Body Language and Medical Analysis No. 4221: Why are Donald Trump's Pupils So Dilated? - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTOS)

Why are Donald Trump's pupils intermittently so Dilated?

You probably haven't noticed, but President Trump's pupils are intermittently much larger than normal (the intermittent pattern is crucial). From a medical standpoint, this is not at all subtle or to be dismissed - on the contrary, it is glaring. Sirens Blaring. Red flashing lights. 

I write this article with the expertise of both an ophthalmologist as well as a body language expert.

In the image above Trump's pupils are approximately 8.0 mm. The dark-adapted eyes of a healthy 12-year-old may have 8.0 mm pupils - but in an unmedicated 70-year-old with healthy eyes, in a well-lit room - the statistical odds of such large pupil size approaches zero. 

Why is this significant? Dilated pupils, to this degree, would not occur in a 70-year-old, in a well-lit room unless there is either disease, injury or a pharmacologic cause present. Trump's pupils are frequently but intermittently this large (sometimes they are indeed within normal size limits).

Trump's enlarged pupils are much less likely a sign of a significant undiagnosed or undisclosed medical condition - and much more likely, a side effect of a drug/medication (one of a relatively small group of drugs).

Pupils react to both Light and Near Focusing - but also change with age

Most people know that exposure to light causes the pupils to constrict. However, you may not know that focusing on an object close up (e.g., when reading) will also cause pupils to constrict. These physiologic findings are normal for all healthy eyes. We cannot medically test for these stimuli (response to a bright light or response to focusing at near) on Donald Trump by evaluating available video or photos - however, at least with response to light, we can make some reasonable estimations.

You also may not realize that, under equal lighting conditions, pupils will become smaller with age. Thus an infant has much larger pupils than a 70-year-old. This change, generally speaking, isn't very noticeable (for most casual observers) until a person reaches their 30s or 40s - and even then it's not dramatic. But certainly, this difference is much more noticeable in a 71-year-old.

Donald Trump's pupils are very frequently larger (often much larger) than they should be for healthy eyes of his age. His pupils are very often as large as they would be if they were medically dilated by an ophthalmologist (with eye drops, such as Tropicamide and Phenylephrine).

As a control, we can compare Trump's pupils to those who have interviewed him, and are under the same light conditions. In the images immediately above and below, we see Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson during a 15 March 2017 interview. 

Trump's pupils are approximately 5.0 mm in diameter while Carlson's are 3.0 mm.  Carlson is 23 years younger than Trump, thus all other things being equal, Carlson's pupils under equal light conditions should be larger - not equal, let alone smaller - than Trump's pupils.

 

Are Donald Trump's Large Pupils a complication Cataract Surgery? 

This is highly doubtful


Cataracts are an entirely normal aging process. Virtually all 71-year-old people have at least mild evidence of cataracts (and certainly they may be moderate or advanced) and thus many will have cataract development to a degree for which surgery is indicated. And while it's not entirely clear if Trump has had cataract surgery, some of the available images online are physically close and with high enough resolution to suggest this is the case.

For several decades it's been considered at least a mild-to-moderate surgical complication to have a permanently dilated pupil (or partially/permanently/poorly reactive pupil) after cataract surgery. This complication can be thought of as a form of micro-trauma to the iris. Such findings are often a signal that other complications also occurred during surgery. While even in the best surgeon's hands, complications do occur, the likelihood that Trump had this complication in both eyes, is extremely unlikely - because each pupil constricts and contracts - a healthy quality.

Large pupils after cataract surgery often cause a lot of unwanted symptoms (e.g., glare, reflection, increased astigmatic effect, photophobia, etc.). It's possible that Trump has some of these symptoms, but probably not to any significant degree. Indeed, if the iris is damaged - leaving large pupils after cataract surgery, often a secondary procedure is performed to make the pupil smaller - thus minimizing any of the above-mention symptoms.

Trump's pupils are equal (or very closely so). And although they are often larger than normal, they do vary in size and are at times "within normal limits". This finding eliminates surgical complications as a cause of Trump's often larger pupil size. Pupils damaged as a result of surgery wouldn't respond in this manner.

