Body Language Analysis No. 4256: President Trump's Reaction to FBI Raid on Michael Cohen - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Yesterday the FBI raided the office of Donald Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen. A few hours later, while meeting with senior military leadership, the President commented on this event - as well as on the recent mass-poisoning of civilians by Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis of Donald Trump during this statement.

The President begins the meeting by saying, "So I just heard that - they broke into the office of one of  - my personal attorneys — Ω good man. And, ah, it’s a disgraceful situation. It’s a total witch hunt. I’ve been saying it for a long time. I’ve wanted to keep it down. We’ve given, ah, I believe, over a million pages’ worth of documents to the Special Counsel."

Just before he says, "... a good man ...", Donald Trump elevates his both of his eyebrows - however, his right eyebrow elevates much more than his left. Such asymmetrical (or unilateral) eyebrow elevation indicates doubt/disbelief. Importantly, this nonverbal signal also occurred right after he said, "So I just heard that they broke into the office of one of my personal attorneys". Thus Donald Trump's disbelief could be directed toward either one of these statements (e.g., doubting Cohen is a good man, or in disbelief that the FBI raided Cohen's office).

From a paralanguage/statement analysis perspective, Trump's use of the words, "broke into" is inaccurate and hyperbolic - as it was, of course, a legal act by the FBI.

Additionally, notice that the President didn't say "FBI" - rather he used the nonspecific plural pronoun, "they". Use of the word "they" in this context, without at least first saying "FBI" - indicates the President's low confidence/emotional discomfort in his position.

Moreover, it's difficult to interpret the President's statement of, "I’ve wanted to keep it down" - as anything other than a personal desire to Obstruct Justice.

In the early portions of this video, the President exhibits several displays of what is known as a Lip Curl. A good example occurs during 1:02 and is captured in the above image (during the sentence, "So when I saw this and when I heard it - I heard it like you did - I said, that is really now on a whole - new level of unfairness.")

A Lip Curl involves the lips protruding outward - which primarily happens while speaking. The lips acquire a momentarily and characteristic flaring-outward morphology as they extend away from the teeth in a brief exaggerated motion. A lip curl indicates the alpha emotions of False Bravado, Hubris, Hyperbole, and Braggadocio. Additionally, there's often a component of Sarcasm present.

Now jump ahead to 6:35 - when President Trump displays a characteristic, hyper-alpha mid-level steeple. But this only lasts about three seconds...

He immediately crosses his arms (6:38) - and importantly, with his hands forming fists. Additionally, the fists are hidden beneath his arms. This dynamic occurs immediately as he's asked two simultaneous questions:

• "Mr. President, did you have an affair with Stormy Daniels?"
• "Why don't you just fire Mueller?"

The President uses this same posture throughout a large portion of the video. Crossing the arms - and crucially with one's hands in fists and hidden - is a profound and classic sign of defensiveness-related anxiety. This projects a highly beta emotional tone of low confidence and insecurity.

In the context of public appearances, it's extremely rare for any President to cross their arms - (On 17 November 1973, President Nixon crossed his arms just after he said, "Well, I am not a crook. I've earned everything I've got!"). Yet President Trump displays this body language frequently. Thus, it's not unreasonable to consider the very real possibility that Donald Trump has a movement disorder or a tremor-like condition (either a medical condition of the Central Nervous System or a secondary side-effect from a drug).

Intriguingly, his arms remained crossed - but his right hand becomes partially exposed when he begins talking about Syria and American Military 4:37. This display demonstrates that his relative comfort level has momentarily increased.

And although his right-hand retreats back to cover - with his arms remaining crossed - his index finger remains extended (4:47 - 4:49) as he says, "... and we’re making a decision as to what we do with respect to the horrible attack that was made near Damascus."

In this moment, the President was essentially pointing his right index finger at Bashar al-Assad.

At 5:34, President Trump again slips into a more comfortable mental state - with his right hand again being exposed as he says, "... so - we're going to make a decision tonight, or shortly thereafter..." (with respect to military action on Syria).

Beginning at 7:12, Trump continues, "One of the things they said, 'I fired Comey'. Well, I turned out to do the right thing, because you look at all of the things that he’s done and the lies, and you look at what’s gone on at the FBI with the insurance policy and all of the things that happened - turned out I did the right thing. Ah, But he signed - as you know, he also signed the FISA warrant. So Rod Rosenstein, who’s in charge of this, signed a FISA warrant, and he also, he also f- [stutter] signed a letter that was - essentially saying to fire James Comey. And he was right about that. He was absolutely right."

