Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3321: John Boehner Announces Resignation During Press Conference - A Classic Body Language Tell (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

To the surprise of many, today John Boehner announced his resignation as Speaker of the House as well as from his seat for the 8th Congressional District of Ohio. This will take effect on 31 October 2015.

Speaker Boehner is known to tear-up easier than most. Today while recounting a personal encounter with Pope Francis (less than 24 hours earlier) provided another such occasion.

There are several nonverbal behaviors often seen in an effort to squelch one's tears and prevent a crescendo into a full cry. One of these is exhibited here by Speaker Boehner.

Note his lower lip protruding. Moreover this is unilateral and occurs several times. It may also have a jaw component along with this lip movement (a lateral displacement of the jaw on the same side).

Of course, no one is sincere all the time, yet it's of profound importance is that only those individuals with relatively higher sincerity quotients display this nonverbal signal.

What other nonverbal signs indicate higher sincerity levels?

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.


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3320: Pope Francis speaks before the U.S. Congress - Body Language of Boehner and Biden

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3068: John Boehner Kissing Nancy Pelosi 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2559: John Boehner's Body Language - Microexpression of Contempt vs. Facial Tic  

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3099: Jon Stewart Announces he's Leaving "The Daily Show" - A Classic Body Language Cluster

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2285:  Emotional Processing during Crying - Body Language of Survivor of Brazilian Nightclub Fire

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1706: Amanda Knox Interview after Guilty Verdict - Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2929: Jessica Alba, Sin City 2, Action Figures and the Jaw Confessional 

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2321: Cardinal Timothy Dolan on "Face the Nation" Problems in Catholic Church & Electing a New Pope Clergy are Not Exempt from Body Language Tells ...

Father Timothy Dolan, a Cardinal in the Catholic Church (and the current Archbishop of New York) was interviewed today on "Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer. Mr. Schieffer did a good job holding the Cardinal's feet to the fire. This interview is extremely full of body language - and it would take many pages to completely dissect it all - a few of the highlights follow.

A reminder: 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 or religious agenda.

Scheiffer: "Well there is also, ah, your Eminence, things like the cover-up of sexual, ah, crimes, pedophiles. You got the Cardinal from California, ah, who was accused of, ah, of not being candid about things out there on that front. Are we going to hear something about that because, I take your point about all of the points that you just made, I, I understand that - but what we read about and what we hear about are some of these very unsavory, ah, things that have come to light. How, how seriously do the cardinals take these things your Eminence?"

Dolan: "We have to take with the utmost seriousness, and we have to have a sense of contrition (microexpression of contempt on Dolan's left at 5:19), realism, ahhh, about, about confronting that (another microexpression of contempt, this one more prominent at 5:22). You're dead right. There's no ca..., there's no cardinal with ah, (another microexpression of contempt at 5:25) his head in the sand when it comes to these issues."

With respect to (some of the) paralanguage and statement analysis here, it is particularly telling that Dolan uses a double negative - "...there's no cardinal with ah, his head in the sand ...." rather than saying something such as "...we are fully aware..." or we're all cognizant of what's transpiring", etc. There are other statement analysis tells here as well. Can you spot them?

Microexpressions are very evanescent and subtle and thus are best appreciated by watching the video.

Dolan continues later, "...So it shouldn't, it shouldn't surprise us that the afflictions of the World, and you just named some of them -  sexual immorality, perversion, abuse of children - that affects all elements of society - are particularly hideous when it comes to The Church - and that that will be an issue? - I predict it will". During the last segment of this statement (5:46 - 5:47), Dolan displays the "Double okay sign". Emblems such as this one exemplified here, have different meaning in different cultures. Throughout most of North America and parts of Europe, holding the tip of one's index finger (forefinger) to the tip of the thumb (on the same hand) while making a circle or oval signifies "okay". In much of the Northern Mediterranean region, such as Greece, Italy and Vatican City (the smallest country in the World, landlocked within Rome) as well as Brazil, much of Russia and Turkey (other countries as well) - this same emblem indicates a sexual insult or an orifice. Just across the Mediterranean - in Tunisia (and in France and Belgium too) it means worthless or zero.

