DrJackBrown 🌊 Profile picture
Apr 15, 2018 25 tweets 6 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
THREAD: Body Language Analysis No. 4261: President Trump's Address regarding the Retaliatory Strike on Syria - #Nonverbal & #EmotionalIntelligence#DonaldTrump #SyriaStrikes #ChemicalWeapon #BodyLanguage #EmotionalIntelligence #Syria #EQ
1/ On 14 April 2018, the United States, United Kingdom, and France carried out a coordinated retaliatory military air strike against the Syrian government.
2/ This act was in response to the chemical weapons attack the Syrian forces perpetrated upon their own people on 7 April 2018 in Douma. The Syrian government has denied they carried out this mass-poisoning and have called the retaliation a violation of international law.
3/ Shortly after the retaliatory attack, Donald Trump addressed the nation from the White House. A video of this speech is included above. What follows is a nonverbal and paralanguage analysis of one crucial segment of his address.
4/ PRESIDENT TRUMP (continuing at 6:38): "...We saw the anguish that can be unleashed and the evil that can take hold. By the end of World War - One - more than one million people had been killed or injured by chemical weapons. We never want to see that ghastly specter return..."
5/ During 6:47, just as he's finishing saying the word, "... War ..." the President:

• Contracts and Elevates his Central Forehead Muscles
• His mouth hyper-gesticulates
• Crucially, his mouth does NOT take on a saddened configuration

as well as ...
6/ The President also simultaneously:

• Tilts his head/neck to his right
• Raises his right shoulder
7/ When a sincere person is feeling emotional or physical pain for her/himself - or experiencing these feelings for another person/group of people via empathy - their:

• Central Forehead Contracts & Elevates
• Mouth takes on a sad, scared, or painful configuration
8/ The elevated central forehead contraction (an elevated CFC, not the entire width of the forehead - but just the central [medial] portion) is a monumentally important nonverbal display - which the vast majority people don't nuance.
9/ This includes those individuals who constantly attempt to feign empathy - and this is exactly what the President is doing here.
10/ Although we certainly don't welcome their bad behavior, we should be thankful for their poor acting skills - for it allows us to suss out the insincere people from the sincere ones.
11/ A split-second later (still during 6:47), as the President says, "... One ...", he shrugs with his:

• Shoulders
• Hands
• Eyebrows
• Forehead

• He also Rapidly torques his head
12/ § Note: Although Donald Trump's forehead is moderately treated with Botox, we are still able to see these important contractions/dynamics.
13/ A shrug indicates the thought-emotion of:

• I don't know
• I don't care
• What does it matter?
14/ A shoulder shrug (or any of the lesser-appreciated shrugs) are COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTEXT HERE.
15/ Why would a person be thinking-feeling such emotions when talking about the issue of deaths in chemical warfare? In waging war? If one is operating from the foundation and premise of empathy - there is NO REASON.
16/ Another excellent insincerity tell is exhibited in this same moment from a Paralanguage/Statement Analysis perspective:

• The hyperbolic emphasis of the word "One" (both in tone and in volume).
17/ Why is this word emphasized? Always remember: When the less important words of a sentence are emphasized - while the some of the more important ones are monotone/homogenized - it's a monumentally classic signal of insincerity.
18/ When you observe both nonverbal signals of insincerity simultaneous with paralanguage flags of insincerity - you can be 100% certain that the person's thoughts and feelings are not congruent with their words. They are lying. They have other agenda. Protect your flank.
19/ Summary: President Trump was insincere during this address. He was feigning empathy. He's parroting this emotion. He's character acting. It's one thing to be insincere passively - it's more nefarious to actively fake it.
20/ While you may or may not agree with President Trump's decision (or the UK's or France's) to retaliate against Syria (or the precise manner/timing of their retaliation) - that is not what this analysis is discussing. I'm here to analyze and teach nonverbal behavior.
21/ What many people do NOT understand, is when the central forehead is contracted and elevated - but the mouth is not simultaneously sad, scared, or expressing pain - ...
22/ ... the person is experiencing a completely different set of emotions (e.g., CFC with Sad/Scared/Painful Mouth vs. CFC with other types of mouth expressions).
23/ While this may sound like geeky-detail - it's one of the most important nonverbal distinctions you'll ever learn. It will save you time, money, hassle, a bad marriage, and maybe your life.
24/ Commit yourself right now - to collecting images/screen-grabs and their corresponding URLs of these two expression variations. Study them and refer to them often. Whenever you see these displayed by others in your own, real-life experiences - take detailed mental notes.