In this image, his pupils are 3.5 - 4.0 mm (the slight difference in his pupil size [known as physiologic Anisocoria] is not significant or medically noteworthy - although certainly if one pupil was much larger or much smaller, it would be very important). So here we see that his pupils ARE indeed ABLE to contract to a smaller size - and this is crucial. But the question is - why are they intermittently so large, so often?

Are Trump's large pupils due to him deliberate dilating his own pupils with eye drops?  This is highly doubtful.

Medications such as Atropine, Scopolamine, Phenylephrine, Tropicamide, Homatropine, and Cyclopentolate are used to dilate pupils for ophthalmic examinations. These are also used to treat certain medical conditions in the eyes. Most notably these include various inflammatory conditions (Iritis, Uveitis, etc.). These conditions will often be correlated with diseases which frequently have serious ramifications for other parts of the body (thus may represent ophthalmic manifestations of systemic diseases).

Occasionally, people will deliberately dilate their pupils so as to feign a medical condition and thus seek attention (Munchausen syndrome). This is an extremely unlikely cause in the case of President Trump's pupils - for he always tries to present himself as extremely healthy.

Very uncommonly to rarely, a person will inadvertently get a bit of medication or a chemical compound in their eye which will dilate a pupil. There are even species of plants, which, upon gardening and then rubbing one's eye will have this effect. When this occurs, it will almost always effect only one eye - not both. Again, a long-term observation of Trump's eyes negates this possibility.

Are Trump's large pupils due to Trauma? This is highly doubtful

What about trauma? Could eye or head trauma cause a person's pupils to be large? Yes - but not in Trump's case.  Since Donald Trump's pupils change in size over time, and they are round (not irregular in shape) and equal in size - trauma can be eliminated as a cause.

What about a Disease or other Medical Condition?

Below is a list of medical causes of Enlarged Pupils, none of which applies in Trump's case, for multiple reasons, but in particular because his pupil size changes over time and also would have multiple other associated symptoms with any of these conditions.

Adie's Pupils, bilateral
Botulism
Cardiac Arrest
Cranial Nerve III (Oculomotor nerves), partial and bilateral,
Diabetes Mellitus
Diphtheria
Dysautonomia
Encephalitis
Guillain–Barré syndrome
Hypermagnesemia
Hypothermia
Increased Intracranial Pressure
Iris scaring (synechia) secondary to injury or inflammatory disease (Iritis/Uveitis)
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Sarcoidosis
Sylvian Aqueduct Syndrome
Syphilis (Neurosyphilis)
Tumors/space occupying lesions
Venom from various poisonous animals (certain snakes, spiders, octopi, and fish)
Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome

What about Medications/Drugs as a Cause of Trump's Large Pupils?

This cause is Highly Likely

Are Trump's large pupils caused by Systemic Drugs? (medications not used in eye drops [as mentioned above], but taken by mouth or by other means) - From a medical standpoint, this is highly probable.  Here's a of list of the possibilities (of course, anesthesia and those labeled with "poisoning" and "overdose" don't apply):

5-HT2A receptor-mediated psychedelic drugs

5-Hydroxytryptophan

Adrenaline

Amphetamines
Anesthesia (deep general anesthesia or near-total spinal anesthesia) 

Antidepressants such as (such as TCAs [overdosage], SSRIs, SNRIs, and MAOIs)

Antihistamine overdose

Barbiturates

Bretylium intoxication  

Chlorphentermine

Cocaine

Cyanide poisoning

Dopamine

Ephedrine

Fenfluramine

Glutathimide overdose

Methanol poisoning 

MDMA (Ecstasy)

Noradrenaline

Propranolol overdose

Quinine toxicity

Trimethaphan

Tryptophan overdose


Summary: President Donald Trump's pupils are intermittently and significantly dilated - from a medical standpoint, this is NOT normal. The ambient light conditions cannot account for such changes. At other times they are within normal limits. This intermittent pattern is NOT due to trauma, complications from surgery, or disease. I have not examined Donald Trump and I have no firsthand knowledge of him - however, the myriad of photographic evidence available online seems to point strongly to the remaining possible etiology - Donald Trump's Intermittently Dilated Pupils are due to the side effects of drugs/medications.

