Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3075: Franklin Graham (Billy Graham's son) Blasts Duke University for Muslim "Call to Prayer" (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

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.

Franklin Graham (Billy Graham's son) is featured in the above video rendering his opinion regarding the recent Duke University announcement that they would allow Muslim "Call to Prayer" (for which they have since backtracked on due to security threats).

The three-minute weekly call known as the "Adhan" was to have been broadcasted from the Chapel Bell Tower. Muslim students have been holding payer in the same Chapel's basement for years.

Several times during this video (e.g. Best here exampled during 0:06-0:10, but also during 0:54-0:57, 1:08, 1:37-1:39, 2:01-2:02, 2:07-2:09 and 2:16-2:17 ), Franklin Graham displays examples of what in body language parlance is known as a "Self-Righteous Head Wiggle" (SRHW). A self-righteous head wiggle may be very brief - thus a microexpression or near-microexpressions - yet also lasting to several seconds. While not absolute this nonverbal is usually seen in clusters depending on the length of the conversation. The SRHW is comprised of a rapid side-to-side movement of the head & neck that is high frequency and usually with a mild-to-moderate amplitude.  The SRHW is displayed by a person who is an alpha personality, highly confident, with strong opinions and a self-assured emotional tones and smugness who also believes they are a relative alpha or authority figure.

This body language can only be accurately/best appreciated in the dynamic context of a video (or  a real-time event) rather than still images.

Although the primary movement is a side-to-side wiggle, an additional backwards movement and even a forward vectoring can often also be seen. The backwards movement is often accompanied by nonverbals of disgust, contempt and/or incredulity (and it tends to be seen with larger audiences) - while the forward movement is often clustered with additional emotion signals of arrogance and condescension (and is often being spoken to even lower subordinates and in smaller audiences [and even one-on-one]).

It's extremely common to see an increase in vocal frequency (pitch), volume and speaking speed simultaneous with the SRHW. Similar movements can also be seen involving (or even primarily with) the jaw, torso and even the entire body.

The self-righteous head wiggle is seen very commonly in very traditional settings and/or where hierarchical thinking is prevalent.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2398:  Self Righteous Head Wiggle, Alpha Behavior &  First Drone Flight Off of an Aircraft Carrier

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2561: President Obama's Self-Righteous Jaw Wiggle

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2102:  The Self-Righteous Head Wiggle and the  Conventional Steeple vs.Basketball Steeple

Nonverbal Communication Intelligence No. 2113:  Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran, the U.S. and the  Self-Righteous Head Wiggle

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2339:  Alpha, Beta, Body Language & Rapport Destroyers

Negotiation Body Language Secret No. 345:  Dialing Up Her Alpha

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2440:  Vladimir Putin Dials Up His Alpha ... Foot Position, Projecting Leadership,  Confidence & Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2539: Calvin Johnson, the Index Finger and Alpha Behavior - A Body Language Tell of Mobile Phones 

___________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2557: Senator Kelly Ayotte, the Government Shutdown and the Debt Ceiling - Body Language of a Suppressed Smile vs. Duping Delight (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Kelly Ayotte was a guest on "Face the Nation" this morning. At 2:46 Bob Schieffer asks the Senator from New Hampshire, "What do you think the fall-out is going to be from ah ah from Ted Cruz? Some people say he has led your party into what amounts to a box canyon here, into a place - where there doesn't seem to be anything out. Do you um ... what's your evaluation of the impact he's had?"

Ayotte: "Well I believe the de-funding strategy was a failing strategy from the beginning. It's not something that I supported - although I opposed the health care law ... and we've seen the flaws of the law as it's been rolled out. Ah, but Look where we are, from the beginning, the government's shut down, Obamacare exchanges have still opened. So I just disagreed with the strategy. I think it's time for conservative problem solvers to move forward, to govern the nation, to get things done. That's what Ronald Reagan did and think that's what we need to do as a party."

At 3:11, just after Sen. Ayotte says, "...Well I believe the de-funding strategy was a failing strategy from the beginning...", she displays a partial expression of disgust. This particular display is a microexpression. 

Throughout much of the last portion of this interview Sen. Ayotte displays a partial, suppressed smile. This image captures one of those moments (3:15).

