Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1403: Gustaf Gets Galled

King Carl XVI Gustaf is angry. What key cues can you spot? There are several that you shouldn't miss.

The most obvious (and somewhat less reliable) sign of anger is the drawing together and downwards of the Swedish Leader's eyebrows. If this were the only facial change we saw, then we also have to consider that Carl was perplexed or intensely concentrating. People in the midst of times of intense thinking are often mistaken for being angry. But as usual, there are other nonverbal cues available.

If you see an increase in exposure of the "whites of the eyes" (sclera) - three primary and common emotions (there are other less common ones though) should immediately spring to mind - anger (moderate to severe), fear and surprise. Note that in particular, the King's right eye has an increased "white and wide" appearance. However, even if we didn't observe this ocular body language, the tension we see in his "mustache area" is certainly driven by this negative emotion. Both of Gustaf's nostrils are flared - consistent with anger and disgust. In particular, the thinning of his lips is highly correlative with anger.

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Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1211: Tiger's Eyes - Subtle Signal, Severe Anger

In this video of Tiger Woods during a recent interview, there is a great example of a subtle signal of severe anger, aka rage. While some have called this a "Stare Down", it is much more nuanced - and the value is in the details. At the 0:52, Alex Miceli a writer from GolfWeek, asks Tiger if it was true that he was considering at one time joining the Navy SEALs at the height of his golf career (referring to Hank Haney's Book, The Big Miss).

The natural position of Tiger's upper eyelids are slightly lower compared with those of most people - that is, he has a mild amount of what is termed "congenital ptosis"(in the colloquial, he has slightly "droopy" eyelids). Thus when there is a change in position of his eyelids, we have to take this detail into account. 

With mild to moderate anger, there is a coming together of the eyelids (that is, the lower eyelids elevate and the upper eyelids are lowered). In common slang, this is often called a "squint" (although a squint can mean different things depending on the context and the other body language it is clustered with, for this discussion, think Clint Eastwood in, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). However in severe anger - aka Rage, the opposite occurs and the upper eyelid elevates while the lower eyelid pulls down (retract). This movement of the lids allows more "whites of the eye" (sclera) to be revealed. Again, Tiger Woods' upper eyelids, in a resting/relaxed state are lower than most people's, but in the seconds after the Navy SEAL question is asked, Tiger's upper lids elevate - indicating considerable anger (particularly at the 1:13 mark). His increased sympathetic nervous system activity and increased adrenaline is of course, unconscious. Tiger's mid-face tightening is also consistent with anger. He subsequently gets a handle on his negative emotion and his smiling even helps to diffuse it.

See also: Secret # 779: What Does Staring Indicate?

See also: Secret # 457: A Contempt Amplifier

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Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1081: Newt's Mouth of Fear

This image of Newt Gingrich taken recently demonstrates a classic nonverbal "mouth of fear", which is a relatively unusual signal to see on a presidential or any head-of-state candidates face. A very brief (less than 0.5 second) display of this expression is one of the most common and recognizable microexpressions. The microexpression of fear may or may not be accompanied by an evanescent opening of the eyelids - displaying more "whites of the eyes".  Once you learn to recognize microexpressions, you'll have an additional window into the psyches of others.

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