Idris Elba is by most all accounts, an excellent actor. But despite many accolades and awards, Idris, is of course, only human. During his recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show, he experienced a very human moment - and displayed a classic nonverbal tell.
Just after Graham Norton says, "... a-, but we have to say, it was a-, your American accent has not always been - that good."
As Idris says, "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm", he sucks his cheeks inward (1:06). Often times this MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) involves biting the insides of one's cheeks with a mild-to-moderate degree of force. This cheek-biting indicates significant anxiety.
It's important to note that this dynamic of biting the inner cheeks has the effect of pursing the lips forward - but this is a secondary effect - and does not carry the same meaning of a primary forward lip purse. Be careful not to mistake the two expressions.
A second later, his central forehead is contracted and elevated (along with his inner eyebrows). Mr. Elba's central face has grown tense. His nostrils are flared. Simultaneous with his inner cheek biting, Idris' lips take on an additional slightly sad configuration.
Kate Winslet then displays a bilateral full palm-of-hand (full palmar) contact with her upper sternum/heart region as well as her lower sternum as she says, "My insides ...".
Her nonverbal signal indicates both elevated empathy and high sincerity.
As she finishes her sentence, "... are constricting for you right now", Ms. Winslet, also physically constricts her fists.
SUMMARY: Despite being outstanding actors, when Idris Elba and Kate Winslet are not in-character (and just being themselves), their body language gives us glimpses into their psyches.
Idris Elba was experiencing significant anxiety which elicited similar feelings in Kate Winslet. Ms. Winslet displays considerable empathy and sincerity toward Mr. Elba.
With regards to his body language, Paul Ryan's speech contained a plethora of nonverbal teaching examples - a portion of which are discussed in this article.
In the included video, Mr. Ryan displays intertwined fingers beginning at 0:05 until 0:21, while saying, "Moving from an opposition party to a governing party comes with growing
pains. And, well, we're feeling those growing pains today. We came
really close today but we came up short".
Although sometimes correlated withanger or a posed (feigned) attempt at appearing
authoritative, the majority of the time, intertwined fingers are indicative of frustration (This image was taken from a different camera, showing a forward angle, affording us a superior view). As with all nonverbal displays, it's crucial to never assess a body language signal in isolation, but rather as a word (or phrase) within the complete nonverbal sentence (cluster).
At 0:17, just after he says, "...We came
really close today but we came up short", Speaker Ryan disengages his intertwined fingers and immediately displays a Nose Rub. In this context, this nonverbal MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) is highly suggestive of Paul Ryan being deceptive when he referred to "We came really close". Indeed, this is supported by the fact that most reports indicate as the hour of reckoning approached, the number of Republicans who were committed to voting for the American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) was diminishing, not increasing.
Paul Ryan then displays a classic Unilateral Shoulder Shrug (with his Right Shoulder) at 0:23 just as he says, "bill" in the sentence, "I told him that the best thing I think to do is to pull this bill and he agreed with that decision". This is but one of many examples of what is termed a 'Partial Emblematic Slip'.
The nomenclature 'Partial' comes from that it's Unilateral manifested - in contrast to fully expressed shrugs which are expressed bilaterally. The term 'Emblem' is a word given to describe the accepted and widely recognized meaning within a subculture, country, or geographic region (which is occasionally even Universal/Worldwide). It's a 'Slip' because he didn't intend to do display the emotion with which a shrug is indicative - that of: "I Don't know", "I Don't care", "What Does it matter?", and/or "What Choice Did I have". His emotion leaked out despite his desire to sequester it.
During 0:33 - 0:34, just as he says, "I will not sugarcoat this, this is a disappointing day for us. Doing big things is hard. All of us. All of us, myself included ...", Speaker Ryan touches himself with the full palmar side of his hand (all five digits and with the palm of his right [dominant] hand). The full palmar contact connotes sincerity - yet this is not strictly "heartfelt" sincerity - for he touches his upper abdomen - over his stomach rather than over his heart. Thus, while his feelings are indeed sincere - his emotions are here slanted much more toward anxiety, rather than for empathy-sadness associated with a loss.
Just after he says. "I'm really proud of the bill that we produced" - during 1:23 - Mr. Ryan displays an "Inward Lip Roll" (ILR). An inward lip roll is a signal of our subconscious trying to suppress the inward growth - as well as the outward expression of strong emotions. Although an ILR is not emotion-specific (e.g., it can be seen with sadness, anger, joy, frustration, etc.), if we wait only one second we find the feeling his psyche was trying to keep from growing.
