Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3525: Kristen Bell Slaps a Reporter On "The Boss" Red Carpet (This was a PR Stunt) - Body Language (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Yesterday Kristen Bell slapped a reporter, Kevin Donnelly, from "The Fix". This occurred on the red carpet for premier of her new film, The Boss. When you watch this video, there should be several body language tells which should make you suspect this was staged.

Most of these clues are committed by the actor playing the alleged reporter Kevin Donnelly. Ms. Bell did a pretty good job acting here (but not perfect). One of her nonverbal acting mistakes is discussed below.

During the 0:15 as the actor playing Kevin Donnelly fake-falls over a barrier, Kristen Bell spins around in what is a less than well acted surprise feign.

A close up of the above moment reveals several signs of insincerity in this Bell's act of surprise.

Although her eyelids are opened wider than base-line, they do not match her mouth opening. If this surprise was real, Kristen's eyelids would be opened more widely.

In addition, although Bell's mouth takes on a relatively vertically-oriented oval - during sincere surprise, when the mouth is opened this widely we would see not teeth.

With significant sincere surprise, teeth are not visible (not even a little bit - with the exceptions of extreme camera/visual angle or dentition abnormalities). In this charade, although it's of poor resolution, the lower aspect of her two top front incisors (maxillary central incisors) can be seen here.

Sincere surprise also has the characteristic of tighter lips. Her lips are loose and relatively uncontracted - despite a relatively widely opened mouth. This nonverbal signal is very telling and if it was the only signal, it alone would reveal this as a faked moment. Of course, clustered together with earlier observations of the edges of her two teeth exposed and her less than full eyelid opening lets us know the truth of Kristen Bell's PR stunt wrapped in a promotion.


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3524: Paddleboarder's Encounter with Spinner Shark

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3512: Emilia Clarke, "Me Before You" and Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2971: Not Giving Good Actors an Easy Pass - Interstellar Trailer - When the Body Language is Not Congruent with Real Life

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3489: Margot Robbie wants Prince Harry

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3190: Taylor Swift's Body Language of Feigned Surprise

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2997: Halloween Haunted Houses - Transitioning from Expressions of Surprise to Fear 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3511: Ted Cruz Statement Regarding Allegations of Extramarital Affairs - Body Language and Statement Analysis

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3281: Donald Trump on "Meet The Press" - Who Does He Talk to for Military Advice?  

 ____________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3190: Taylor Swift's Body Language of Feigned Surprise (PHOTOS)

Taylor Swift cleaned up last night at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards with eight trophies including "Top Artist". This was no surprise to most - including Swift. The image above was captured earlier this year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. In this moment she is feigning surprise. During sincere surprise the mouth opens significantly more than is seen on Ms. Swift - taking on a vertically-oriented oval appearance. Moreover, the teeth are rarely if ever visible - and NEVER to this degree. In sincere surprise the lips cover the teeth. Here Taylor Swift is indeed faking surprise.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3189: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang & U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry - Body Language - and Contrasts between Obama & Putin

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3097: Buddies at the Grammys? What Does Kanye West REALLY Think of Taylor Swift? Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2244:  Taylor Swift's Body Language, Botox & Anger on 60 Minutes

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3096: Kanye West's Body Language at the 2015 Grammys

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3151: Barack Obama and Raúl Castro Shake Hands - Body Language

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3077: Barack Obama, The 2015 State of the Union Address Part II & What John Boehner Doesn't Believe
___________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2463: Mila Kunis on Graham Norton Olly Murs' not-so-secret Crush on Mila (Video, Photos)

In this hilarious video segment, Graham Norton lets the World know that Olly Murs has a huge crush on Mila Kunis. They both were guests on his show along with Judy Dench and Jude Law. From a nonverbal perspective this video is also quite illustrative.

In this image Mila Kunis' mouth drops open in a vertically-oriented oval. Her eyelids also momentarily open wider than base-line. This brief change is difficult to catch on the relatively lower resolution/camera and is less than a second in duration.

At the 0:33 mark, less than a second after the above image, Ms. Kunis' eyelids move closer together and her mouth/lips close partially and take on a more horizontal oriented oval as her surprise fades. 

Surprise is the most evanescent of all emotions. If it lasts longer than a second or two there is almost always a feigned component present. Also highly characteristic of surprise here, is the rapid transition to a second emotion - in this example one of sincere embarrassment, humor and flattery. Although not seen here, anger and fear are also very common in the seconds immediately following sincere surprise.

For a few fractions of a second, there is an element of a suppressed smile here - though this nonverbal very soon gives way to sincere laughter.

