Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3232: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner announce Divorce - a Body Language Signal of Diminishing Affection (PHOTOS)

Some who follow celebrities have been speculating for a while about the health of Jennifer Garner's and Ben Affleck's marriage. Such Hollywood watchers may have seen something similar to above photo. Today Ben and Jenn announced their plans to divorce.

From time to time most everyone will walk in front of their significant other. When this behavior is demonstrated occasionally, it usually is symptomatic of anxiety. More specifically it signifies a preoccupation with an upcoming event (or the ramifications of a past event). Another way to think of this body language - is that the person guilty of it is not being mindful (not living in the present moment).

However when a person consistently walks a bit ahead of their partner, it's a strong nonverbal example of diminishing affection. In addition, such signals of sentiment shrinkage will virtually always be seen prior to an affair. Can you name any other body language harbingers of relationship failure?


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis 3231: Jeb Bush just prior to the Announcement of his Candidacy - What his Body Language Tells Us

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2424: Giada De Laurentiis on Conan O'Brien - Beautiful Teeth but Insincere Smiles and Some Body Language Signals of Waning Love

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2:  Body Language of Blake Lively and Penn Badgley  Strongly Suggests an Impending Break-up in Near Future

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2701: Cuddling, Romance, Affection and Foot-Shunning - Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2827: Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy - She was the Alpha, He was the Beta

Romance, Marriage and Dating - Body Language Secret No. 609:  Going from High Heels to Flats and then back to Heels

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1916:  Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise are getting a Divorce - What Body Language Metric could have Predicted this  Back When They Were Dating?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2508:  Surfer Kelia Moniz and a  Classic Flirtatious Body Language Display


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1898: Heat, Hugs & Head Surrogates

When there is true love and sincere affection present during a hug, one head will touch the head of the other. This is even true across species. When the love-affection being expressed is towards a non-living thing - such as a trophy, there is often an emotional nonverbal display with a "head-surrogate". LeBron James (above), Chis Bosh and Dwayne Wade (both below) are exemplifying this body language behavior with the NBA's "Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy". It's as if they are hugging their wives/girlfriends.

In addition, note that the first two images were snapped with James' and Bosh's eyelids being closed. Ninety percent of our sensory input is visual. Forty-percent of the mass of the human brain is dedicated to the vision. Thus when we close our eyes, a bit more blood supply and oxygen get directed to the other four (non-visual) senses as well as the cognitive and emotional centers of our brains. During a sincere hug, we want to drink in the full emotion of the moment - to feel it at its maximum, so we close our eyes. If eyelid closure during hugs begins to wane or is lacking - it is a strongly negative signal of impending relationship failure.

See also:

Analysis # 1423: Head First Affection & Head Surrogate Hugs

Analysis # 992: Gabriell Giffords' and Barack Obama's Hug

Analysis # 771: Ann's & Mitt's Affectionate Hug

Analysis # 39: Affectionate vs. Non-Affectionate Hug

Analysis # 2: Body Language of Blake Lively & Penn Badgley Strongly Suggests an Impending Break-up in Near Future

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Romance, Marriage and Dating Body Language Secret #737: Cuddling with your Feet

When you cuddle - do your feet touch your lover's feet? If there's true love and affection, the answer should be yes. One of the greatest Body Language signals of intimacy - is being emotionally and physically comfortable with our lover touching our feet. When a relationship begins and subsequently progresses to greater levels of affection, it's one of the last that places we'll permit another to touch. Conversely, when the feet begin to drift apart - although it doesn't necessarily mean an impending break-up - it is a signal of a rift developing in the relationship and that repair is in need.

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Body Language and Advertising Secret #101: Contempt doesn't Sell

Advertising 101: Associate your product or service with positive emotions.

Abercrombie & Fitch will pay Mike Sorrentino, aka "The Situation" and the other members of "The Jersey Shore" to NOT wear their clothes. A&F says they're concerned about the association their customers and potential customers may make with Sorentino, et al. Most all advertising is made with "Friendly-Beta" personalities - NOT "Arrogant, over-the-top Alpha" personalities. While there are exceptions to this rule, they are rare. Mr. Sorrentino somehow has come to believe the contempt, his face so often expresses, is somehow attractive and makes him desirable. Abercrombie & Fitch wants to disassociate themselves from "The Jersey Shore", and I'm only surprised that they waited so long to do so.

Contempt is an incredibly negative and destructive emotion. At its fundamental root, it involves the belief that another person or group of people is inferior. At the University of Washington, Dr. John Gottman has found it is THE most predictive indicator of relationship failure. Incredibly, the recipient of contempt is also subjected to significantly increased rates of infections and illnesses. 

Contempt is characterized by a unilateral mid-face tightening. A classic one-sided nostril flaring/dilation is also seen with a snarled/elevated upper lip. There is often forehead tightening and while this contracture may involve its entire width, it very often involves just the central forehead (which indicates a greater level of contempt). It is extremely common for the head to tilt away, rotate away and retract away from the person(s) of contempt. All of these head movements, in particular the tilting, give rise to the familiar "upturned nose" which is so characteristic for this emotion. Also classic for contempt is a (largely unilateral) wrinkling of the nose.

Contempt, like all emotions, may be expressed very quickly (less than 0.5 seconds) in a  microexpression (Ekman). It also may be displayed in a very subtle fashion. While both of these displays are difficult to recognize, almost everyone can be trained to spot them. Not being able to spot contempt can very literally be hazardous to your job, your health and your marriage. Are you missing this emotional display?

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