Body Language Analysis No. 4240: Cambridge Analytica's CEO, Alexander Nix (Part I) - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Cambridge Analytica, the data analytics company now infamous for its work on President Donald Trump's Presidential campaign, has suspended their CEO, Alexander Nix. An undercover video released recently shows him discussing the use of sexual entrapment and potential bribery.

Before his suspension, Alexander Nix gave an interview with the BBC's Emily Maitlis (a portion of which is included above), wherein he displayed a multitude of tells. What follows is a spotlight of one particularly valuable nonverbal signal.

ALEXANDER NIX: Well, it's certainly right, that he, he gave us access to, to a data set. Ahum, I think that we would disagree with ah, th-, the voracity of, ah, the claims concerning, ah, how powerful this - this, this data was. Ahum, we ran ahum - many models over a period of time, trying to understand if we could use this data in a meaningful way - and ultimately (0:24), ahum, it proved to be - fruitless. Ahum, and, and so we moved down a, a different avenue.

EMILY MAITLIS: 'Cause he says that the data came not just from using the apps - but from a far wider circle of friends - or their contacts - gave you status updates, likes, personal messages. So from touching two hundred thousand people - you expanded into their entire social networks which scaled you to most of America.

During 0:24, as he says the word "ultimately"  ("... Ahum, we ran ahum - many models over a period of time, trying to understand if we could use this data in a meaningful way - and ultimately (0:24), ahum, it proved to be - fruitless. ..."), Mr. Nix displayed a great example of what is known as an Asymmetrical Blink (subconsciously, blinking only with one eye).

To be clear, an asymmetrical blink is NOT a wink. Winking is a fully conscious and deliberate behavior.

Asymmetrical Blinking is a nonverbal signal which indicates thought-emotions of:

• Contempt
• Sarcasm
• Pretentiousness 
• Feigned Disbelief

In this particular context, Feigned Disbelief is profoundly important. Alexander Nix believes, very much, that Cambridge Analytica's data did indeed bear fruit.

It's helpful to think of Asymmetrical Blinking as a Unilateral, Partially Suppressed Eye Roll.

Summary: Alexander Nix's nonverbal behavior indicates he's being deceptive. He's overacting his incredulity.

Nix's Asymmetrical Blinking behavior, is perfectly encapsulated in a line from Hamlet, as Queen Gertrude says, (apologies to Shakespeare), "The Gentlemen doth protests too much, methinks".

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See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4239: Donald Trump Proposes The Death Penalty for Drug Dealers

Body Language Analysis No. 4237: OJ Simpson - The Lost Confession - Part I

Body Language Analysis No. 4235: Beware the Ides of March • Donald Trump removing H.R. McMaster

Body Language Analysis No. 4233: Donald Trump Regarding His Firing of Rex Tillerson

Body Language Analysis No. 4203: Mikaela Shiffrin and the R2E2 Expression

Body Language Analysis No. 4196: Trey Gowdy on "Face The Nation"

Body Language Analysis No. 4167: Gary Oldman, Hugh Jackman, and Compliments

Body Language Analysis No. 4104: Walter Cronkite Reaction to JFK Assassination

Body Language Analysis No. 4011: Anthony Scaramucci's First UK Interview

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Body Language Analysis No. 3979: Ivanka Trump, "I Try to Stay Out of Politics" - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Ivanka Trump was a guest today on "Fox and Friends". During her interview, the Senior White House adviser and daughter of Donald Trump said, "You know, I try to stay out of politics".

At multiple times during this exchange, Ivanka Trump spoke with her mouth in an asymmetrical configuration - sometimes highly asymmetrical.

Whenever a person speaks out of one side of their mouth, we should always consider several possibilities:

1. A constant, long-term habit. This is a tic-like behavior and is much more commonly displayed by men. Ivanka Trump is only displaying this signal intermittently - thus this etiology is not applicable here.

2. Another explanation to consider for asymmetrical mouth configurations are medical causes - such as trauma, nerve and/or muscle palsies (e.g., Bell's Palsy) or a stroke. None of these possibilities apply in Ms. Trump's case.

3. Another intriguing category of behaviors includes those of the overlapping swagger/hubris/bravado/sarcasm.

4. Insincerity and deception are another possibilities to consider when you see a person speaking out of one side of their mouth. It's crucial to stress that while a person can be a generally sincere individual, they may be lying at any given moment. The reverse is also true - a person who is chronically insincere can be "caught telling the truth". Thus a person's sincerity level incorporates a greater aspect of their personality, whereas the telling of any given lie does not predict an overall personality pattern.