Mila then rapidly covers her mouth with both hands - a signal that the emotional brain is processing very new and suddenly acquired information. The intellectual brain already knows what the emotional brain is trying digest. Rapid mouth covering in such contexts is a body language signal which is indicates both high sincerity and high empathy quotients.



See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2352:  Mila Kunis' Tongue in Cheek - Graham Norton Part II

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2325:  Mila Kunis' interview with Chris Stark on BBC Radio 1 re: Oz the Great and Powerful -  Body Language, Sexual Attraction and Mirroring

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 357:  Mila Kunis and Sergeant Scott Moore

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2438:  Sincere Surprise Body Language - Three Year Old Receives Brain Stem Implant and  Hears for the First Time

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2159:  Tom Hanks drops the F-bomb on GMA - Body Language of Fear, Surprise, MAPs and a Bitter Smile

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2460:  Third Year Law Student-Intern Channa Lloyd African-American on Zimmerman's Legal Team An Under-appreciated Alpha Body Language Signal


_________________________________________________________________________________

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

Are the smiles seen here of President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney sincere or feigned? The three primary components of a sincere smile are eyelids which are partially closed (in a very particular manner), a relaxed forehead and a mouth which only displays the upper teeth.

For a smile to be a true smile of joy (a Duchenne smile), the eyelids can be partially, nearly closed or even completely shut. This is an absolute must. If they are opened in a normal way, unchanged from a resting state - the smile is insincere, regardless of how the remainder of the face may appear. The eyes can close in several different manners however, so there must also be a concave up furrow in each of the lower lids. Both candidates display this partially (Romney) to complete/near complete (Obama) eyelid closure with lower lid displaying a concave-up furrow (easier visualized in this image on Romney)

It is also essential for the forehead to be completely relaxed. Some varieties of social smiles (forced and insincere) will have a contraction of the the forehead muscles. These are often are accompanied by a false-surprised and open mouth (with teeth showing). Such forehead furrowing always indicates a false smile - and this type of mouth opening indicates a feigned surprise. Both Mitt and Barack are shown here with smooth and relaxed foreheads.

The final major component of a fully expressed, Duchenne smile is an open mouth with only the top teeth showing. The corners of the mouth are pulled primary upwards with a dramatic bunching up (strong contraction) of the cheek muscles (Zygomatic Major muscles). While the possibility of oblique camera angles - or a tall person standing next to someone of short stature certainly exists (thus showing the bottom teeth) - only the upper ones should be displayed in a fully expressed, straight-on, sincere smile. It is also possible for a smile to be partially suppressed with a closed mouth and therefore no teeth exposed - however in such situations the forehead will still be relaxed and the eyes will still be characteristically partially closed. Another exception of course exists if one has had dental problems or injury and has lost all their upper teeth - this does not preclude a true, joyous and sincere smile.

Both men have true and sincere smiles in this image .... but who will be still smiling on November 6th?

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 353: Brad Pitt's Smiling Eyes - Sincere and Insincere Smiles

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1010: What Makes the Twinkle in Rashida Jones' Eye?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2099:  Nikki Haley & Sarah Palin - Governors in Contrast

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2095: Canoodling with the Weather-Girl

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1758: Predicting a Boxing Match Based on Body Language - Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto Fight

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2150: Body Language Advice for President Obama and Governor Romney for the Second Debate

Nonverbal Intelligence Quiz-Analysis # 2110: Pizza Guy - Scott Van Duzer's Bear-Hug Encounter with President Obama - Staged or Real?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 1171: Not So Fast Swift .... Taylor's False Surprise

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2151: Las Vegas Channel 8 KLAS Interview - Body Language to Look For in Tonight's Debate - Evaluation of Earlier Debates

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2152: Second Presidential Debate - 16 October 2012 - Barack Obama's Duping Delight - Benghazi, Libya Attack was an "Act of Terror" - Alpha, Beta, Confidence & Acquiescence .... 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2122: Eyes White and Wide - Three Body Language Examples with Two Different Emotional Causes

This video has three great nonverbal examples of two different emotions - that to the casual observer may seem identical - but are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The reporter's (Dan) eyes are opened extra-wide at the 0:15 mark, again at 0:16 and again at 0:18 - 19. During all three of these segments, his forehead is also actively contracted (with horizontal furrows) - which is difficult to see with his hat on, but is most clearly visible at the 0:16 mark. In this context this is a strong nonverbal signal of  insincerity and a form of pseudo-surprise. In true surprise the eyes flash widely open - but very briefly - and not repeatedly. If it lasts longer than a second or two - it is false. Sincere surprise also is followed rapidly by a second emotion (later this happens here - see below - but it's not immediate and occurs for a different reason). True surprise will have a rapid and widely open mouth, typically with a vertical oval shape. When this furrowed forehead is seen often - particularly with widely opened eyes - it's a red flag for a personality of insincerity. Steer clear.