Recent reports by journalist Kurt Eichenwald are consistent with this conclusion. 

I invite everyone to refute or confirm these medical findings - particularly those physicians with neuro-ophthalmology expertise.

I also suggest that an independent party set up a publicly available, online photo/video diary to chronologically highlight and monitor President Trump's pupils. 

Media Inquiries and Keynote Appearances 
One-on-One and Online Courses Available 
BodyLanguageEQ.com
Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com
702-239-8503

See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4367: Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer Argue in the Oval Office - The Border Wall and Government Shutdown

Body Language Analysis No. 4374: Nancy Pelosi's Clap-Back to Donald Trump during the 2019 SOTU

Body Language Analysis No. 4219: Ivanka Trump's Reaction to Question regarding Donald Trump's Sexual Assault Accusers

Body Language Analysis No. 4373: Matthew Whitaker's Press Conference regarding Robert Mueller's Investigation

Body Language Analysis No. 4371: "Mr. President ... have you ever worked for Russia? Yes or no?" - Donald Trump's Reaction

Body Language Analysis No. 4370: Donald Trump, Fist-Pumping, and Vladimir Putin at 2017 G20

Body Language Analysis No. 4363: Ivanka Trump's GMA Interview

Body Language Analysis No. 4339: Pre-Confession Interview of Murderer, Chris Watts

Body Language Analysis No. 4347: Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings - Part I

Body Language Analysis No. 4325: Part III - Trump Putin Helsinki Summit Press Conference

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Body Language Analysis No. 4129: Charles Manson's Eyes - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTOS)

Charles Manson died in prison on Sunday. The cult leader was serving a life sentence for the murder of nine people in 1969. He was eighty-three years old.

Manson's appearance has come to symbolize, in many peoples' minds, the face of a crazed killer. A psychopath. The detail which most people remember are Charles Manson's eyes. They are opened very widely. But more specifically, what is it exactly about this expression that gives people "the chills"?

In this (anti)iconic photo of Manson - note how widely his upper eyelids are opened - his right eye more so than his left. His eyebrows are also elevated - which is also greater on his right side.

An astute observer may notice that Manson's nostrils are flared (again, with a bias on his right).

Now, look at the rest of his face. Although this image is of lower resolution, we can see his forehead is fairly relaxed, with minimal dynamic furrows present.

Next, try covering the upper two-thirds of his face - and look only at his mouth - it's relaxed, neutral.
The three primary emotions which involve widely-opened eyelids are:

• Intense Anger (Rage)
• Fear
• Surprise

With mild-to-moderate levels of anger, the eyelids will partially close and the mouth opening will tighten. With high levels of anger, however, this eyelid dynamic will reverse direction and the eyes will open very widely. The same wider-open configuration of intense anger/rage will also be true of the lips (and often of the mouth too - although sometimes while the lips will pull back - baring clenched teeth).

The mouth of fear is highly characteristic - with the corners of the mouth vectored backward (laterally) and down.

A mouth of surprise displays a classic vertically-oriented oval opening - with no teeth visible.

What makes Manson's face so "freaky" is that while his eyes are opened so very widely - the rest of his face (except for his nostrils) are relaxed. It's difficult to make such an expression without practicing - yet Manson did it all the time. It doesn't make sense. It confuses us. It feels odd. Normally the mouth is also "participating" with such an extreme eye expression - but not here. Thus, taken on their own, his extremely widely-opened eyes are considerably alarming - but the dramatic incongruity with the rest of his face is what really horrifies us.

Media Inquiries and Group Appearances 

One-on-One and Online Courses Available 

Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com

702-239-8503

See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4128: Roy Moore's youngest accuser, Leigh Corfman - Interview on "Today"

Body Language Analysis No. 4126: Jeff Sessions' Joking regarding Kislyak/Russia

Body Language Analysis No. 4124: Jeff Sessions and Russia - Part II

Body Language Analysis No. 4118: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit

Body Language Analysis No. 4111: Selena Gomez, Francia Raisa, and a Kidney Transplant

Body Language Analysis No. 4106: Jordan's Queen Rania meets with Rohingya Refugee Children

Body Language Analysis No. 4067: 2017 Emmys - Melissa McCarthy's Reaction to Sean Spicer Doing Melissa McCarthy Doing Sean Spicer