During 7:23 - 7:30, just after the President said, "... and you look at what’s gone on at the FBI ...", for about 7 seconds, the President displays a nonverbal signal which is very rare for him: He grasps his right index and middle finger with his left hand. This nonverbal signal indicates a very high level of anxiety.


Summary: Nonverbal and paralanguage analysis of President Trump's statement yesterday indicate:

• The FBI raid on Donald Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, has the President extremely worried.

• The President's personal feelings are strongly influencing his military decision making. Donald Trump is more comfortable talking about an act of war, than he is regarding Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, James Comey, Robert Mueller, or the FBI.

• President Trump very directly admitted his desire to Obstruct Justice when he said, "It’s a total witch hunt. I’ve been saying it for a long time. I’ve wanted to keep it down."


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


See also:

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. 4249: Will Smith, Sophia the Robot, Robot-Empathy, and Responding in Context 

Body Language Analysis No. 3642 (Reposting): Did Donald Trump Know Vladimir Putin Prior to The 2016 Election?

Body Language Analysis No. 4220: President Trump's Reaction to Governor Jay Inslee ("We need a little less tweeting here and a little more listening")

Body Language Analysis No. 4205: Chloe Kim, Albert Einstein, and Creativity

Body Language Analysis No. 4167: Gary Oldman, Hugh Jackman, and Compliments

Body Language Analysis No. 4087: Harrison Ford Accidentally Punches Ryan Gosling in the Face - Blade Runner 2049

_________________________________

Body Language Analysis No. 4255: Roger Stone and Julian Assange - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Last week, during Roger Stone's interviewed with Anderson Cooper, Mr. Stone exhibited numerous nonverbal deception tells - one of these (a textbook classic) is discussed here.

When a person's rate of blinking and/or duration of blinking increases over their baseline (e.g., what is normal for them) - it's a reliable indicator of increased anxiety. Both of these parameters - the frequency and duration of blinking - dramatically increase whenever Stone is interviewed regarding certain subjects. We see this blinking behavior dynamic during this interview.

Yet we can nuance Stone's nonverbals much further.

Now watch the following segment of this interview.

ANDERSON COOPER (continuing at 7:17): So did you ever give anything to Julian Assange?

ROGER STONE: No, I did not ∆

ANDERSON COOPER: Okay. The, the email that you sent to Sam Nunberg, where said, ah, that you had dinner with Assange - you also said it on the phone to him, as we said in Randi's piece, as a way to end a lengthy, boring conversation - essentially - you said it was a joke. Of [stutter] I just - I was just wondering, of all the things to joke about - why that? How does that get you off the phone faster? If anything, I would think if somebody said to me, 'Oh, I'm having dinner with Julian Assange' - I would stay on the phone with them longer.

When a person gets some dust in their eye - or their eyes are suddenly dry - they will blink more frequently - and it often becomes prolonged. But when one blinks to moisten their eye, as the eyelids close - the eyebrows and forehead muscles move downward.

Yet on multiple occasions during this exchange and during this entire interview, when Roger Stone blinks - his eyebrows and forehead don't move in the same direction as his upper eyelids (downward as we would expect, to assist in the action of blinking) rather, they ELEVATE. His forehead and eyebrows move in the OPPOSITE direction as the eyelids. So, rather than facilitating the natural act of blinking - they are resisting it. Thus, we have two adjacent tissues moving away from each other. RED FLAG.

A particularly excellent example of this nonverbal tug-of-war tell occurs during 7:21 - 7:22, with the last word in Stone's sentence ("... not ...") and afterward (notated above by the ∆ symbol).

Summary: When confronted with giving anything to or having dinner with Julian Assange, Roger Stone's nonverbal behavior indicates, with very high probability, that he's lying. Specifically, we see both the rate and duration of his blinking dramatically increase during difficult interviews. Additionally, that Stone's eyebrows and forehead are elevating during these blinks (essentially fighting against the blinking) indicates an unnatural blink consistent with particularly heightened anxiety.


