Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3165: Bruce Jenner's 20/20 Interview, Part I - Body Language Tell (VIDEO, PHOTO)

Bruce Jenner made his long-awaited appearance on 20/20 last night - discussing his gender-transitioning as well as many other related subjects about which some have been curious. There were numerous nonverbal signals throughout the two hour interview. Request for analyses of this particular interview have been voluminous. These will be broken into several key segments over the next few days.

Jenner begins in this video, "Shouldn't I take my pony tail out? Yeah, why not, huh? We're talking about all this stuff [deep inhalation] Yeah, let's take the damn pony tail out."

As Diane Sawyer notes - it's removal is indeed a symbol - a metaphor for an openness and change. Yet from a nonverbal perspective this goes significantly deeper.

His elbows are vectored out laterally (NOT pointed strait ahead) - thus exposing his open armpits in a significantly-sexual moment. Bruce Jenner is about to announce to the World he is "For all intents and purposes, I’m a woman", and he's projecting his sexuality for all to see. It may sound odd to some, but although he is feeling anxiety - and even fear (see below), in this moment he is for the first time openly a trans-woman and wants to be perceived not only as female in gender - but also sexually. Bluntly stated - Bruce Jenner the (trans-)woman is feeling sexy.

When Jenner fluffs his hair, this preening behavior projects a component of femininity as his more overt sexuality display diminishes.

For fraction of a second, with Bruce blurred in the background, we can see on the monitor Jenner's "Mouth of Fear" (mild-moderate) - with additional jaw clenching and neck muscle tightening ("Neck of Fear"). He is experiencing emotional dissonance - which is very understandable. The former Olympic Gold Medal Decathlete and World record holder is happy this moment has arrived - yet he's fearful too. Who wouldn't be?


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3164: Johnny Depp's portrayal of Whitey Bulger in "Black Mass" trailer

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3162: Robert Downey Jr. walks out of Interview - Star walks out when asked about past

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2840: Shailene Woodley, Jon Steward Show and a Body Language of Sexual Interest Display

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3138: Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes, "God She's Beautiful" and Body Language 

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

___________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3011: Jennifer Lawrence on David Letterman - Tongue-in-Cheek Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Jennifer Lawrence was a guest on "The Late Show with David Letterman" last night. Always hilarious, the talented actress was the source of a multitude of nonverbal moments - just two of which are examined here.

3:18

Although somewhat low-resolution - here we can see David Letterman's tongue-in-cheek display (to the right side of his mouth) after he learned what Justine Ciarrocchi said when she and Lawrence first met (Ciarrocchi is Jennifer's friend who then became her personal assistant and who Letterman had met earlier in the green room).

3:19

The tongue-in-cheek migrates as Dave pushes forward and down, just above his front, lower teeth - pushing his lip out.






The tongue-in-cheek can have a variety of meanings depending on the other nonverbals with which it is clustered - such as: "I just won", "I gotcha", sadness/grief, deception, anger - or, as it does here - projecting sexuality.

3:49

Justine Ciarrocchi is shown here in the instant before (unbeknownst to her) she goes on camera.

This body language cluster of leaning forward, edge-of-seat positioning, hands covering an open mouth, eyes open widely and forehead contracted - is a highly classic configuration of anticipation.



See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3010: McStay Family Murders - Body Language Signs of a Sociopath

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2796: Olivia Wilde, Butter, Jon Stewart and the Tongue in Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2665: Nick Saban's "Tongue in Cheek" Body Language - What Does It Mean?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2434:  Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding  Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2899: Jennifer Lawrence, Katniss Everdeen, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I" Trailer and Recognizing Facial Components of Fear-Surprise

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2316:  Jennifer Lawrence's Response to Her Oscar Stumble -  Silver Linings Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2604: Obamacare Girl "Adrianna" on GMA - Body Language Harbingers of ....

_________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2876: President Obama on Key Bridge regarding John Boehner's Lawsuit - "So Sue Me" - (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Last week Barack Obama stood next to the Key Bridge and taunted Republicans. In response to John Boehner's lawsuit, the President said, " .... so sue me! ..."

As usual, any person even briefly speaking regarding any emotional subject gives up a lot of body language tells - and here Mr. Obama is no exception.

Below is a partial nonverbal analysis of one particular signal.

" ... Boehner sued me for this; and I told him, 'I'd rather do things with you - pass some laws - make sure the Highway Trust Fund is funded so we don't lay off hundreds of thousands of workers'; it's not that hard. [tongue in cheek during 1:57-2:00] Middle class families can't wait for republicans in congress to do stuff ...."