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3569: Johnny Depp Surprises Pink on Jimmy Kimmel

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3507: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck and Amy Adams Do The Batman Voice

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Body Language Analysis No. 4046: Melania Trump, Hurricane Harvey, and "Destroying Empathy 101" - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Earlier today, President Trump and The First Lady visited Austin and Corpus Christi to meet with Governor Abbott, other local leaders, first responders, etc. - and to offer their support for the those suffering in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Melania Trump took a lot of internet heat for departing the White House in  six-inch heels - although, perhaps getting wind of this popular opinion, she changed into sneakers on Air Force One.

We can make the argument that the primary reason the President and the FLOTUS (a title which does not require the wearing of a written label), visited Texas was to be the national face of empathy.

There are are a myriad of ways to express and engender empathy. Yet, when in the context of nonverbal communication, the behavior which is the most crucial for displaying empathy is eye contact - a subject which itself has many branches of nuance. And yet there can be no true eye contact if sunglasses are worn. Aside from the very practical aspect of south Texas having 100% overcast skies of late - wearing sunglasses is deliberately distancing.

When on camera, being interviewed, or even if simply in view - wearing sunglasses, particularly when in such a highly visible leadership position - is a nonverbal double standard. It screams, "I get to look into your eyes (and your soul), but I'll keep mine under wraps - thank you very much." Using this deliberate barrier is a nonverbal manifestation of contempt. It elevates the wearer and lowers everyone else.

With the exception of a funeral or similar ceremonies, in the context of others' suffering, wearing sunglasses is emotionally cold. It's snooty. It's aloof. It's rapport destroying. A leader should be open, inviting, sincere - and yes, projecting empathy. Transmitting empathy without the use of one's eyes is profoundly difficult and always incomplete. This is not about style. This is not about fashion. This is about people. And if you want to tell a person (or a nation), "I care about you and your suffering" - do NOT wear sunglasses (even if it's sunny).

Group Appearances and One-on-One
Online Courses Available 
702-239-8503
Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4045: Rex Tillerson Regarding Donald Trump, "The President Speaks for Himself"

Body Language Analysis No. 4043: Donald Trump Pardons Joe Arpaio - Contempt of Court and Red Flags

Body Language Analysis No. 4041: Former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak regarding Secrets from Donald Trump

Body Language Analysis No. 4039: Blue Angels, Surprise, Emotional Processing, and Empathy

Body Language Analysis No. 4026: Aubrey Plaza, Ingrid Goes West, and Emotional Intelligence

Body Language Analysis No. 4015: Reince Priebus' First Post-Resignation Interview

Body Language Analysis No. 3974: Elle Fanning, Robert De Niro, and Easter

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3924: French Presidential Front-Runner Emmanuel Macron

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3857: Taunting a Snowplow Driver - Belleville, Ontario - Body Language and Emotional Intelligence


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2453: Adrian Peterson on Jimmy Fallon - Body Language & Recalling Past Significant Emotional Events (Video, Photos)

During Adrian Peterson's recent appearance on Jimmy Fallon's show, the star running back recounted an experience of anaphylaxis.


When significant emotional events are being initially experienced or being recalled (and thus to a degree re-experienced) a hand-to-mouth & nose cover are extremely common (3:34 - 3:35). It is more often (virtually 100% of the time) and more prolonged during the initial experience.

This particular MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier) in this specific cluster-context is very consistent with a "High Empathy Quotient". Therefore it is unusual to see this body language in a narcissist and almost never seen in a person with sociopath qualities. In other contexts this body language can have a completely different meaning - what are these other contexts and what do they convey?

What other nonverbal is seen during 3:35 - 3:38? What does this body language indicate in this cluster-context?

During 3:36-3:37 Mr. Peterson displays a partial fear mouth with the corners of his mouth pulled back and his lower teeth exposed. A more full fear mouth expression would expose his upper teeth with a more extreme pull-back of the mouth corners.

Note Adrian's eyes are opened momentarily wider than normal as well as the entire width of his forehead is contracted. All of these facial expression qualities are consistent with fear. He is recalling a moment of sincere fear. In the evanescent re-living of the event his psyche and thus his physiology are behaving in a similar but lesser manner compared with the primary event.