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


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4254: Tony Robbins, Nanine McCool, and the #MeToo Movement 

Body Language Analysis No. 4252: Donald Trump says he didn't know about Stormy Daniels payment

Body Language Analysis No. 4250: Donald Trump, "We've been very tough on Russia"

Body Language Analysis No. 4248: My Extended interview re: Security Video of Stephen Paddock (1 October Las Vegas Shooter)

Body Language Analysis No. 4231: Sam Nunberg Interview (Part III) • Diminished Impulse Control, Frustration, and Anxiety

Body Language Analysis No. 4202: Saoirse Ronan, Ed Sheeran, and Galway Girl (Galway Grill)

Body Language Analysis No. 4152: Ruby Rose and her Mother's (Overgrown) Pig

Body Language Analysis No. 4149: Zendaya, Zac Efron, and "The Greatest Showman"

Body Language Analysis No. 3939: The Russians are Confident - Sergey Lavrov, Rex Tillerson, and Donald Trump

_____________________________

Body Language Analysis No. 4254: Tony Robbins, Nanine McCool, and the #MeToo Movement - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTO)

This recently viral video demonstrates so clearly, what is now obvious to everyone - that self-help guru star Tony Robbins does not understand the purpose of the #MeToo movement.

During his event in San Jose on 15 March 2018, among other things, Mr. Robbins said, "If you use the #MeToo movement to try to get significance and certainty by attacking and destroying someone else, you haven't grown an ounce, all you've done is basically use a drug called significance to make yourself feel good."

Robbins then proceeded to deliberately physically intimidate an audience member - Nanine McCool. He didn't ask her if she wanted to participate in a demonstration - he told her ("Come over here" - gesturing with his finger, 3:15 - 3:16).

Robbins didn't ask Ms. McCool's consent to touch her - he told her to "Put out your fist" (3:26 - 3:27) - and then immediately violated her personal space as he began physically pushing her backward.

Robbins is 6' 7" and probably outweighs Ms. McCool by 100 pounds or more.

Naturally, with Robbins' size and momentum, Ms. McCool was, of course, forced to walk backward - increasing her vulnerability even more.

As she retracted her arm (bent her elbow), Tony Robbins' further violated Nanine McCool's personal space (intimate space) - near her neck/throat and then her chest.

Additionally, in this video we learned:

• Nanine McCool is a brave woman

• Tony Robbins can't admit he's wrong (but will probably make a big public apology in the next few days)

• Tony Robbins interrupts and shouts over people with whom he disagrees

• Robbins doesn't seem to understand that for all of human history, women have been, and continue to be, repeatedly victimized

• Robbins' statement that survivors of sexual assault are somehow aspiring to "significance" demonstrates a profound lack of empathy

• Robbins' "significance explanation" leaves no room for the urgent need for justice, prevention, and cultural change.

• Robbins' antidote of a "very famous man, very powerful man" (Robbins "had a dozen men tell" him similar stories), who was afraid to hire a more qualified woman because she was attractive - wreaks of the fact that the problem is with the lack of moral character and lack of control of the man involved - and has nothing whatsoever to do with any imagined fault of the #MeToo movement.

• Robbins is endorsing the warped idea that less qualified men should be hired over women who are more qualified. Robbins is blaming the woman for being "too attractive" or being "too qualified". It's unimaginable that anyone could tell this story believing that somehow women need to change and not the man.

• Moreover, Robbins' story indicates, with high likelihood, that the man involved - has guilt on his conscious.

• Robbins' act of marginalizing the #MeToo movement makes him look guilty

• Tony Robbins is a narcissist

Summary: Tony Robbins' act of physically pushing a victim-survivor of sexual assault (or anyone) - without their permission - is a completely inaccurate metaphor for the #MeToo movement. It is, however, a very accurate and literal example (no metaphor needed) of deliberate intimidation, misogyny, bullying, and touching a person without their permission. Robbins' actions and words are, in large measure, the antithesis of what the #MeToo movement stands for.

Tony Robbins either does not understand body language - or, much worse, he's using his knowledge of nonverbal behavior to further intimidate and manipulate women who've already been victimized.

Media Inquiries and Keynote Appearances 

One-on-One and Online Courses Available 

Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com

702-239-8503

See also:

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

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

Body Language Analysis No. 4249: Will Smith, Sophia the Robot, Robot-Empathy, and Responding in Context

Body Language Analysis No. 4247: Donald Trump says Goodbye to Hope Hicks

Body Language Analysis No. 4237: OJ Simpson - The Lost Confession - Part I 

Body Language Analysis No. 4208: Rod Rosenstein and the Indictment of Russians

Body Language Analysis No. 4189: Tom Cruise, a Broken Ankle, and Rebecca Ferguson

Body Language Analysis No. 4137: Matt Lauer's "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace"

Body Language and Medical Analysis No. 4221: Why are Donald Trump's Pupils So Large?