In this particular case example, which of last two categories describes the cause(s) for Ivanka Trump's asymmetrical speaking behavior? What other specific nonverbal signal(s) assists in differentiating between swagger/hubris/bravado/sarcasm vs. insincerity/deception?

It's of profound importance to stress that individuals who speak out of one side of their mouth are judged to be less trustworthy compared to others with a mouth that's symmetrical in shape. This interpretation is universal - true across all cultures - regardless of the person's level of nonverbal training.


Group Appearances and One-on-One
Online Courses Available 
702-239-8503
Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com

See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 3978: Keanu Reeves, Chuck Spadina, Sincerity, and Empathy

Body Language Analysis No. 3976: Bill Conner bicycles 1,400 miles to hear his daughter's beating heart again

Body Language Analysis No. 3974: Elle Fanning, Robert De Niro, and Easter

Body Language Analysis No. 3972: Vladimir Putin, Oliver Stone, and a Facial Expression Red Flag

Body Language Analysis No. 3970: Kamala Harris and Jeff Sessions, Part II - Deception, Alpha, and Beta Behavior

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3814: Claire Foy's recounting of Meeting Kate Winslet

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3782: Zoey Deutch, Ryan Seacrest and Embarrassment

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3760: Rory McIlroy's "Little Interviews"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3624: Terrorist Attack in Nice, France


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Body Language Analysis No. 3937: Mr. Lavrov Goes To Washington - “Was he fired? You’re kidding!” - Sergey Lavrov, Rex Tillerson, and James Comey - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

This past Wednesday, 10 May 2017 - only a day after Donald Trump fired FBI Director, James Comey - Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador, Sergey Kislyak visited with President Trump in the Oval Office. The video clip above was captured in the US State Department on that same day. Many people have noted and commented regarding Minister Lavrov's sarcastic quip - but almost no one saw what feelings he betrayed on his face just prior to his retort.

What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis.

After Secretary Tillerson's Statement, Journalist Andrea Mitchell asks Minister Lavrov (beginning at 0:27), "Does the Comey firing cast a shadow over the talks, gentleman?"

Minister Lavrov answers, "Was he fired? You're kidding? You're kidding?"

For a split-second, as Ms. Mitchell says, the word, "... talks ..." (0:30), the Russian Foreign Minister displays an excellent example of a what is known as a microexpression. This reaction is involuntary and subconsciously driven.

Note that his eyelids open very widely - albeit extremely briefly. His mid-face also contracts - primarily in his "mustache area" as well as with flaring of his nostrils. Lavrov's mouth only moves a trace amount.

Thus this particular Microexpression is that of Fear. Something Andrea Mitchell said triggered in Lavrov an evanescent emotion of fear.

Watch this several times with a full screen and in slow motion. You'll also see his eyes, briefly looking forward, focus on the middle-distance, and rapidly fixate back-and-forth several times. This is an epiphenomenon of rapid cognitive and emotional processing when faced with something unexpected. This nonverbal dynamic is profoundly valuable in the negotiation, sales, and legal professions - for it's a signal of panic. And this is a textbook classic response.

What happens next is also very telling - for in his recovery from fear, Minister Lavrov makes a very universal and very human mistake - he overcompensates.

During 0:35 Mr. Lavrov:

• Closes his eyelids for a long duration. This action indicates a dismissive emotional tone, physiological blocking, and also acts as a contempt amplifier.
• Tilts his head quickly to the side - projecting dismissiveness (e.g., You are dismissed, this is beneath me, etc.). This emotion shares a large overlap with Contempt.
• Displays a very open and classic Contempt expression on his face (his right side)

       0:36 

• Turns and shakes his head quickly, side-to-side and then walks away

Summary:

Sergey Lavrov was rattled by something in Andrea Mitchell's question. It's as if, for a moment, his psyche feared he had been caught (perhaps he even misunderstood something she said). Then he recovered - but in his defensiveness, Lavrov over-steered with his response. This nonverbal-verbal-paralanguage cluster display is absolutely classic for this behavior.


Group Appearances and One-on-One
Online Courses Available 
702-239-8503
Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 3396: Donald Trump's first interview after Firing James Comey

Body Language Analysis No. 3394: Donald Trump's (False) Praising of James Comey

Body Language Analysis No. 3932: Raúl Labrador's Town Hall statement, "Nobody dies because they don't have access to healthcare..."

