracted and elevated (elevated CFC). This is seen concomitant with her inner (medial) eyebrow also being raised.

2. Kate's Eyelids are opened up significantly wider than baseline - with some tension in her lower eyelids. We can see some redness in the whites (conjunctiva) of her eyes - together with some tears.

3. Her hands are touching and partially covering her mouth. Whenever a person's hand(s) are touching the face - particularly when covering the mouth, nose and eyes in reaction to something happening to another person (or animal) - there is a very significant component of EMPATHY present.

4. Whenever there's an elevated CFC present, it's crucial to immediately evaluate the configuration of the mouth. Here, although Ms. Winslet's mouth is partially covered - yet we can see she is certainly not smiling - even though she's in deep empathy with Leo during a time of recognition for his accomplishment. What specific emotion would you say her mouth is conveying if it were the only part of her face you could see?

Summary: Kate Winslet is feeling very strong empathy for Leonardo DiCaprio. People who routinely display such a body language cluster for others have a high empathy quotient.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3482: Donald Trump Refuses to Disavow David Duke and the KKK

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3370: Michael Fassbender and an Under-recognized Body Language Tell

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3325: Vladimir Putin, the United Nations, Russian Soil and Confidence Levels 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2033: Lie Detection, Sergey Lavrov and Syria

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3396: President Obama's Oval Office Address - Dialing up The Alpha

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2971: Not Giving Good Actors an Easy Pass - Interstellar Trailer - When the Body Language is Not Congruent with Real Life

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2824: Michael Jace ("The Shield" Actor) Arrested for Alleged Murder of His Wife - Body Language Tells 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3239: Gaston Meet and Greet Near Gaston's Tavern, New Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom - and a Characteristic Facial Expression indicating .... 

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3323: Matt Damon on Graham Norton reflecting on Winning Oscar - Blended Expressions (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

A few days ago Matt Damon was a guest on the Graham Norton Show. Along with promoting his soon-to-be-released film, "The Martian", Damon gave some very interesting insight into the sentiments he was feeling just after winning an Oscar (He and Ben Affleck were 27 and 25 respectively when they won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for "Good Will Hunting" [a film in which they each also acted]).

From a nonverbal teaching point-of-view, Matt Damon's retelling of this very personal event provides an excellent example of how emotions - and their corresponding body language signals - are often blended, coexisting with dovetailing crescendos and decrescendos.

Mr. Damon continues (at 1:36),"... I was alone with it (the Oscar) and I said to myself, 'Thank God I didn't fuck anyone over this.' And I suddenly had this kinda thing wash over me where I thought, imagine chasing that and not getting it - and getting it finally in your eighties or your nineties with all of life behind you and realizing what an unbelievable waste ..."

Here as he says "... getting ..." (1:52), we see a good example of a near-microexpression of disgust with a minor component of anger.

A split second later, as Damon says, "... finally ...", the component of disgust is relatively smaller while anger becomes the primary manifested emotion.







In your efforts to learn nonverbal communication, always remember there can often be two different emotions occurring simultaneously or nearly so. Disgust and anger are two common feelings which follow this phenomenon.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3322: Pope Francis and Barack Obama - Respect, Deferential Behavior and Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3235: Jim Webb Announces His Presidential Bid .... and some Body Language Weakness

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2322:  Jeb Bush & Matt Lauer - Which one is the Narcissist?  Body Language Red Flags 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3237: 2015 FIFA World Cup Champions, Fiero and Emotional Processing 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3267: Jeb Bush, Emotional Dissonance and Body Language 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3276: Word Blurt with Kristen Stewart & Jimmy Fallon 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2191:  Anne Hathaway's Impersonation of Katie Holmes on SNL -  "Norming" Katie and Variations on a Theme 


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2870: Cate Blanchett and a Subtle Body Language Signal of Insincere Laughter (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

She is one the most gifted actors of her generation. Here Lesley Stahl interviews Cate Blanchett on "60 Minutes". And although she is amazingly talented, when being herself .... and not Queen Elizabeth I, Bob Dylan or Galadriel - she gives away an amazing amount of nonverbal tells (like the rest of us).

This image, captured during 11:40, shows Cate's jaw jutting forward during a laugh. This is a strong and reliable body language signal that Ms. Blanchett was not sincere in her laughter. She was feeling anger her and was camouflaging it and dampening it with laughter.

This is a particularly important principle and it's rarely discussed in the nonverbal literature. Very often though - one form of body language is used to disguise another. Most people - particularly in the context of an interview which such an amazing actress - would never doubt Cate's laughter or question her true feelings.  The more adept you are at sussing out these signals, the less you will suffer in business and your personal life.


 
A few seconds earlier (beginning at 11:32), Lesley Stahl says, "You're 44 years-old."

Blanchett responds, "Am I? We don't need to discuss that, we don't need to rub that in ...."

At three times during this statement we also saw the jaw jut displayed (coincident with words highlighted in red), Cate's chin juts forward.

Loads of other body language signals are leaked by Ms. Blanchett. Did the Oscar winning actress fool you?

See also:

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 # 2039:  Fight Outside Florida Courtroom -  Jaw Jut Prior to Violence

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2838: Robert De Niro, Graham Norton and Acting Advice - Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2824: Michael Jace ("The Shield" Actor) Arrested for Alleged Murder of His Wife - Body Language Tells

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2315: Daniel Day-Lewis Wins His 3rd Oscar - Even the Best Actors will "Leak" Their True Feelings via Body Language ... Here via a Microexpression of Fear

Last night Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Oscar for playing Abraham Lincoln in "Lincoln". No other man has done so - but some ladies have. And one was on stage with him. Meryl Streep who won her third Academy Award in 2011 for her role in "The Iron Lady" as the U.K.'s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Katharine Hepburn has won four). When Mr. Day-Lewis made a joke about himself playing Thatcher, he looked down for a moment and simultaneously displayed a nonverbal "Microexpression of Fear". This can clearly be seen at the 0:29 second mark in the above video as he flashes the "Mouth of Fear". 

While microexpressions are not limited to fear, it is one of the most common emotions "leaked" by these very evanescent nonverbal signals - and probably the easiest for most people to spot. 

This is a fantastic demonstration, that no matter whom you are - and while Daniel Day-Lewis is considered by many one of, or perhaps the greatest actor ever - the primal and absolute nature of body language will always betray one's true emotions - which very often are contradictory to the spoken word.

See also:

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1081:  Newt's Mouth of Fear

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2274: The Eyes & Mouth of Fear -  Body Language of Ahmed Dogan during  Attempted Assassination

Body Language Secret # 702:  Mouth of Fear,  trying to Smile and  Forehead of Pain

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1927: Italy's Fans watching Euro 2012 Final - Expressions of Fear

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2261:  Mom pulls Python off of her 2 year old daughter -  Body Language & Microexpression of Fear

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2103:  Great Example of a Microexpression of Fear

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2031:  Tina Fey arriving at Alec Baldwin's Wedding,  Fear-Empathy with a (partial) Sincere Smile - Emotional Dissonance

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