______________________________

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

As with all sports, the psychological approach to the golf is, by most accounts, the primary predictor of success - or failure. And once it's lost, this 'head-game' often proves extremely difficult to reestablish.

Perhaps there is no greater example of this phenomenon, that Tiger Woods. Ever since his highly publicized marital problems in 2009, he's rarely approached even a shadow of his former dominance. And his anticipated return to The Masters this year has, thus far, has disappointed his fans. As of this writing (after two of four rounds), he stands at +7, 13 strokes off the current leader, Patrick Reed.

In the image above we see Woods rubbing/scratching his forehead. There's no doubt he was probably sweating - and there's also no doubt he was probably experiencing an itch. And yet, by far, the number one reason we touch our faces (or anywhere on the head and neck) is due to real (not imagined) facial itching - caused by Anxiety. Anxiety, of course, has many etiologies - and depending on the other nonverbal signals with which it is clustered, these root-causes can sometimes be determined.

We also close our eyes and/or cover our eyes during moments of emotional processing - that is, when the 'emotional brain' is trying to come to terms with what the 'logical brain' already knows has happened.

In this second image of Tiger Woods, we see him passing self-judgment on his own shot - displaying the emotion of Disgust. Moderate in its magnitude, Woods' disgust is primarily manifested by his mid-facial tension (in the region just above his upper lip and below his nose). In addition, we see his nostril flaring, lowering of the corners of his mouth, and his lower lip depression - in this cluster, all of these indicate disgust.

While not a required component of disgust, Woods' partial eyelid closure act as a disgust-amplifier. 

During the moment when this third image of Woods' was taken, the golfer was experiencing Fear. His fear is subtly-to-mildly manifested with the configuration of Tiger's mouth - with its corners pulled mildly backward (posteriorly).

But more noticeably, we see fear displayed in Woods' eyes. Tiger Woods's eyelids are opened slightly wider than baseline - but crucially, there's also lower eyelid tension (tightening) - while his eyebrows are also slightly lowered (more so on his left).

Summary: When we feel negative emotions - and subsequently display them on our faces and bodies - our own actions will reinforce these unwanted feelings - acting as a biofeedback loop reinforcement mechanism for these behaviors (e.g., the angry get angrier, the disgusted grow even more disgusted, etc.). In the process of training for - or competing in any sport (or life), this phenomenon is profound. Negative displays should be minimized and hopefully nearly eliminated - but never ignored.


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


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4252: Donald Trump says he didn't know about Stormy Daniels payment

Body Language Analysis No. 4250: Donald Trump, "We've been very tough on Russia"

Body Language Analysis No. 4248: My Extended interview re: Security Video of Stephen Paddock (1 October Las Vegas Shooter) - KTNV • Channel 13 Las Vegas

Body Language Analysis No. 4238: OJ Simpson - The Lost Confession (Continued, Part II)

Body Language Analysis No. 4218: Dana Loesch, Threat Assessment, and Red Flags

Body Language Analysis No. 4167: Gary Oldman, Hugh Jackman, and Compliments

Body Language Analysis No. 4138: Matt Lauer, Intimidation, and Aggression

Body Language Analysis No. 4099: Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, and Jim Leavelle

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

______________________________

Body Language Analysis No. 4252: Donald Trump says he didn't know about Stormy Daniels payment - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

On Thursday 5 April 2018, Donald Trump made his first public comments regarding Stormy Daniels. He did so on Air Force One and it was recorded on video. What follows is a nonverbal analysis of this crucial exchange. 

JOURNALIST: Mr. President - did you know about the hundred and thirty thousand dollar payment to Stormy Daniels?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: No. No.

JOURNALIST: Then why did Michael -

PRESIDENT TRUMP: [over-talking] What else?  

JOURNALIST: - why did Michael Cohen make this if there was no truth to her allegations?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well you'll have to ask Micheal Cohen. Michael's my [pause] attorney and you'll have to Michael.

JOURNALIST: Do you know where he got the money to make that payment? 

PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, I don't know. No.

During 0:19 - 0:22, as the Journalist asks, "... the hundred and thirty thousand dollar payment to Stormy Daniels?" - the President displays a classic Forward Lip Purse (not to be confused with a lateral lip purse). A forward lip purse is an indication of clandestine information - that is, information/or a plan that's being withheld (partially or fully withheld).