Duping Delight is but one form of Suppressed Smile. In their manifestations they may appear identical, but importantly they have different causes. "Duping Delight" (Ekman) is a partially suppressed smile indicative of the pleasure and thrill some people experience in some acts of deception.

A suppressed smile may of course have origins from causes other than lying however. This video provides multiple examples of non-deceptive suppressed smile. In the last question of this video, Kelly Ayotte exhibits varying degrees of suppressed smiles (and on one occasion of a sincere smile as well as disgust). The cause of her joy arises from feelings associated with being vindicated in her non-support of the de-funding Obamacare strategy.

This smiling and suppressed smiling is out of context to what most consider natural for joy-happiness in the light of the government shut-down and an impending government default. Thus some may classify  this as smugness or arrogance.

Partial smile suppression at 3:16

Partial smile suppression at 3:17

Nearly fully formed Sincere Smile at 3:21.

Note the concave-up furrows in each lower lid although significantly less so formed on her left. Sen. Ayotte's eyelids area also partially closed. Of paramount importance is a relaxed, non-contracted forehead (only small passive wrinkles, but no active muscle contractions in the forehead).

Fully formed Sincere Smile (Duchenne Smile) at 3:22

Senator Ayotte reconfigures to a partially suppressed smile (3:34) wherein the eyes open significantly wider, the  entire width of her forehead contracts and her head-neck rotates and tilts mild to moderately. This nonverbal signal indicates an emotion of sarcasm as well as what other thought-feeling?





When you see smiles out of context they often will be suppressed. In these scenarios always ask yourself the reason for their not wanting their joy-happiness to be fully expressed. Is there deception? Or is there smugness/arrogance? Is there sarcasm? What other emotions-thoughts are possible?

See also:

Negotiation Secret # 140:  Duping Delight Microexpression

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2236:  John Boehner & the Fiscal Cliff Plan B Failure - Body Language of Duping Delight

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2411:  Zimmerman's Attorney, Mark O'Mara's -  Body Language Faux Pas in Court

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2050:  George Zimmerman's Interview on Fox -  Microexpression of Contempt and Duping Delight

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2537: Kenya Mall Attack Witness, Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2507:  Secretary of State Kerry's Disgust - An Oft Overlooked and Camouflaged Body Language Signal

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1496:  Tiger Woods' Disgust & Biofeedback

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 353:  Brad Pitt's Smiling Eyes -  Sincere and Insincere Smiles

Dating & Romance Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1010:  Rashida Jones - What Makes the Twinkle in Her Eye?

________________________________________________________________________________

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

In the video above of President Obama's eulogy for those innocents killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, he names off all twenty of the children, "...Charlotte, Daniel, Olivia, Josephine, Ana, Dylan, Madeline, Catherine, Chase, Jesse, James, Grace, Emily, Jack, Noah, Caroline, Jessica, Benjamin, Avielle, Allison ....", he then says, "God has called them all home. For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on, and make our country worthy of their memory ..." Just after the President says, "memory" (above at 1:15 and imaged at bottom of post) he displays a "Tongue-in-Cheek" nonverbal on his left side. 

The tongue-in-cheek is a facial expression-body language which, when clustered with nonverbals not seen in this example, will indicate other emotions - such as self-righteousness, smugness, "I just caught you" (e.g. gotcha!), "I just won", telling a lie, anger , alpha-dominance and a variation can even signify a sexually provocative display. None of these apply here though. In the nonverbal cluster-context seen in this Newtown address, this display is associated with anxiety and is an act of self-pacifying/self-comforting. Indeed it is a body language form of a MAP (Manipulator, Pacifier, Adaptor) or "self-touching". For most people, delivering a eulogy can certainly be an anxiety provoking experience - even if you're the leader of a country. After such an emotionally wrenching shared-experience that this mass murder was - we all need to be comforted and reassured.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2231: A Common Facial Expression of Mass Killers - Using Body Language as a Threat Assessment Tool

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

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

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

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1153:  President Obama's Tongue in Cheek - in Response to the "Birthers"

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2232: Vicki Soto, a Hero, Body Language and a Mother's Love & Affection  - Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Interview

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2229: President Obama and a Body Language Signal of  Holding Back Grief, Tears & other Negative Emotions 


The Complete Eulogy can be viewed below.

________________________________________________________________________________________