Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3496: Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush Hugging at Nancy Reagan's Funeral - Body Language (PHOTO)

This image was taken on 11 March 2016, just after Nancy Reagan's funeral. As bizarre as it may seem to some people, there is a significant amount of affection present in this moment.

George W. Bush's head is tilted toward Hillary Clinton's and her head - particularly her eye/forehead eye is touching 43's cheek/shoulder.

President's Bush is displaying a sincere smile. His forehead is relaxed, his eyelids are partially closed, there are the highly-characteristic concave-up furrows in each of his lower eyelids, Bush's cheeks are vectored primarily upward and only his upper teeth are visible. His smile is absolutely sincere.

Secretary Clinton is laughing - and her laughter is also very sincere. Note that her eyes are closed - a signal of high sincerity both during a smile and laughter. There is also a particular signal in this image which is extremely under appreciated when it comes to interpreting body language - Hillary's jaw retraction. Retraction of the jaw during laughter is a very reliable signal of sincerity. And although she may have a very slight natural overbite, Hillary's dynamic action of the mandible tells us her laughter is true.


See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3495: Donald Trump swarmed by security on stage in Ohio

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3185: Julia Roberts Recalls Her First Interview with David Letterman - a Body Language Indicator of Sincere Laughter 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3394: People react to being called beautiful - Body Language of a Sincere Smile 

Negotiation Body Language Secret No. 353: Brad Pitt's Smiling Eyes - Sincere and Insincere Smiles

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3463: Marco Rubio, Robotic Behavior and Insincerity

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3308: Hillary Clinton's Apology - Certainly Late, Yet Was It Sincere?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2459: Was Eliot Spitzer Sincere? Apology, Sincerity and Body Language 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3371: John Kasich at the Republican Debate


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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2619: Following Jacqueline Kennedy's Lead - 50 Years ago - Body Language in JFK's Funeral Procession (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Fifty years ago today President John F. Kennedy was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

On that day Jacqueline Kennedy temporarily transformed the behavior of many World leaders who were more than apprehensive about walking in the funeral procession. Jackie knew this and her body language played a significant role in her changing their actions.

Mrs. Kennedy let it be known that she would lead the procession. 

By leading, the young widow evoked tremendous empathy, dignity and courage in others. The heads-of-state from numerous countries followed in her footsteps. This historical scenario provides an excellent example of how their empathy for Jackie and her symbol to them - caused these leaders to follow and thus mirroring her nonverbal behavior.

The one leading most powerfully - was the one who was not elected.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2545: Michelle Rodriguez at Comic-Con 2013, Mirroring and Dialing Up Her Alpha

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2199:  Thailand, Body Language,  Barack Obama and Yingluck Shinawatra - Mirroring and Foot Point

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2450:  Daniel Radcliffe on The Graham Norton Show -  Deception, Mirroring and Anxiety

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2343:  Jodi Arias, the Courtroom and the  Body Language of Mirroring 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2616: John Kennedy and Richard Nixon Handshake at Kennedy Inaugural Address, One Body Language Maneuver to Counter a Dominance Display 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2618: Learning of Kennedy Assassination - Body Language of Sudden Facial Touching 

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2609: John Kennedy in 1959 on "Face The Nation", "Are You Running for President?" - What His Body Language says

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

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Negotiation Body Language Secret # 517: Respect for Václav Havel

Normally when hands are clasped in front of the groin or waist - it is a signal of low confidence and/or low emotional comfort (Pease, Navarro). The nonverbal term for this configuration is the "Fig Leaf" or "Genital Guarding". It is a pose which should be, for the most part, be avoided. The above image demonstrates one notable exception however. Onlookers here naturally adopt this body language to show reverence for playwright, poet, essayist, dissident, and first President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel during his recent funeral.

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Negotiation and Leadership Secret # 415: When is it Appropriate for a President to Stand in the "Fig-leaf"?

Yesterday, Veterans Day in the U.S., President Obama attended a ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery. Here is is pictured at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The President is standing with his hands-clasped in this very familiar "Fig-Leaf" formation. While the fig-leaf usually is a signal of low confidence - in some contexts it certainly indicates other emotions. One is respect and another is reverence. These are two leadership-appropriate messages a President or Head of State should desire to convey using the fig-leaf. 

So when is it appropriate for a President to Stand in the "Fig-leaf"? Very few times. One example is a funeral or a ceremony to honor those who have died serving in the military - as pictured above. Another is at any religious service. If he were meeting with the Dalai Lama, the Pope or another high religious leader he/she may want to adopt this pose as well - even if there was no service or ongoing religious activity. If a past-president or head-of-state was standing next to the current equivalent leader at a ceremony or introduction, the former leader may want to use the fig-leaf here as well. Weddings are another venue for the fig-leaf.

With these few exceptions, and perhaps a few other respect-reverence scenarios which I have omitted, a head-of-state should never stand in the fig-leaf pose, lest he/she convey low confidence. A head-of-state should not adopt this pose around other World leaders if he/she is to command respect (unless of course at a funeral, etc. as detailed above). It will certainly place them at a leadership and negotiation disadvantage. Moreover, standing this way will even change your physiology and actively lower one's confidence. Nonverbal signals are indications of what the emotional brain is feeling in real-time, and maintaining the body language will engender and reinforce the emotion.

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