In this context, Forward Lip Pursing screams that the President is lying.

The image immediately above (captured during 0:22) shows the President a split second after his monosyllabic answer. Notice how widely his eyelids are opened. This dynamic is due to a surge of adrenaline - secondary to Fear.

Another peculiar moment occurred when the President's two young assistants - who had just been leaning in from opposite sides of the aisle - immediately hid from the camera upon hearing the question, "Mr. President - did you know about the hundred and thirty thousand dollar payment to Stormy Daniels?"

 The above image is a screen-grab from 0:22

... And this was a screen-grab from less than a second later (also during 0:22)

Their behavior, of course, signals the interns' common knowledge of the President's emotional sensitivity to this topic. They had no desire to appear as rubberneckers driving by the scene of an accident.

During 0:33 (just after he says, "... you'll have to ask Michael"), as the President points to another journalist, he displays a microexpression of:

• Mouth of Fear + Sadness
• Elevated Central Forehead Contraction (Elevated CFC)
  Combined with his mouth configuration, this nonverbal cluster indicates Emotional Pain
• Eyelids once again opened widely (Adrenaline Surge secondary to Fear)

During 0:35, as a journalist asks, "Do you know where he got the money to make that payment?" Donald Trump displays a Tight Tongue Jut (more specifically, at the end of this sentence - immediately after she says the word, "money").

Not to be confused with a loose tongue jut or a wide open tongue jut, a tight tongue jut indicates the emotions of:

• Disdain
• Disgust
• Repulsion

Intriguingly, this is the same tongue dynamic we all committed when we were infants and we were trying to push away the creamed asparagus. We were rejecting the vegetables, much as the President wants to reject this question and the thought-emotion it elicits.

His wide open eyes and mouth of fear are clearly evident during 0:36 as he says, "No, I don't know. No."

After answering this question with, "No, I don't know. No.", the President then displays a classic expression of regret (during 0:37). Additionally, although it's not a required component of a regret expression, in this moment, his simultaneous longer duration bilateral eyelid closure serves as a regret amplifier and deception tell. He just told a lie and he's trying to emotionally distance himself in this moment.

A split-second later, still during 0:37, the President rocks backward on his feet - temporarily retreating into the relative protection of the narrower aisle-way. Although his eyes have now opened, his regret expression persists in this moment.

I've conducted over 1000 detailed analyses (over 350 these are published) of Donald Trump's nonverbal behavior in the last 34 months - and although he has shown fear in the past, I've never seen him make this particular, deeper expression of Fear combined with Sadness until this first interview on Air Force One.

This second interview (video immediately above) is from the Fox News interview conducted at the White House on Wednesday 22 August 2018.

Beginning at 2:42, Ms. Earhardt asks, "Did you direct him to make these payments?

DONALD TRUMP (over-talking), "He made the deal. He made the deals - and, by the way, he plead to two counts, that aren't a crime [deep inhaling] which nobody understands. Ah, I watched a number of shows - sometimes you get some pretty good information by watching shows [deep inhaling]. Those two counts aren't even a crime. They weren't campaign finances.

AINSLEY EARHARDT: Did, did you know about the payments?

DONALD TRUMP: Ah, later on I knew. Later on. But ya hafta [sic] understand Ainsley, what he did - and they weren't taken out of campaign finance - that's a big thing. That's a much bigger thing. Did they come out of the campaign? They didn't come out of the campaign [deep inhalation]. They came from me - and I tweeted about it. Ya know, I don't know if ya know, but I tweeted -ah - about the payments. But they didn't come out of - campaign. In fact, my first question when I heard about it was, 'Did they come out of the campaign?" Because that could beeee [sic] - a little dicey.

Just after the President says, "... They didn't come out of the campaign [deep inhalation] they came from me ...", he shrugs both shoulders (3:16). A shoulder shrug indicates the thought-emotions of:

• "I don't know"
• "I don't care"
• "What does it matter?"
• "What could I do about it?"

This expression (captured during 3:31) just as the President is stretching out his annunciation of the word "be", is characteristic of a "mouth of fear".

Summary: Although his deceptions have been well-documented by other means, Donald Trump's nonverbal display exhibited during the first of the above videos also clearly indicates that the President lied on Air Force One on 5 April 2018 when he said he didn't know about Micheal Cohen paying $130,000 to Stormy Daniels.

Trump also lied when he denied knowing from where Cohen got the hush money. These deceptions are, of course, in direct contradiction to what the President said two days ago at the White House during his interview Fox News.