At 1:24 we see a Tongue Jut (and crucially, a Loose Tongue Jut) just a second after the above noted Inward Lip Roll. A loose tongue just is Ryan's body language saying, 'I've been/about to be bad' or 'I got caught' (Navarro). Therefore this indicates the strong emotion Ryan was suppressing with the inward lip roll was deceptive in nature (in reference to his statement, "I'm really proud of the bill that we produced". Ryan was NOT proud of the bill.
In this last image, taken during 1:35 just after Speaker Ryan says, "...And what's probably most troubling is the worst is yet to come with Obamacare". This lateral vectoring of the left corner of his mouth indicates Ryan's sincere feelings of in this moment are those of regret.
From a body language point-of-view, this incident was laden with examples. A particularly illustrative nonverbal signal was displayed by one of La La Land's producers, Jordan Horowitz.
Once Warren Beatty handed the envelope to Faye Dunaway - and she erroneously announced "La La Land", the entire La La Land team, of course, then came on stage. Jordan Horowitz and Marc Platt(also a producer) each gave speeches. That's when The Academy Awards' staff rushed on stage in an effort to fix this awful faux pas.
Jordan Horowitz said, “Guys, guys, I’m sorry. No. There’s a mistake, ‘Moonlight,’ you guys won best picture.”
Marc Platt then added, “This is not a joke. I’m afraid they read the wrong thing.”
The audience collectively and very audibly gasped.
Horowitz then reiterated, “This is not a joke, ‘Moonlight’ has won 'Best Picture.’ ” He then held his left hand to his chest - with his entire hand - including his palm - making full contact (primarily against his sternum but also involving his left, mid-upper chest [0:19 - 0:21]). Next, again with his left hand, he held the correct card high for the cameras and everyone to see and repeated, “‘Moonlight’ - Best Picture.”
Full contact of the entire hand - including the palm of the hand - particularly over the sternum and adjacent left chest - is a strong signal of sincerity. When people touch only with the tips of their digits - or gesture toward their chest without touching during moments of (otherwise) significant emotional content - they are projecting (without knowing it) low levels of sincerity.
We touch over this particular region of our bodies because it is "heartfelt" - for our heart beats just beneath the surface. It's full of emotional impact. Even those who have never held an infant will intuitively hold the child's head over this same area - because it "feels right", more protective and emotionally comfortable.
Thus Jordan Horowitz's body language immediately after he spoke, “This is not a joke, ‘Moonlight’ has won best picture”, told us he was being truthful. Of course after only a few more seconds - no one doubted his words. Yet in many such "everyday" settings, this and a myriad of other nonverbal signals are available for all to look - however, few will see themand know their meaning.
This is video is not recent (it's from 5 January 2005), but of course body language is timeless. It in, Alicia Keys is a guest on Charlie Rose's show and she sings him "Happy Birthday".
Note that both Charlie Rose and Alicia Keys both blush. They also both smile sincerely. If there is ever a doubt in your mind regarding whether a smile is truly sincere (aka Duchenne Smile) - always remember this: when blushing is present, the smile is ALWAYS one of sincerity.
There are also two "Sincerity Amplifiers" present in this short video. In the context of a sincere smile - when a person is also singing - AND they're rocking back and forth (as Alicia does), this rocking display acts as a SINCERITY AMPLIFIER.
Charlie Rose displays another variety of a sincerity amplifier. When a blushing person (with or without a smile) - is also touching their face (particularly with the PALM of the hand as Rose does) - this action also amplifies their sincerity.
Yesterday Gov. John Kasich finished fifth (with 7.6%) in the South Carolina primary. Two days earlier, during a talk at Clemson University, Kasish hugged a supporter. Some have questioned whether or not the candidate was sincere in this action. A brief nonverbal analysis of this dynamic follows.
Note that although Kasich does not keep his close his eyes for the duration of the entire hug - they were closed for a significant percentage of it - particularly for someone the Governor just met.
We keep our eyes closed during a hug when there is an increased level of sincerity. Forty-percent of the mass of the human brain is dedicated to vision. And ninety-percent of our sensory input is visual. Touch, smell, hearing and taste have to 'share' the remaining ten-percent. Thus when we close our eyes - a bit less blood flow and a bit less electrical-chemical activity occurs in the visual portion of our brains - while the other four senses are immediately enhanced - as well as our cognitive and emotional centers. So by closing our eyes, we up-regulate our brain's ability to truly feel emotion as well as enhancing our ability to be more fully present in the moment.