The word "hot" is an example of a homonym; thus a woman may be described as "hot", ISIS is a "hot" topic, it's "hot" out in Phoenix, or a particular Peperoncini is "hot" - all have different meanings. Yet we have no difficulty discerning these meanings here because of the other words accompanying them in their respective sentences. Unbeknownst to many - there are multitudes of nonverbal homonyms as well. So be careful to never interpret a body language signal in isolation.

Depending on the other nonverbals with which it is clustered, a "Tongue in Cheek" has several possible meanings. It can indicate "I just won", "I gotcha", sadness/grief, anger, deception, and even (but certainly not the meaning in this example) a projection of sexuality. Which of the other nonverbals seen clustered here in this video give President's tongue in cheek an accurate meaning within this context?

See also:

Nonverbal Communication 2875: Eugenie Bouchard, Wimbledon and Tongues - Body Language Nuance

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2796: Olivia Wilde, Butter, Jon Stewart and the Tongue in Cheek - Body Language 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352:  Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek  Graham Norton Part II

Nonverbal Communication Quiz-Analysis No. 2869: Barack Obama's Executive Action on Immigration Reform, The Rose Garden 30 June 2014 - Sincere or Insincere?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2843: Barack Obama & Vladimir Putin in Normandy

________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2663: Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy Engaged - A Body Language Sign of Affection (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy have just announced their engagement via Wozniacki' twitter account (New Year's Eve 2013).

Wozniacki and McIlroy are both former World No. 1 ranked athletes in tennis and golf respectively.

Why it's possible to have love without (or with minimal) affection, when affection is felt and displayed - love is also present (though of course it's not always romantic love). 

... And within the context of romantic relationships - when affection is waning, it's a warning signal that love many be very well also be diminishing.

In all three of these images both Wozniacki's and McIlroy's head & neck are leaning towards each other - displaying certain affection.

Body Language signals of affection are often poorly understood and unfortunately often confused with and "lumped-in" with sexuality and sexual displays. This is particularly true when it comes to dating, romantic and/or marital scenarios.  And while affection can and should exist during sex - affection (and therefore affectionate displays) can and should "stand on their own" for romantic love to be healthy and project longevity.

Quick - how many affectionate nonverbal signals can you think of? How many do you display on a regular basis?

See also:

Sincerity Secret # 20: Fiero Feels Good, Caroline Wozniacki & Our Mirror Neurons

Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1423:  Head First Affection &  Head Surrogate Hugs

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2643: Is this Hug More Sexual or Affectionate? Student Suspended One Year for Hugging a Teacher

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2662: Mike Shanahan Fired - A Man of Many Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2599: Spotting Subtle Signals of Arrogance - Tiger Woods and Rachel Nichols

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2478:  Acting Affectionate Engenders Affection  Body Language and Strangers 

Body Language Secret # 105: Parental Affection and Love

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2502:  A Body Language Sign of True Love & Affection -  A Father Reunited with Young Son Who He Believed died in  Syria Poison Gas Attack 

Romance, Flirting & Dating Body Language Secret # 1893:  Nonverbal Communication of the Facial Platter 

Dating & Romance Body Language Secret # 2020:  The Art of Looking Flirtatious

Romance and Dating Secret # 231:  A Classic Female Sexual Display 



________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2445: Sasha Alexander on Conan O'Brien - Sexually Provocative Displays (Video, Photos)

Sasha Alexander recently appeared on Conan. Just as O'Brien asked her about how she acts in sexually provocative scenes, she unconsciously displayed some very specific examples of such emotions before her later fictional-acting demonstration. This should come as no surprise, for even though she is a talented actress - this is NOT method acting. Like the rest of us, regardless of our professions - Sasha is first human.

At 0:07 she displays an evanescent "tongue in cheek" nonverbal along with a suppressed but sincere smile. Here a bulge can be seen created by her tongue against her right cheek

The body language of a tongue in cheek has several meanings depending on the other nonverbals with which it is clustered. Here it is sexually provocative. Some of the other meanings include sadness or grief, "I gotcha" or "I just one", an alpha dominant signal or even the telling of a lie.

Intriguingly the action of tongue in cheek helps to facilitate the suppression of other facial tells - such as duping delight (which often still is displayed a moment later) and it even may help to reduce the onset of tears in the setting of grief & sadness.

Moreover tongue in cheek displays tend to used one side when it is associated with an alpha signal (e.g. sexuality or I gotcha) and the opposite side when seen with a beta signal (lying, the suppression of crying).

A few seconds later during 0:13 - 0:15 the beautiful actress is feeling sincere sexual energy. This is completely understandable in the context of her confident sexuality and ability to act in this same way is brought to attention. Here she defaults momentarily to one example of a natural and normal baseline sexual display. When a woman's elbows move out significantly laterally, exposing the armpit(s) it is a strong sexual signal of readiness and/or attraction. This is often done in a brief preening display of a false hair adjustment. It's not that the hair is not being adjusted - but it is an epiphenomenon of the primary activity of armpit exposure. This movement puts the breasts on display and releases pheromones and/or pheromone-like substances which facilitate attraction. There is also the added and highly significant appeal of a sincere (Duchenne) smile of joy-happiness.