In addition, the President also displayed significant fear as well as sadness. Donald Trump is afraid.

Group Appearances and One-on-One

Online Courses Available 

702-239-8503

Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com

See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4340: Ruby Rose gets Emotional regarding her new Role as Batwoman

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

Body Language Analysis No. 4338: Donald Trump, Omarosa, and Wikileaks Emails

Body Language Analysis No. 4336: Alita: Battle Angel, Large Eyes, and Sexual Attraction

Body Language Analysis No. 4334: Ivanka Trump and the Pistol Steeple

Body Language Analysis No. 4323: Trump Putin Helsinki Summit Press Conference

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

Body Language Analysis No. 4183: Aly Raisman, Larry Nassar, and USA Gymnastics

Body Language Analysis No. 4167: Gary Oldman, Hugh Jackman, and Compliments

_______________________________

Body Language Analysis No. 4251: Cristiano Ronaldo's Bicycle Kick vs. Juventus F.C. - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

If you've never seen a bicycle kick before, take a moment now. You must watch this one by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid forward's coordination, timing, and power are difficult to believe.

But Ronaldo's athleticism is not the focus of this article - rather it's his nonverbal displays afterward.

During 1:09 - 1:11 (and captured in the image immediately above) we see an example of a Wide Open Tongue Jut (Not to be confused with a Loose Tongue Jut or a Tight Tongue Jut). A Wide Open Tongue Jut (WOTJ) indicates the thought-emotions of:

• Disinhibition
• Playfulness
• Self-Deprecation
• Sorry, Not Sorry

This is, of course, just one moment in time. However, those individuals who display a Wide Open Tongue Jut frequently, when compared to average behaviors/personalities, they are:

• More creative
• More sincere

Notice also, the configuration and position of Ronaldo's right hand. He's not only touching his chest - but his full palm surface is making contact (e.g., not just his fingers or fingertips). Moreover, this complete palmar contact is directly over his heart. This tells us that his thought-emotions are:

• Highly Sincere
• Of High Priority
• He's in the Midst of Emotional Processing (e.g., While the intellect knows what has happened, the emotional brain is still coming to terms with it)

Given the context, this is not at all surprising. Frequently, however, people will touch their chest with just their fingertips or make contact with the right side of their chest (the opposite side of the heart). Both such scenarios would indicate low sincerity.


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


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4250: Donald Trump, "We've been very tough on Russia"

Body Language Analysis No. 4248: My Extended interview re: Security Video of Stephen Paddock (1 October Las Vegas Shooter) - KTNV • Channel 13 Las Vegas

Body Language Analysis No. 4246: Former senior KGB spy - says he was warned that Sergei Skripal and his daughter were in danger

Body Language Analysis No. 4244: Stormy Daniels' 60 Minutes Interview

Body Language Analysis No. 4230: Kim Jong-un, Donald Trump, and the Home Field Advantage

Body Language Analysis No. 4196: Trey Gowdy on "Face The Nation"

Body Language Analysis No. 4191: President Trump's State Of The Union Speech

Body Language Analysis No. 3976: Bill Conner bicycles 1,400 miles to hear his daughter's beating heart again

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3912: Keri Russell's Schadenfreude, Matthew Rhys' Fear, and a Hesitancy to Disclose

____________________________

Body Language Analysis No. 4250: Donald Trump, "We've been very tough on Russia" - Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

On Tuesday, President Trump met with the Leaders of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuanian at the White House. With the exception of Ukraine, these Baltic Nations face a greater threat from Russia than any other country. Therefore, the nonverbal and paralanguage behavior exhibited by Donald Trump during their meeting was particularly telling as he addressed the subjects of Russia and Vladimir Putin.

What follows is a nonverbal analysis of one crucial sentence of the above video.

 At 12: 07, President Trump continues, "So, ah, ya' know I-we've been very tough on - that, we've been very tough on Russia, frankly ..."

More subtly during 12:11 and to a greater degree during 12:12, Donald Trump's right eyebrow raises twice - each for a split second. These signals are projecting the thought-emotions of doubt and disbelief. Moreover, this is an excellent example of nonverbal communication contradicting the verbal language.Whenever these two are in disagreement - it's the nonverbal message which is telling the truth.

These very evanescent right eyebrow raises are also textbook illustrations of microexpressions. The example above was captured as he says, "... very ..." - during 12:12.