It's important to note Kasich's hand - more specifically right his palm is in full contact with the man's back. Full palmar contact during a hug (and most other gestures) correlates with higher sincerity in the moment and a sincerity quotient in general. This nonverbal signal carries even greater significance because it's performed with the Governor's dominant hand (his right).
In the image below, Gov. Kasich can be seen squeezing his eyelids shut especially tightly. This is one of several nonverbal techniques all of our psyches subconsciously utilize in an effort to try and prevent a full crescendo of tears as well as attempting to diminish an inward growth of sadness/grief.
In summary, this hug of Gov. Kasich's was highly sincere (especially for a man he just met) - and he has the highest sincerity quotient of any of the republican candidates.
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.
Two days later (this time in Nashua) Senator Rubio again became robotic. A short excerpt of his repetition is included in the video above (the full speech is shown below).
Any person who is in general, a sincere individual, can have moments where he/she is insincere. And certainly those whose overall personality are insincere do indeed have moments of sincerity.
During 0:21 - 0:24 in the video above (and 7:51 - 7:54 in the complete speech below), note that Rubio touches his chest with his hand. But take a moment to slice this moment a bit thinner.
Rubio is right handed - yet he used his left hand. When a person gestures, illustrates or uses a MAP (manipulator, adaptor, pacifier) - but uses just one hand, those actions performed with the dominant hand are more sincere, while those with the non-dominant hand are significantly less sincere.
The Senator touched over his right chest - when the heart is located in the center-left (anatomy not political party). People know this intuitively. Even those who are holding and infant for the very first time in their life, will naturally place a baby's head over their left chest - regardless of their own hand-dominance.
Marco tapped his left chest at first - rather than placing his hand down. Touching once for a second or two without a tapping/patting is a higher level of sincerity - while patting connotes less sincerity and lower emotional comfort. Remember this while you in the midst of a hug with your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend.
When Rubio did eventually touch without tapping, he touched with just his fingers and his thumb - with his palm elevated off of his chest. A full palmar touch is indicative of a much higher degree of sincerity vs. just fingers/thumb or finger tips.
Thus just with this "single gesture" there are four "sub-gestures" of insincerity. Again, Marco Rubio may very well be a sincere person on the whole, but in this moment he wasn't feeling it - he was insincere - and this is exactly what many people have been saying regarding his repetitive phrases. This is also the specific reason many have attributed to his poor showing in New Hampshire.
If Rubio (or anyone) was more self-aware of and nuanced with his body language - this increased nonverbal skill would have prevented him from falling into this verbal looping of insincerity ... and primary-losing behavior.
Here we see Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Tony Abbott hugging last week at the G20. In three photos taken from different angles in rapid sequence we can dissect the relative thought-feelings of each man during this hug/Abrazo.
In the top two images Modi's hand is cupped - preventing full palmar contact with the Australian's back - while Abbott's palm makes full contact. Abbott's hand also contacts for a longer duration.
Modi' is also "leaning into" the hug more while Abbott is standing with straighter back.
Abbott's eyelids are closed for part of the hug, while Modi's eyelids remain open.
In the final image it can be seen that Modi's disengages from the embrace quicker with the beginnings of a turning away/rotation of his torso.
Thus while this hug is certainly not the same kind of embrace seen with greater levels of intimacy, and is not meant to suggest so (e.g., The handshake which initiated this greeting is maintained during the hug and therefore keeps a greater distance between them) - there is still disparity in the level of affection displayed here - which is profoundly valuable to recognize. Mr. Abbott's eyelid closure, standing straighter during the hug, hugging for longer duration and his full palmar contact - vs. a lack of all these shown by Mr. Modi - tells us that Mr. Abbott trusts Mr. Modi, is emotionally comfortable with him and is generally more open in the context of leadership - while Mr. Modi is relatively diminished in these feelings towards Mr. Abbott and/or Australia.
Of course their body language disparity could be due to Mr. Modi's relative lack of exposure on the World stage vs. Mr. Abbott who has been at the game a bit longer .... or it may be for other reasons. It is, however, NOT due to their cultural differences and it is also NOT because Mr. Abbott is trying hard to be a good host (the G20 was held in Brisbane, Australia). It will be interesting to see how the relationship between these two men and their countries changes during their administrations.
There are several components of a sincere and affectionate hug. One of these ingredients is full contact of the palms of the hands. The body language of this "Palmar Touch" - highlighted in this image by President Obama - signifies both sincerity and affection. When this crucial nonverbal is consistently absent (such as only with the finger tips touching) during a hug - affection is either waning or is being feigned.
On Election night, Barack Obama tweeted this image of he and Michelle hugging with the message, "Four more years". It broke the Twitter record for retweets.
