Body Language Analysis No. 4258: Sarah Huckabee Sanders' reaction to the question: "Has the President at Any Time thought about Stepping Down?" - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTO)

On Tuesday, 10 April 2018, during the White House Press Briefing - April Ryan, the Correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks, asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders a historic question. What follows is an analysis of the Press Secretary's nonverbal response.

APRIL RYAN (beginning at 9:28): With all of this turmoil, particularly this last week, has the president at any time - thought about stepping down - before or now?

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: Ah, No - and I think that's a - absolutely ridiculous question. 

APRIL RYAN: No it's not. It's not ridiculous. It's not ridiculous. 

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: I gave you two questions April, we're moving on. Jordan, go ahead Ω

APRIL RYAN: It's not ridiculous.

JORDAN: Thanks. Thanks Sarah. Did § did National Security Advisor, John Bolton force Tom Bossert out of his job?

During 9:36 - Sarah Huckabee Sanders displays Anger - along with overt Contempt as she says, "Ah, No - and I think".

Anger: Note her eyebrows - which are pulled together and vectored downward - along with substantial tension in her lower eyelids.

Contempt: The asymmetry and preferential contraction/elevation of her left, mid-facial region.

During 9:43, just after she says, "Jordan, go ahead" (notated by the Ω symbol), Ms. Huckabee Sanders elevates her Central Forehead - simultaneous with opening her eyelids wider than baseline (Fear) - and a mouth configured in a High-Anxiety + Regret expression.

This is an utterly classic expression - and while, on its own, certainly does not indicate that the President is stepping down - it absolutely does indicate that the Press Secretary is Fearful this is a possibility. 

During 9:47 (notated with the § symbol) we see Sarah Huckabee Sanders displays a second expression of Contempt.

During 9:48 (as Jordan says, "National Security Advisor"), the Press Secretary rubs her upper forehead with her dominant (right) hand. This gesture (one type of MAP [Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier]) is a very common signal of elevated anxiety.


Summary: In this 12-second segment (9:36 - 9:48) - Sarah Huckabee Sanders displays substantial emotional fluctuation, oscillating rapidly from Contempt - to High Anxiety-Fear-Regret - back to Contempt - then back to Anxiety. The Press Secretary's nonverbal behavior is screaming. Her rapid dynamic is a textbook example of Emotional Dissonance. She's having significant difficulty aligning her true thoughts and feelings with her verbal statements.  


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See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4257: Mark Zuckerberg Testifies Before The Senate

Body Language Analysis No. 4255: Roger Stone and Julian Assange 

Body Language Analysis No. 4253: Tiger Woods at The 2018 Masters - Nonverbal Biofeedback, Sport psychology, and Emotional Intelligence 

Body Language Analysis No. 4251: Cristiano Ronaldo's Bicycle Kick vs. Juventus F.C.

Body Language Analysis No. 4229: Sam Nunberg (Part II) • Roger Stone, Robert Mueller, and Lies

Body Language Analysis No. 4198: Lupita Nyong'o, Black Panther, and Attention to Detail

Body Language Analysis No. 4193: Hope Hicks, Sexual Attraction, Armpits, and Elbows

Body Language Analysis No. 4161: Vladimir Putin's Not-So-Poker Face

Body Language Analysis No. 4097: Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, and a Tennis Tongue Tell

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3359: Jeb Bush is Worried - Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

In this interview published on 23 October 2015 with Major Garrett, Jeb Bush among other issues says (beginning at 0:31), "... People in Florida know that I have a proven record of conservative reform. I gotta go share that - and we're startin' to do it in the early states and it's, it's, we're making progress ..."

It's widely known that blinking rate increases with anxiety levels. While this is certainly true, it's always important to compare the blinking frequency changes throughout a conversation. This contextualizes the change in a nonverbal sign (here, the blinking rate) with the verbal content - as well as the paralanguage.

Note that at 0:36, Gov. Bush changes his head from tilted-right to a tilt-left along with a higher pitch of his voice. In addition, his forehead muscles also elevate (contract) along the entire width. During the 0:38 - 0:39 segment, as the republican candidate says, "... it's, we're making progress ...", Gov. Bush then displays a series of rapid blinks.

This cluster of rapid blinking coupled with his forehead contraction and rapid change of head tilt (nonverbal) with his stuttering and re-formulating his response ("... it's, it's, we're ...") (verbal) and elevated pitch (paralanguage) indicate that Jeb Bush does NOT BELIEVE that his campaign is making progress. Thus while Mr. Bush may indeed believe that early polling numbers truly don't matter very much (and many experts would agree) - he still has considerable anxiety that his campaign is not making the progress it should be. Jeb is worried.

 

A Reminder: 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, religious or other agenda.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3358: Hillary Clinton on Stephen Colbert - We Let the Banks Fail Next Time

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3279: Jeb Bush, Donald Trump and the Iowa State Fair 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2322:  Jeb Bush & Matt Lauer - Which one is the Narcissist?  Body Language Red Flags 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3056: Jeb Bush Interview - 14 Dec. 2014 - Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3273: Marco Rubio, The Republican Debate, Monotonous Body Language and Anxiety 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2702: Barack Obama - Anxiety and Non-engagement; Body Language Signals 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3290: Miley Cyrus Undercover, I Witness News & Body Language  
 

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2258: Prince Charles worried about Harry? What his Body Language Says

In this interview Prince Charles expresses his concern for his son Harry - both verbally and nonverbally. The more obvious body language signal of worry seen here are the multiple elevations of the Prince's medial (inner) eyebrows. What is not as well known however is the epiphenomenon of eye movement and how these patterns of dynamism correlate with emotions and thoughts. When right-handed people are discussing issues which are emotionally charged - particularly when dealing with someone with who they have affection for, 95+% of the time they will look down to their right. This body language is clearly seen multiple times throughout this video as Charles speaks about Harry serving in Afghanistan.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2146: Biden vs. Ryan Vice Presidential Debates - Both Candidates Displayed Body Language of Contempt

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1709: Peyton Manning's Agent Does Not Fully Believe

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2247: Barack Obama's Body Language on Meet the Press  "That was the worst day of my Presidency

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2186: Paula Broadwell, David Petraeus, Body Language and the man who would be President ...

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1808: Time Magazine's Breast Feeding, Dr. William Sears, and Attachment Parenting Controversy - Shows Emotional Dissonance at Best

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2107: Andy Murray, Affection and Savoring the Moment

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2: Body Language of Blake Lively and Penn Badgley Strongly Suggests an Impending Break-up in Near Future

Body Language Secret # 105: Parental Affection and Love  

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