Please watch the video at regular speed - and again at 1/2 and 1/4 speeds - for the still image does not display the dynamic nature of this motion.

Less than a second later (captured in the above image, still during 12:12), as the President says, "... Russia ...", he briefly shrugs both shoulders. A shoulder shrug signals the thought-emotions of:

• I don't know
• What does it matter?
• What else could I do? / I'm in a Dilemma

None of these are remotely contextual to the verbally strong declaration, "... we've been very tough on Russia ..." - that is, if indeed the President believed his own statement. Said another way, if a person were telling the truth in this context, speaking this sentence - they should NEVER shrug.

The last of these three possibilities - What else could I do? / I'm in a dilemma - takes on profound meaning if the President felt he was trapped in a 'Catch-22' with Russia/Vladimir Putin.

Again, please watch this shrug in the video at several speeds. 

From a Statement Analysis/Paralanguage perspective, there are two important tells in this brief sentence.

One paralanguage red-flag comes with Trump's use of the word, "frankly". The vast majority of the time, when people use the word "frankly", they are indeed being deceptive.

The use of the word "frankly" also betrays another less obvious and somewhat related sentiment: Insincerity and the False Pretense of Parity. That is to say, much of the time when people use the word "frankly" - they are pretending to be your peer and to have your welfare as a priority, but it's really their interests they're putting first. Thus, a high percentage of the time, this word is a red flag. Protect your flank!

Another paralanguage tell arrives earlier in the sentence. Listen carefully, as President Trump says, "So, ah, ya' know I-we've been very tough on - that ...", during 12:08 - he stutters as he first says, "I" - and then switches to "we've". This is remarkable for two reasons:

• Donald Trump uses the first person pronoun singular "I" with greater frequency than most people - but not on this occasion!

• Here he switches to the first person plural pronoun "we" (we've). In this context, Trump's preference for the use of "we" occurs because his psyche feels that if he were to say "... I've been very tough on - that ...", he would be telling an even greater lie. This overlaps with the phenomenon of Forced-Teaming (deBecker), because the President is spreading-out the burden of the lie (aka a Diffusion of Responsibility) from "I" to "we" (we've).

Summary: Captured in this single sentence is an utterly classic body language - paralanguage cluster for deception. President Trump believes he was lying when he said, "So, ah, ya' know I-we've been very tough on - that, we've been very tough on Russia, frankly ..."


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


See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4249: Will Smith, Sophia the Robot, Robot-Empathy, and Responding in Context

Body Language Analysis No. 4247: Donald Trump says Goodbye to Hope Hicks

Body Language Analysis No. 4245: Security Video of Stephen Paddock (1 October Las Vegas Shooter) - My KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas Interview

Body Language Analysis No. 3642 (Reposting): Did Donald Trump Know Vladimir Putin Prior to The 2016 Election?

Body Language Analysis No. 4241: Vladimir Putin responding to a question regarding the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal

Body Language and Medical Analysis No. 4221: Why are Donald Trump's Pupils So Large?

Body Language Analysis No. 4207: Stoneman Douglas High School shooting (Parkland, Florida), Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, and Empathy

Body Language Analysis No. 4183: Aly Raisman, Larry Nassar, and USA Gymnastics

Body Language Analysis No. 4022: Jessica Alba's Rules for Naming Her Baby

Body Language Analysis No. 4017: Elisabeth Moss, Anthony Rizzo, and a Signal of Sincerity

____________________________

Body Language Analysis No. 4249: Will Smith, Sophia the Robot, Robot-Empathy, and Responding in Context • Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Thought experiment: If tomorrow, humankind received a message from an intelligent alien race on a distant planet saying, "We are coming. We will arrive on Earth in 30 years" - yet this is all they said - we would have no way of knowing their intentions - if they will want to harm us - or if they'll be entirely benevolent.

What would we do, as a species, to prepare for their arrival?

This scenario has, very much, already occurred - but the aliens are of our own making. They are AI. They are the robots. For in twenty, thirty, or forty years they will have achieved a level of intelligence,  physical strength, and dexterity which will far exceed our own. This is not an "IF", but very much a "WHEN".

What WILL we do, as a species, to prepare for their arrival?

In 1950, pioneering computer scientist, cryptanalyst, and philosopher, Alan Turing posed the question, "Can machines think?" This question - and derivations of it - have been come to known as The Turing test.