See also:

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1499:  Bill Clinton's Empathy for Eric Fehrnstrom and  Mitt Romney ... What's Your Sincerity Quotient?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2052:  Dialing Up Empathy and Sincerity -  Mitt Romney's & Barack Obama's Response to  Aurora, Colorado "Batman Shooting?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1732:  Rationalization, Rapport, Empathy Expression - How Jewel got her name

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2332:  Instinctive Body Language, Comforting an Infant & Empathy

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2275:  Lance Armstrong's Insincerity -  Body Language revealed in Oprah Winfrey Interview  Part III

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2285:  Emotional Processing during Crying - Body Language of Survivor of Brazilian Nightclub Fire

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2274:  The Eyes & Mouth of Fear - Body Language of Ahmed Dogan during  Attempted Assassination

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2371: Barack Obama & Anger in the Rose Garden - POTUS's Body Language & the Gun Laws

Today the U.S. Senate voted down a bill that would have acted to expand background checks prior to the purchase of a gun. Subsequently President Obama gave a speech in the Rose Garden. Above is a video clip from that speech. At the 0:23 second mark he begins, "...Ninety percent of the democrats in the Senate voted for that idea. But it's not going to happen. Because ninety percent of republicans in the Senate just voted against that idea." Just after this segment, during the 0:35 - 0:37, the President's facial expression is highly indicative of anger-frustration.

This particular body language seen at this moment has several components centered around the mouth-jaw-lips-chin and the tissue adjacent to the lips. Clenching the jaw is a nonverbal which is highly consistent with anger. The masseter muscles which close the jaw can be seen contracting here. The Presidents lips also grow very thin as the tissue is stretched in a straight horizontal line - this is also very indicative and highly reliable sign of anger. In addition Mr. Obama's lips also are rolling inwards - however unlike the conventional and completely expressed "Inward Lip roll" (ILR) - due to his tightly closed jaw, the lips cannot be fully "rolled in"; subsequently the tissue adjacent to his lips, particularly his lower lip gets "bunched up" (peri-lip bulge). Another finding here is a bit more difficult to see, but even though this video and image below are not high definition, a dynamic wrinkling-dimpling of the skin on his chin can still be visualized.

The President's eyebrows are also pulled together and down - a signal of anger which is recognized by most people if prompted. However most people are fully present enough and are not observant enough to look for this nonverbal.

Much less recognized is the slight narrowing of the distance between the President's upper and lower eyelids and a coexisting tightening of the eyelid muscles, the orbicularis oculi (pars palpebralis) - most easily seen on the lower eyelids.

This video, like most, is chocked-full of body language - but just looking at POTUS's mouth-lips-jaw-chin we see four nonverbal configurations clustered together and are strong indicators of anger-frustration.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2138:  President Obama's Anger-Frustration During Debate -  An Under-Appreciated Body Language Signal

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1859:  Prince William is Angry at the Queen's Jubilee

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1863:  Sharapova's Lips of Anger

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1465: Santorum's Anger Eyes - White and Wide  Confrontation with Jeff Zeleny of The New York Times

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 273:  Anger and Disgust in Azerbaijan

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1858:  What the Eyes Do - Transitioning from Mild to Severe Anger

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2359: Anne Smedinghoff and her Body Language of Joy-Happiness

Anne Smedinghoff died over the weekend in Afghanistan. The United States diplomat was killed along with five others when a suicide bomber attacked her convoy as she was delivering books to a school. Her parents speak of her truly doing what she wanted to do. Smedinghoff's smile in the above image speaks of this too - for it has all the components of a true and sincere smile. Her eyelids are partially closed - which is a must for all true joy smiles. Her "smiling eyes" are further characterized by a dynamic, concave-up furrow in each of her lower lids. This temporary fold of skin is a product of her cheek muscles (zygomaticus major) being elevated and the peripheral portion of her "eyelid closing muscles" [orbicularis oculi (pars orbitalis)] contracting.

Note also Anne's forehead is relaxed and smooth. There are no furrows or dynamic wrinkles on her forehead - thus indicating no muscle contraction. Whenever the forehead muscles are contracted, the "smile" (pseudo-smile) is never a sincere one.