The body language of fear for this infant has a significantly different forehead. There is an absence of horizontal furrows (folds) and for the most part it's relatively smooth - but with significant fear - as is displayed by this infant ("Drew the farm kid") - has a wide V-shaped bulging of muscles, the vertex of which meets between the tightly pulled together and downward directed inner eyebrows. Note his eyes are also opened very widely - which is classic for fear.

Interestingly at the 0:30 second mark, Dan the reporter also flashes a microexpression of fear - which unlike his earlier false-surprise-insincerity - IS sincere. He just made a child cry - and he's on live T.V.

At the 0:37 - 0:45 mark the male anchor is simultaneously covering BOTH of his eyes with his notes - usually performed with the hands - this a classic body language sign of empathy based embarrassment and emotional processing. He knows what just transpired, but he's still emotionally processing it. Then he still looks away (rotating his head far to his right) and then expresses a fear-mouth (0:46 - 0:47) - still empathizing with the reporter and/or child).

See also:

Analysis # 1171: Not So Fast Swift .... Taylor's False Surprise

Analysis # 1003: Obama's Dropped Jaw Smile

Analysis # 133: Blake Lively - Surprise or a Smile or Neither?

Analysis # 1261: True Surprise - Rarely Captured - Christine Lagarde

___________________________________________________________________________________

Negotiation Nonverbal Communication Secret # 1171: Not So Fast Swift .... Taylor's False Surprise

Pictured here with Neil Patrick Harris, the beautiful and talented Taylor Swift examples an outstanding Body Language moment at last night's Grammy Awards. This image demonstrates perfectly a commonly falsified emotion - that of surprise. Surprise is the most evanescent of all emotions - thus one clue to feigned surprise is how long it appears to last. If it's longer than a second or two, there is at least a portion of it that is being forced. But we can't tell that with this example, since this is not a video. Another intriguing characteristic of surprise, is that it almost always transitions rapidly to another emotion - e.g. anger, laughter/joy-happiness, fear, embarrassment, etc. Again we are out of luck here because this is only a photo.... however....

Notice that Ms. Swift's eyelids are NOT opened wider than normal. In order for surprise to be authentic, the upper eyelids elevate and the lower eyelids retract - exposing more "whites of the eye" (increased scleral show). This is physiologic and if the surprise is real, this "white and wide" appearance cannot be suppressed. Although Taylor's eyebrows are made up in a typical elevated fashion, they are not actively being elevated with any muscles. We know this because her forehead is not contracted - at all, it is completely relaxed. All of these nonverbal actions are required if the surprise is sincere.

Now let's say Taylor was 52 rather than 22. One may say, "Well .... she may have recently had Botox treatments to her forehead (Hmmmmmm?). often in such cases, if her surprise were sincere - you would still see eyelid elevation and therefore more whites of the eyes exposed.

I wish to emphasize that we all occasionally force emotions or act in various social situations when we feel it is required or in doing so we will avoid a problem, spare a person's feelings, etc. Thus in any given situation, when a person is expressing an emotion insincerely, it does not mean that they are as a whole an insincere person. But in that moment - the emotion is being feigned.

Congratulations to Ms. Swift for her two 2012 Grammys. Her song, "Mean" won both for Best Country Song as well as Best Country Solo Performance.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Negotiation Body Language Secret # 1003: Obama's Dropped Jaw Smile

Here we see yet another common type of false smile, this time by then Presidential Candidate, Senator Obama - four years ago at the Iowa State Fair. Of course, people in the public eye feel the need to smile dramatically and often. This is a very human desire and most people would feel the need to do the same if they were one in the limelight. That being said, the smile displayed here by Mr. Obama is forced and not indicative of the emotion of Joy-Happiness. This variety of false smile, known as a "Dropped Jaw Smile" (Pease) or a False Surprise Smile (Ekman) is a relatively easy nonverbal for most to replicate and represents a very common type of insincere smile. As mentioned in a post yesterday (see: Secret # 1009: A Sure Sign of a False Smile), whenever the forehead is wrinkled - the smile is always feigned. In addition, candidate Obama's eyelids are opened wider than normal here (particularly on Barack's right), which is never seen with a sincere smile either - in fact, the eyelids should be partially closed - and in a very particular manner - during a smile born of sincerity (see: Secret # 353: Brad Pitt's Eyes - Sincere and Insincere Smiles).

___________________________________________________________________________________