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3930: Emmanuel Macron, Hacking, and Anger

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3912: Keri Russell's Schadenfreude, Matthew Rhys' Fear, and a Hesitancy to Disclose

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3887: Why Does Donald Trump Point at People So Often?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3857: Taunting a Snowplow Driver - Belleville, Ontario

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3835: Beauty and the Beast – Official Final Trailer

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3561: Catchphrase, Andy Samberg, Bryce Harper, Gigi Hadid and Body Language


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3653: Donald Trump, ISIS Sarcasm and Duping Delight - Body Language and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Donald Trump has now backtracked on his claims that President Obama and Hillary Clinton founded ISIS. Earlier today Trump said via a tweet: "Ratings challenged @CNN reports so seriously that I call President Obama (and Clinton) "the founder" of ISIS, & MVP. THEY DON'T GET SARCASM?"

The video above is from a speech Mr. Trump gave yesterday in Orlando. Of course this appearance contains thousands of various nonverbal tells, but for the purpose of this particular analysis, a single yet highly significant one is highlighted.

Trump continues (beginning at 45:04), "You know that ISIS is now - ISIS is now - and you saw this - came out today - they tried to hold what's - they're up to 28 countries, they're in 28 countries. They were in 8 a while ago, now they're in 28 countries. And they tried to suppress the information - I assume it was the Obama Administration - and it came out today what's going on - it's getting stronger - it's getting bigger - and I've been saying - that Barack Obama is the founder... "

When Trump says the word, "... founder ..." (during 45:38), he displays a suppressed smile. It's subtle but very important. Although several images of this split second are included below, it is important that the video be examined as it the captures the dynamics which a still photo cannot. Replay this segment several times at the regular speed, but also at 1/2, 1/4 and even 2x speeds. You should be able to see a subtle suppressed smile during this key moment. The only reason for a smile (or a suppressed smile) during this sentence is either:

• Trump believes Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton founded ISIS and this perception gives him joy-happiness.

          or

• Trump doesn't believe his own statement, but is taking sincere joy-happiness in his deception of (or in his attempt to deceive) his audience into believing this fabrication. 

Because of Trump's tweet this morning, we now know the second scenario is true (and of course also due to a massive amount of data collected my many countries' intelligence agencies as well as other investigative organizations over the past several years).

In nonverbal parlance, this is an example of what is known as "Duping Delight" (Ekman) and is a profoundly classic nonverbal tell. Mr. Trump's psyche was taking sincere pleasure in his deception and this duping delight is clear evidence.

This website serves as a reference source for the art and science of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the author. 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. 3652: Simone Manuel & Penny Oleksiak Win Olympic Gold

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3649: Donald Trump's Endorsement of Paul Ryan

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3638: Hillary Clinton's DNC Speech - and One Expression Which Profoundly Lowers Her Likability

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3619: Lone Protester, Baton Rouge Police and Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3587: The Orlando Mass Shooting, Omar Mateen and Warning Signs - Body Language Red Flags

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3500: Gal Gadot's last name used to be "Greenstein"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3563: Ariana Grande, Lip Stick and Microexpressions

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3526: Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler Meet - the Munich Agreement


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3158: ESPN's Britt McHenry's Narcissistic, Berating Rant of a Tow Company Employee - A Valuable Body Language Teaching Point (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

ESPN's Britt McHenry has become infamous in the last few days. Her berating of a tow company clerk will win her few fans. Besides her dramatic and multiple verbal examples of narcissism, the viral video also provides multiple classic nonverbal teaching points. The camera is not directed at the best angle to illustrated most of these body language/facial expressions - however one tell in particular she repeats and this is isolated and discussed below.

0:48

When asking a sarcastic question, one of a rhetorical nature, or a manipulative (clandestine) question that one already knows (or believes they know) the answer to - the entire eyebrows along with the entire width of the forehead elevate (this premise does not always hold when it's only the inner eyebrows and central forehead). Thus when the entire width of the eyebrows elevate during a question - it indicates insincerity. In this first image (during 0:48 and also somewhat less dramatically below at 0:36), Ms. McHenry is obviously being (among other things) dramatically sarcastic.

0:36

Yet a high percentage of times this nonverbal tell is seen during conversation when sincerity is being feigned and manipulation is ongoing (very often successfully).

Take hope point: When the entire width of the eyebrows elevate during a question - it's a big red flag, for at the very least it indicates insincerity - and very often deception and manipulation. The person asking already knows (or thinks they know) the answer!

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3157: A Body Language Characteristic of Ed Miliband which makes Him Less-Likable

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. 3074: A Body Language Tell of Bad Actors and ....

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2275:  Lance Armstrong's Insincerity -  Body Language revealed in Oprah Winfrey Interview  Part III

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3127: Hillary Clinton's Press Conference and a Body Language Down-regulator of Sincerity

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3129: Robert Durst, HBO's "The Jinx" and Body Language

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