In short, in these moments Sasha is feeling alpha sexual.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2434:  Brad Pitt's Tongue-in-Cheek regarding  Reasons for Choosing to Work on "World War Z"

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352:  Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek  Graham Norton Part II

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2085:  Dina Eastwood - Tongue-in-Cheek Variant

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2233:  Body Language, President Obama, 20 Children and the Tongue-in-Cheek

Romance and Dating Secret # 231:  A Classic Female Sexual Display

Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1805:  The Most Beautiful Woman in the World  What Makes Her Even More Alluring?  Aishwarya Rai 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2313:  Elisa Lam Video in Elevator at Cecil Hotel -  What Her Body Language Tells Us ....

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352: Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek Graham Norton Part II

Mila Kunis' Body Language on Graham Norton - the sequel:

After using this same video yesterday, I couldn't resist a re-visit once again for it is just loaded with great examples. At the 1:05 mark, while making James Franco squirm in his chair somewhere (for she was filling in for him at the eleventh hour), Ms. Kunis demonstrates a great example of a "Tongue-in-Cheek". This nonverbal can have different meanings depending on the other body language signs with which it is clustered. Here it indicates, "I gotcha", "you were caught" or "I just won" (directed at Franco in his absence). It has a component of self-righteousness and smugness as well.

Depending on the other nonverbals with which it is clustered, the tongue-in-cheek can have other meanings (none of which are present in this example) include: an alpha dominant display, anger, sexuality (which tends to involve the tongue in a more forward direction, a slower movement and with tongue visible), telling a lie, or even to sooth oneself in times of sadness and grief.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1892:  Harry Reid, "That's a Clown Question Bro!" -  Tongue in Cheek

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1153:  President Obama's Tongue in Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2093: Ann Curry's Tearful Goodbye - Matt Lauer's Classic "Tongue-in-Cheek" and Duplicitous Smile

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2085:  Dina Eastwood - Tongue-in-Cheek Variant

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2233:  Body Language, President Obama, 20 Children  and the Tongue-in-Cheek

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2215:  Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio Joke and Hint regarding the  2016 Presidential Race - "Tongue-in-Cheek" Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Secret # 48:  A Lizard Tongue gives us a Great Glimpse into  Katie Holmes' Psyche

___________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1779: Girl with a Pear Earring, Johannes Vermeer, Scarlett Johansson & Emotional Dissonance - Pain & Concern mixed with Flirting, Sexuality & Attractiveness

The Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer was amazingly gifted, particularly with his use of light. He is most recognized for the masterpiece,"Girl with a Pearl Earring". In her 1999 historical novel of the same name, Tracy Chavelier re-introduced the painting to popular culture and in 2003 it was made into a movie starring Scarlett Johansson who bears an uncanny likeness to Johannes' subject.

The Girl with the Pearl Earring is also known by the metaphor, "The Dutch Mona Lisa" - and while many would argue that the earring itself is the focal point of the painting, it is really the lovely Scarlett's and her doppelganger's eyes and mouth. 

In both Vermeer's original and the recent movie redux, there are elements of emotional dissonance present. The original model's eyebrows are slightly elevated medially (central eyebrows) indicating a trace amount of emotional (or physical) pain. However, the image of Johansson (below) does not display this nonverbal - her central eyebrows are directed slightly downwards. In contrast to these subtly sad-painful & concern/concentration expressions, both Scarlett's character and the original are looking back at us, over their shoulders with heads lowered slightly - and thus upward gazing eyes. This configuration also makes the eyes appear larger. This combination (cluster) body language is particularly flirtatious and universally attractive to men and also engenders a male protective instinct (Pease). The slightly parted lips in both images - as if she (they) are about to speak - is also especially sexually provocative.

Johannes Vermeer had the advantage of choosing to pain slightly larger pupils than may have been present. Larger diameter pupils are universally attractive and had Scarlett Johansson had her pupils medically dilated or if the image was computer-modified to make her's look larger, this would have increased the actress's "attractiveness quotient".

Another contrast between these two versions - is seen in their shoulders, this time with the modern version being more provocative. Johansson's left shoulder is raised while the original's is not. The raised shoulder in this context is more attractive and flirtatious. If her shoulder was also bare, an even greater level of sexuality would be expressed.

See also:

Secret # 2020: The Art of Looking Flirtatious

Secret # 33: Classically Flirtatious

___________________________________________________________________________________