It is not necessary for any teeth to be exposed during a truly sincere (Duchenne Smile) - examples of this occur when the smile is being suppressed or during initial stages of formation. The lower teeth are not usually visible during a sincere smile either - but there are exceptions here as well (e.g.: If the smile is held too long - fatigue sets in; if the camera angle or person is significantly taller and thus looking downwards; or if there is a component of laughter present). 

Anne Smedinghoff's facial expression body language has all the components of one in the midst of true joy.

My sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ms. Anne Smedinghoff.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2297:  Rooney Mara on Conan O'Brien  Common Body Language Tell  Fear Apology Query Expression-Cluster

Nonverbal Communication Analysis #2292:  Mercedes Benz CLA Super Bowl Commercial "Soul"  Willem Dafoe's Body Language as the Devil

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2329:  Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook) on 60 Minutes  AND a bit of Mark Zuckerberg -  Two Crucial Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2264:  Kate Middleton's First Portrait as Duchess of Cambridge  Captures Body Language of  Contempt, Disapproval and Fatigue

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2157:  Al Smith Charity Dinner  Barack Obama's & Mitt Romney's Smiles  Sincere or False?

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

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2345: Tiger Woods & Lindsey Vonn - Body Language of True Affection?





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

Natalie Portman has got a "come hither look" in this image (there are others). Her neck and head are flexed down and forward, and her head is also slightly turned (rotated). This configuration causes the eyes to have more of a "looking upward" appearance - thus making them look larger - which is a universal sign of beauty. When coupled with a slight (social) smile - this nonverbal cluster among other feeling, engenders nurturing and protective emotions in men. It is an extremely strong flirtation signal and virtually guarantees that the message is delivered to all but the slowest males.

See also: Secret # 33: Classically Flirtatious

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Negotiation Body Language Secret # 199: When a Lie is Told, Heard or Visualized by....Vladimir's Eye

When a person rubs their eyes, as with all Manipulators/Adaptors/Pacifiers (MAPs) - these are signals of increased anxiety. It seems Vladimir has some anxiety the last few days. Certainly not all anxiety is deception-related .... but a large percentage of it is. MAPs involving the face & neck have a significantly increased likelihood of lying-related anxiety when compared with MAPs elsewhere on the body. This is particularly true of the mouth, cheeks, nose, ears and eyes as well as the front (anterior) portion of the neck. 

Intriguingly, rubbing both eyes together (see: Secret # 291: Obama and Biden, Visual-Emotional Blocking) DOES indicate anxiety, but DOES NOT fit into the pattern of deception - only a single eye rub is correlated with lying. This applies when the lie is spoken or even visualized - e.g. when a deception is being planned/contemplated and has not yet taken place. It also occurs when the person who is rubbing their eye - hears or sees something which they believe to be deceptive (see Negotiation Secret # 29: Angela doubts Vladimir).

Pictured above of course, is Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin. Massive protesting across Russia has erupted in the last few days alleging corruption in the recent Parliamentary Elections (4 December 2011). The People's Freedom Party, the Communist Party, A Just Russia and the Liberal Democrats (all are political parties or organizations whom opposes Putin), gained a large number of seats, and yet Putin's party (United Russia) held onto a modest majority (238 vs. all other parties have 212 of the 450 total in the State Duma). Many are accusing Putin and his government of rigging the elections and are demanding an annulment with new elections.

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Negotiation Secret # 591: A Classic Tell - Tongue, Eyes, Brow and Forehead

David Moyes is the current Manager of Football Club Everton in Liverpool. This particular facial expression (note tongue, eyes, brow and forehead) is highly characteristic with intense focused effort - often but not always a physical effort - and concentration. As a Manager, Mr. Moyes is on the sidelines in this photo and his concentration is directed at his team. Since he is a former player though, this display demonstrates the physical empathy he feels toward his players' efforts. It's fascinating when you see this displayed by a member of a jury.