Turing asked, "is a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human? Turing proposed that a human evaluator would judge natural language conversations between a human and a machine designed to generate human-like responses. The evaluator would be aware that one of the two partners in conversation is a machine, and all participants would be separated from one another. The conversation would be limited to a text-only channel such as a computer keyboard and screen so the result would not depend on the machine's ability to render words as speech. If the evaluator cannot reliably tell the machine from the human, the machine is said to have passed the test. The test does not check the ability to give correct answers to questions, only how closely answers resemble those a human would give." §

As many including Turing have pointed out, the concept of thinking - is a difficult one to define.

Since, in Turing's scenario, the person and computer would communicate via a "text-only channel" - I pose the question: What will happen when humanoid robots, complete with ever-improving artificial intelligence, and facial expressions - replicate human emotions so precisely that we cannot differentiate them from another human?

In above video above, Will Smith is not just talking with (not to) a robot, he's acting with a robot. That's right - he and Sophia (yes, she has a name) are putting on a little satire for us. Let that sink in. And Sophia is not only responding with verbal banter - she's spot on with the many of her facial expressions - reacting, indeed behaving, within the context of comedy.

What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis - of Sophia in this video.

During 0:20, Sophia makes as standoffish, poor social smile (a strained smile), with a subtle to mild amount of disgust after she does not accept a drink Will Smith is handing her.

Note also Sophia's neck is twisted because her torso is not facing Will Smith. Humans Whole Body Point (our feet, legs, hips, torso, head, eyes, etc.) toward those people who we like and/or respect. In keeping with the theme of Will Smith getting friendzoned, Sophia is behaving in good comedic/acting context.

Upon being asked a question (Will Smith asked, "What is a robot's favorite kind of music?"), Sophia's eyebrows and lower forehead elevate slightly (along with a slight backward tilt of her head and a lengthening and of her neck) during 0:45.

This is a subtle, yet very common example of nonverbal cluster behavior which occurs in human interaction - and quite nuanced body language for a robot to respond with - in context.

An instant later (0:46) - and just a split second before she asks, "What?", Sophia displays a single partial bilateral blink. This is also very subtle, yet typical behavior upon being posed a question.

Upon hearing his answer, Sophia's lower and mid-face droop (in disappointment) during 0:49.

During 0:50, Sophia's head/neck snaps back (a low amplitude, but relatively fast velocity movement) together with a subtle, yet noticeable wider opening of her eyelids. Again, this cluster is very typical of human nonverbal startle-disapproval.

During 0:53, we see the "Oh" expression of sudden understanding - as she gets the joke.

A second later (0:53 - 0:54), she tilts her head and "squints her eyes" (not a blink, although, of course, in a still image, this may look very similar). This "Oh, I get it" expression is also a very common human response during sudden understanding.

The above (partial) analysis of this video is not to suggest that Sophia's robotic responses are perfect. However, AI and robotic-humanoids are progressing rapidly and remarkably.

So, again: What will happen when humanoid robots replicate human emotions so precisely that we cannot differentiate them from another human?

Another related and profound question is, What will happen when their robotic-empathy responds in context, with greater fidelity - and with more refined feedback than the above-average empathetic human?

Moreover, if a humanoid robot's displayed empathy is reliable, consistent, and (by most people's accounts) proportional and contextual - at what point do we (as humans) cease to call this behavior robotic-empathy, and define it (recognize it) simply as empathy?

The irony is, in our endeavor to make robots more empathetic - we will be forced to (re)examine our own empathy - in greater detail, and with more nuance - and in so doing, become better humans.

Media Inquiries and Keynote Appearances 

One-on-One and Online Courses Available 

Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com

702-239-8503

See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4248: My Extended interview re: Security Video of Stephen Paddock (1 October Las Vegas Shooter) - KTNV • Channel 13 Las Vegas

Body Language Analysis No. 4246: Former senior KGB spy - says he was warned that Sergei Skripal and his daughter were in danger

Body Language Analysis No. 4244: Stormy Daniels' 60 Minutes Interview

Body Language Analysis No. 4236: Andrew McCabe, Jeff Sessions, James Comey - and Sincerity

Body Language Analysis No. 4205: Chloe Kim, Albert Einstein, and Creativity

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

Body Language Analysis No. 4185: Tom Hanks, Embarrassment, and Emotional Processing

Body Language Analysis No. 4122: Jeff Sessions Testimony, Russia, Ted Lieu, and Changing Stories

Body Language Analysis No. 4064: The Murder of Laci Peterson - Part II - A Red Flag Conspicuous by its Absence

___________________________