END

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More from @DrGJackBrown

Aug 17, 2020
1/ THREAD: Body Language Analysis No. 4450: Trump delivers remarks in Oshkosh, WI — a Red Flag Body Language expression — Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence #BodyLanguage #BodyLanguageExpert #EmotionalIntelligence #DonaldTrump #Sociopath #Psychopath
2/ Donald Trump delivered a campaign speech earlier today in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He repeatedly made the expression show in this accompanying still image. Note his central forehead is contracted and elevated while simultaneously displaying a (feigned) mouth smile.
3/ We all make an expression similar to this one *once-in-a-while* when we're feeling:

• Smug Incredulity
• Arrogance
• Contempt

(although all of these thought-emotions have other facial expressions with which they're associated)
Read 5 tweets
Oct 7, 2018
THREAD: Body Language Analysis No. 4350: Ashley Kavanaugh during Brett Kavanaugh's Swearing-in Ceremonies for the Supreme Court - #Nonverbal #EmotionalIntelligence #AshleyKavanaugh #BrettKavanuagh #SwearingIn #BodyLanguage #BodyLanguageExpert #LowConfidence #Beta #GetMeOutOfHere
1/ Yesterday, after the closest Senate vote in 137 years, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. Ashley Kavanaugh's body language during her husband's swearing-in ceremony is worthy of scrutiny.
2/ Note in the above image, as retired Justice Anthony Kennedy administers the Judicial Oath to Brett Kavanaugh, Ashley Kavanaugh is standing with her left leg crossed in front of her right leg. This nonverbal display indicates a lowered confidence level & a beta emotional tone.
Read 10 tweets
Oct 5, 2018
1/ There are many nonverbal signs indicating relative levels of confidence. During last week's hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford exhibited contrasting examples of one such signal.
2/ When a person raises their right hand to be sworn-in before testifying, if their fingers and/or thumb are spread apart - it signals low levels of confidence.
Read 9 tweets
Oct 1, 2018
1/ The following is my second analysis of a portion of Brett Kavanaugh's testimony during his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on 27 September 2018.
2/ JOHN KENNEDY (beginning at 3:45:39): "I’m — I’m sorry, judge, for what you and your family have been through. And I’m sorry - for what Dr. Ford and her family have been through. It could have been avoided [long pause] Do you believe in God?"
Read 59 tweets
Sep 28, 2018
THREAD: Body Language Analysis No. 4347: Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings - Part I • #Nonverbal #Emotional #Intelligence #KavanaughHearings #ChristineBlaseyFord #BrettKavanaugh #BodyLanguageExpert #BodyLanguage
1/ In case you hadn't heard, on Wednesday 27 September 2018, both Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
2/ This hearing could supply a year's worth of nonverbal teaching examples and it would close to impossible to analyze the entire event in one session. Thus, what follows is the first of several analyses of this historic exchange.
Read 12 tweets
Sep 26, 2018
1/ THREAD: Trump's Press Conference • Pupil Alert • Why are Trump's Pupils So Large?

During President Trump's Press Conference today, his pupils were quite dilated - to as much as 7.0 mm.

Here are his pupils imaged at the 31:49 mark in this video:
2/ On other days in similar light conditions, they are within normal limits (e.g., 3.0 mm).

The intermittent and yet extreme nature of Trump's pupillary dilation is profound. From a medical standpoint, this is NOT normal.
3/ This intermittent pattern is NOT due to trauma, complications from surgery, or disease.
Read 9 tweets

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