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Negotiation Secret # 171: A Subtle Sign of Sadness

When a right-handed person looks down and to their right, there is a very high correlation (although not 100 percent) with the emotion of sadness. The more time you spend around any given person in varying emotional states - so that you may "norm" them for this (and other) particular behavior(s) - the greater your accuracy. With left-handed people this will often (but not always) be mirrored to their Left Lower Quadrant - however, in general, the accuracy is less in left-handers. With some right-handed people, I've seen this to be in excess of 99+ % accurate, although with others it will be less so. Always look for other subtle signs of sadness as well. If three or more signs are present and congruent - their words may be positive, but their heart will be sad. Take heed.

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Negotiation Secret #315: Somalia Suffering plus corruption

This Somali Woman is displaying several different Emotions. Her primary one is disgust. This is evidenced by her central facial tightening and in particular the flaring/dilation of her nostrils (Something that doesn't come as easily in the desert country of Somalia. It can lead to drying of the nasal passages, throat and thus even can contribute to dehydration.).

Her head is not turned, but her eyes are gazing to her left. This is a signal that she doesn't like, doesn't trust or doesn't believe the person(s) at who(m) she is looking. These emotions, of course, certainly have some overlap with the that of disgust.

She has her head tilted slightly to her right - away from the object of her disgust. This is often seen with disbelief, disgust and dislike.

Her slightly down-turned mouth is, of course, an emotional display of sadness.

The forehead she displays combined with the slightly closed eyelids (inner portion of the obicularis oculi) indicates mild-moderate anger (think Clint Eastwood). There is very possibly a grief-distress component mixed-in with her forehead muscle contracture.

I would summarize her emotions at approximately 50% Disgust, 30% Anger, 10% Sadness along with 10% incredulousness. This is a relatively complex photo to analyze from a body language standpoint - however very illustrative of the real world in which we live. Often more than one emotion is felt and therefor displayed at any one time.

The story behind this photo is very telling. Apparently some soldiers were trying to take food from the relief efforts and some of those who tried to prevent this were shot and killed. I can certainly understand all of her Disgust/Anger/Sadness/Incredulousness when I think about her situation and what she has witnessed. My heart goes out to her and those suffering with her.

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Negotiation Secret # 127: What the Eyes Do

Chicago Mayor (and former White House Chief-of-Staff) Rahm Emanuel and former President Bill Clinton are seen here at the Clinton Global Initiative American Conference. When another encroaches into our personal space, there is a very strong and visceral impetus to turn our eyes away. Obviously both men are looking away from each other in this photo. Particularly, during the moment of a handshake, eye contact is incredibly important in demonstrating sincerity, trust and building rapport. Anything that diminishes eye contact should be avoided. Of particular importance in this example, the lack of eye contact is a symptom of the diminished comfort felt when personal space is invaded. Being very aware of what makes others comfortable or uncomfortable requires a continuous mindset of empathy and a de-focusing on oneself. Simple in concept...difficult in implementation.

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Negotiation Secret # 114: Subtle Emotion Test

This is a photo of the beautiful and talented Icelandic Actress, Anita Briem.  I have included a high resolution image of her upper face as a test.  What emotion is she feeling?  It is subtle but important. 

Most everyone can detect strong examples of emotional displays.  Very few people, even among accomplished professionals with presumed "people-skills" such as physicians, attorneys, clergy, teachers and politicians are able to detect modest, let alone subtle examples of facial displays of the universal emotions. I am continually amazed by the prevalence of this lack of ability to detect emotion in others. Many experts feel that this phenomenon is getting worse with less and less "face-time" and more and more emails, texting, tweeting, phone interactions, etc. Under stress, this skill drops off even more profoundly. Is Anita feeling happiness, sadness, fear, anger, contempt, disgust, or surprise? How should you respond if she were your client, your sister, your friend, your wife or your patient? Discount it, ignore it, or miss it altogether and you both will suffer.

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Negotiation Secret # 357: Fear in his Eyes

This is a great photo because it calls our attention to this drivers eyes.  It is just before the start of the race and  he is experiencing a mild to moderate amount of fear.  His upper eyelids are wider open than in a normal, resting state and his lower eyelids are mildly tensed.  This is a common expression in the pre-race setting - even for experienced drivers with many victories.  It is easy to detect someone experiencing an extreme amount of fear - detecting moderate or mild fears is more difficult but much more useful in our everyday lives.

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