Cardinal Dolan should be very aware of any cultural variations of body language/gestures he is using - particularly this one - since a dramatic disproportion of the Catholic Cardinals are from Europe and Italy is represented more than any other country by far. He is surrounded by people who will take this body language derogatorily. Some politicians, most of them American, use the "okay sign" as a more friendly way of pointing (many often over-use it and thus appear insincere and its excessive use may be interpreted as patronizing). Initially it is learned and thus forced until it becomes habit - thus the subconscious slowly takes over the initiation and use of this political point. However, outside traditional politics, it is significantly rare to see this gesture used in this fashion. And although such political pointing is probably the context here, Cardinal Dolan's use of a nonverbal - in what in his native land indicates "okay" when he says, "...are particularly hideous when it comes to The Church..." is very significant. 

After Cardinal Dolan says, "...I predict it will.", his lips take on the configuration of a forward pointing Lip Purse (at 5:52 mark, below). This contradicts his verbal prediction. Said another way, Dolan does not believe that sexual abuse scandal within the Church will be addressed in the next several days as part of picking a new pope. A forward lip purse is a highly reliable signal of clandestine disagreement - a significant disparity between what is spoken and what is emotionally being felt and thought. 

Some other significant nonverbal signals:

When asked, "...Should priests be allowed to marry?" Cardinal Dolan bites his left lower lip (at 6:02) signaling significant anxiety.

When asked, "Should women be allowed to become priests?", The Archbishop of New York displays an inward lip roll (6:04 - 6:07) - significant of anxiety and the attempt to suppress a display of strong emotions - here (as evidenced by his clenched jaw and tightened "mustache area") the emotion he's suppressing is anger.

The double index finger (forefinger) point is seen at 6:46. This is a hyper-alpha, hyper dominant display. A single index finger point is a very negative gesture across virtually every culture on the planet. A double display is over-the-top. Politicians will use this (subconsciously) in front of politically friendly crowds to stir up their political base when they are running for office - however that is relatively unusual and ill-advised. Heads of state rarely use this. It shows cultural insensitivity - regardless of the country or region in question. And while we all - occasionally to rarely - use this negative gesture - we should not. When it's used often - it's highly consistent with narcissism.

See also:

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1407:  Auboni Champion-Morin  Reunited with Kidnapped Son After 8 Years -  Microexpression of Contempt for kidnapper

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1515:  White House Press Secretary Jay Carney's  Numerous Microexpressions and Subtle  Displays of Contempt

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2172: Governor Chris Christie's Body Language of Contempt -  Microexpressions and Subtle Displays

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2216:  Senator Jim DeMint's Body Language -  Lip Purse, Suppressed Smile, Duping Delight & Retiring Early

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2130:  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Helping Syria -  Interview with Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell

Negotiation Secret # 339:  Dwayne Wade to David Stern - "Don't Point at Me! I am not your child!"

Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1995:  Barack Obama, Social Darwinism and the Political Point

Negotiation Secret # 146: Anthony Weiner's Inward Lip Roll

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2268:  Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Kathryn Bigelow & Jessica Chastain - Body Language at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards

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Negotiation and Leadership Secret # 415: When is it Appropriate for a President to Stand in the "Fig-leaf"?

Yesterday, Veterans Day in the U.S., President Obama attended a ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery. Here is is pictured at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The President is standing with his hands-clasped in this very familiar "Fig-Leaf" formation. While the fig-leaf usually is a signal of low confidence - in some contexts it certainly indicates other emotions. One is respect and another is reverence. These are two leadership-appropriate messages a President or Head of State should desire to convey using the fig-leaf. 

So when is it appropriate for a President to Stand in the "Fig-leaf"? Very few times. One example is a funeral or a ceremony to honor those who have died serving in the military - as pictured above. Another is at any religious service. If he were meeting with the Dalai Lama, the Pope or another high religious leader he/she may want to adopt this pose as well - even if there was no service or ongoing religious activity. If a past-president or head-of-state was standing next to the current equivalent leader at a ceremony or introduction, the former leader may want to use the fig-leaf here as well. Weddings are another venue for the fig-leaf.

With these few exceptions, and perhaps a few other respect-reverence scenarios which I have omitted, a head-of-state should never stand in the fig-leaf pose, lest he/she convey low confidence. A head-of-state should not adopt this pose around other World leaders if he/she is to command respect (unless of course at a funeral, etc. as detailed above). It will certainly place them at a leadership and negotiation disadvantage. Moreover, standing this way will even change your physiology and actively lower one's confidence. Nonverbal signals are indications of what the emotional brain is feeling in real-time, and maintaining the body language will engender and reinforce the emotion.

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