Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2897: Fifty Shades of Grey - Part II - Warning Signs & Threat Assessment (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

This is the second post regarding the recent movie trailer release of "Fifty Shades of Grey". Dakota Johnson is casted as Anastasia "Ana" Steele - and she does a very good job in this trailer portraying a naive college woman. In stark contrast, Jamie Dornan, who plays Christian Grey, as pointed out in Analysis No. 2894 - has the body language of a sociopath in this trailer.

To reiterate somewhat, the central forehead contraction (aka "CFC" - even when seen in trace amounts) when seen simultaneously with any degree of "mouth smile" is consistent with contempt, incredulity or arrogance. This is not the only nonverbal consistent with these three emotional states. Moreover every human being feels these from time to time. However when the CFC is together with any degree of a "mouth smile" is seen chronically - this is consistent with sociopathic behavior. It also signals very low (or nonexistent) empathy and insincerity. Be warned.

Another nonverbal signal that is present in this very brief segment of this film - are eyelids that are opened wider than normal on a chronic basis. Like everything in the world of body language, specific body language signals must never be interpreted in isolation. Eyes that are opened wider than what for that person is considered baseline (and of course the heights of the upper eyelids varies from person to person and with age) may be seen with higher levels of anger (rage), surprise, shock, and fear. They also can be seen during moment of emphasis during conversation and in such context are a type of nonverbal "illustrator".

Some eyelids are opened wider than normal on a chronic basis however, either very frequently throughout the day or even nearly constantly. This is even indoctrinated in Hollywood from the mad genius (think "Doc Brown" on the "Back to the Future" movies) as well as in almost innumerable animations. Curiously though, this sign is largely ignored in the medical community - even though most would call the appearance "creepy", "weird", or "scary". There are of course some medical conditions which cause the eyelids to be retracted and have this "white and wide" appearance (such as hyperthyroid conditions). These are relatively easy for a physician to exclude however. When a physiologic or other traditional medical condition cannot be found - physiological diagnoses should be diligently sought.

Christian Grey - the character portrayed by Jamie Dornan - is of course a young, wealthy entrepreneur. He is not entitled to be crazy or chronically angry however - nor is anyone of course regardless of their financial status. Note Grey's/Dornan's upper eyelids are opened wider than what is normal. Of course this is only an actor playing a fictional character - but if you see this nonverbal signal displayed chronically or outside the setting of anger (rage), surprise, shock, fear or illustration of emphasis - consider it a red flag. You've been warned. Stay away.

Ted Bundy

James Holmes

Marshall Applewhite

Adam Lanza



























See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2747: Adam Lanza's Warning Sign - Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2503:  Fort Hood Shooter and his Tell-Tale Body Language  Common to many Mass-Killers -  Nidal Malik Hasan gets the Death Penalty

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2828: Elliot Roger, Isla Vista/U.C. Santa Barbara Mass Shooting & Threat Assessment - Body Language and Threat Assessment

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis #1516: Ozzie Guillen Apology, his "Sincerity Quotient" & Fidel Castro

Ozzie Guillen, the outspoken manager of the Miami Marlins, and the first Latino manager to win a World Series (with the Chicago White Sox in 2005), has landed himself in hot water recently for positive comments he's made regarding the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro. He has since been issued a five game suspension.

In the two videos included in this post, Guillen has a very high "Sincerity Quotient". He's certainly an alpha male who's very good at what he does. In strong alpha individuals, it's extremely rare that a genuine apology or an honest and open discussion takes place when such an incident arises. You may like Guillen or "hate" him, but you've to respect this quality. "I'm sorry", "It's my fault", "forgive me" are three of the rarest statements, made in any language - particularly made so authentically.

When I began watching the second video, I was thinking - he should really take off his sunglasses - people will perceive him disingenuously if he leaves them on, etc. Then Ozzie himself spoke about the importance of "looking people in the eye". Later he repeated this as well as the significance being "face to face" when trying to patch things up. Guillen then took off his sunglasses. It was important for him - that other people to look him in the eye and see the sincerity and honesty in his eyes and on his face. He recognized the value of the human-to-human connection made during an apology and the increased ability to transmit such a very heart-felt emotion beyond that of just the words. Words are the symbols for the feelings which are the real movers in the hearts and minds of all those involved. I doubt Ozzie Guillen ever had a body language coach or read a book on nonverbal communication (indeed too few people have experienced either) but he certainly has and listens to his instinct.

Note that Ozzie did not stare at people when apologizing or discussing, if a person's eye contact increases over what it had been (generally speaking over 70% of the time when speaking in good, rapport generating conversation) - particularly when the STARE at someone's eye/eyes - there is an increased chance of deception taking place. Ozzie was not staring. His eyes naturally moved around to different people. If the amount of eye contact drops from baseline (or if a person keeps/puts their sunglasses on) - this also increases the likelihood that a lie is being told.

See also: Secret # 335: What does "Eye Contact" really mean?

Ozzie is sincere. If I were an attorney conducting voir dire (jury selection), I'd pick him any day.

What Guillen may lack in verbal discretion, he certainly makes up for in nonverbal intuition. Go Marlins!

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 779: What Does Staring Indicate?

A question I often hear is: What does staring mean? The answer is not as straight forward as some would like it - for its meaning is dependent on the other body language signals with which it is coupled. When someone is staring at you (not to be confused with someone staring "through you" aka "The Thousand Yard Stare"), six common meanings should spring to mind. Not in any particular order they are: anger, intimidation display, sexual attraction, curiosity, intense concentration or an attempt for a person who is lying to try and look honest/sincere. Intriguingly, a person who is lying may also have diminished eye contact (see Secret # 335: What does "eye contact" really mean?).

This video of a young girl (Sofia) at the Wellington Zoo in New Zealand, shows how staring commonly sets off primal instincts - even across species. It is common for a person (or large felines, dogs, etc.) to go into "protective mode" (flight, fight or freeze) - when being stared at. Instincts often assume the worst, - with the original emotion being completely misinterpreted. Here Sofia's curiosity is being mistaken as a threat. This happens on varying levels in human-to-human interactions billions of times daily. What have you misinterpreted today?

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