Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3808: Felicity Jones' Sincere Smile - Body Language and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTO)

You'll be surprised to know that when asked to make a sincere smile on-demand, most A-list actors are not that skilled at it. This is not the case with Felicity Jones.

In this image, the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (aka Rogue One) actor is displaying all the components of a fully expressed and sincere (aka Duchenne) smile:

1. Eyelids partially closed
2. Temporary furrow in each of her lower eyelids
3. A relaxed (non-contracted) forehead
4. Only the upper teeth visible (see below)
5. Upward vectored cheek muscle contraction

It's important to note that with a sincere, but suppressed smile - there may be no visible teeth at all (upper or lower). Also in the context of sincere laughter, lower teeth may be exposed - so on some occasions with a sincere smile the lower teeth may be seen when crescendoing to or decrescendoing from sincere laughter. However in the vast majority of scenarios, when the lower teeth are exposed, there is an element of insincerity present (perhaps a large one). This is not to say that people who are in any given occasion smiling insincerely are, as a whole, insincere people - it's just that IN THAT MOMENT there's insincerity being projected.

Ms. Jones has the additional quality of blushing easily. While a sincere smile does not require blushing - when it IS present, it's a additional and solid confirmation of sincerity.

Of all the components of a sincere smile, the changes in the eyelids are the most crucial - for without the eyelids being partially closed and without the dynamic furrow made in each of the lower eyelids (unfortunately often Photoshopped out) - the smile cannot be sincere. Thus when trying to smile - forget about what your mouth is doing and think ONLY of your eyes - your mouth will follow in kind. If the opposite is done (if you initiate the "smile" with your mouth) - the eyes rarely follow with sincerity.


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3807: Sarah Paulson's Fear of Flying

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3805: Mariah Carey's New Year's Eve Lip Sync Fail On Live TV

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3803: A Common Gesture of Donald Trump's - Variation on Alpha-Beta Hybrids

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3776: VP Elect Mike Pence Defends Trump's Claim of Voter Fraud

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3763: Matt Smith, Claire Foy and Where NOT to be stung by a Wasp - Body Language, Emotional Intelligence and Predicting Empathy

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3709: Kate Middleton - The face you make when you’re married to a prince but you meet Justin Trudeau

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3591: Jo Cox, The Brexit and Sincere Smiles

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3601: Casey Neistat & Candice Pool - Water Spit Challenge - Body Language, Laughing and Mirror Neurons

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3789: Felicity Jones, Jyn Erso and Tattoos


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3522: Felicity Jones in New Star Wars Trailer: "Rogue One" - Body Language Tells (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Felicity Jones is new lead actor in the next Star Wars film - Rogue One. It will be premier on 16 December 2016. Ms. Jones' character is Jyn Erso and the first trailer was released today.

The following images capture two different moments which are particularly good examples of acted fear.


Felicity's acted fear (0:28) is well displayed in this moment. Note her upper eyelids are opened mildly (her right side) and moderately wide (her left) with increased tension in both of her lower eyelids. There is also tension in her "mustache area" with a mild-to-moderate amount of nostril flaring. In addition, a slight down-turning and pulling back (laterally) of the corners of her mouth can be seen. 

During 0:42 a similar but not identical example of acted fear can be seen. Note Jones' upper eyelids are opened more symmetrically in this example. We see her eyebrows pulled slightly together (medially) by the action of the Corrugator supercilii muscle. Her nostrils are not as flared (vs. the earlier image) and Felicity's mouth is not quite as fearful in this example.

Dramatic and full blown emotional displays are more rare in real life - while subtlety is much more common. Learning to recognize these subtle expressions - and many others (in other people as well as in ourselves) in real-time is crucial to achieving a higher level nonverbal skill (and thus a more emotionally healthy life).

Well done Felicity.


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3521: Woman Mistakes Kevin Hart For Chris Rock

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3030: Rashida Jones, Jimmy Fallon, Twin Peaks, Toy Story 4 ... and a Rarely Recognized Meaning of the Inward Lip Roll

Dating & Romance Nonverbal Communication Secret No. 1010: Rashida Jones - What Makes the Twinkle in Her Eye?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3247: Barack Obama's Response to Question regarding Revoking Bill Cosby's Presidential Medal of Freedom

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3395: President Obama's Oval Office Address, ISIS and the Split-Finger Fastball

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3300: Vladimir Putin, Narcissism and Body Language 

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1916: Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise are getting a Divorce (2012) - What Body Language Metric could have Predicted this Back When They Were Dating?

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