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Contempt and Sneer Body Language, Keisha Knight Pulliam's Body Language- What is she Really Saying part two (contempt)

We see another example of body-mind disagreement when Keisha is asked about the paternity of her child and she says "that is not an issue". She flashes this asymmetrical smile that registers as contempt.

Contempt is a very complex emotion. It registers on one side of the face with an asymmetrical smile that show inconsistency between how we feel and what we say. Contempt can mean many different things. It can mean "I'm getting one over on you" or "I have just lied to you and I'm getting away with it". It can also mean someone has taken the moral high ground or they think that they are better/smarter/cooler than someone. John Gottman has done a lot of research to show that the number one sign of a failing relationship is contempt. Relative to Keisha's situation,she could be showing contempt towards her husband because of the situation but when you combine this with the rest of her body language cues, it registers as cause for concern.


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Nodding Yes and Saying No, How Can You Tell When Someone is Lying, Keisha Knight Pulliam's Body Language- What is she Really Saying

How Can You Tell if Someone is Lying,

A body language tell of deceit is shown when someone is saying,"No" of denying an action or behavior with their words, but nodding yes with the head subconsciously in an indication of their true feelings. This happens because the limbic brain responds and the neocortex that thinking of and saying the lie can't catch it. My intern Sydney shows you this 
My name is Sydney Darden. I am an intern to Ms. Patti Wood this fall. 
I am receiving training in body language and deception detection. 
After 6 months of marriage Keisha Knight Pulliam's husband filed for divorce without warning her. The announcement came just 2 days after announcing she was pregnant with their daughter. Keisha's husband asked for a paternity test for the baby in the divorce. Recently, Keisha sat down to do an interview with entertainment tonight and denied the allegations. However, there where reveling body segments of the interview where her body language revealed her true emotions. 


In the first part of the interview she is asked very clearly if she cheated in her husband and it was not 
surprising to the  audience, she offers a definite “I have never cheated in my husband." Notice however  as she says this you can see her nodding her head ‘yes." even though she says with her words no. 


We saw the same thing happen in President Clinton's infamous interview where he said "I did not have sexual relations with that woman Ms. Lewinsky".

and again with Lance Armstrong:

We often convey our true feelings non-verbally regardless of what we do to hide it.


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Keisha Knight pulliam's Body Language- What is she Really Saying

Hello. My name is Sydney Darden. I am an intern to Ms. Patti Wood this fall and I am currently training in body language communication and lie deception.
After 6 months of marriage Keisha Knight Pulliam's husband filed for divorce without warning her. The announcement came just 2 days after announcing she was pregnant with their daughter. Keisha's husband asked for a paternity test for the baby in the divorce. Recently, Keisha sat down to do an interview with entertainment tonight and denied the allegations but there are some interesting points in the interview where her body language contradicts what she is saying.

In the first part of the interview she is asked very clearly if she cheated in her husband and no surprise to the audience, she offers a definite “I have never cheated in my husband”. However, as she says this you can see her nodding her head ‘yes’ as she denies any infidelity.


We saw the same thing happen in President Clinton's infamous interview where he said "I did not have sexual relations with that woman Ms. Lewinsky".

and again with Lance Armstrong:


Research shows that we will always convey our true feelings regardless of what we do to hide it.When what we feel does not align with what we are saying, our body finds ways to let those true emotions out and it is completely involuntary.


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Comfort Cues

What does it mean when a man adjusts the cuffs of his sleeve? I see this comfort cue behavior of adjusting a sleeve or touching a cuff given by men coming to to the front of the room to give a speech, getting ready to approach a women to flirt with her and other situations when they are preparing to do a difficult task.


A helpful way to read body language is through the comfort/discomfort lens.  When you are comfortable you tend to be open, and relaxed and you don’t fidget or touch your hands to your face or body. The self-touch in stressful situations is called a comfort cue.
When you are uncomfortable you may seek comfortable with self-touch. The touch stimulates the nerve endings in the skin and produces chemicals that sooth you. So when you read someone’s body language and they switch from comfortable open and relaxed to uncomfortable, closed tense and giving comfort cues that is interesting. You can ask yourself: what were we talking about when that happened?  What was I saying that suddenly uncomfortable for this person? What changed in the moment that they became uncomfortable?

·   Mouth Guard—Covering our mouths is quite symbolic. We cover our mouths when we do not want someone to know we’re upset, lying or if we’re suppressing a negative thought. We put our hands over our mouths so the truth won’t come out. Always look for additional submissive gestures given with the mouth guard that may signal nervousness, shyness or a lack of self-esteem.

·   Nose, Eye and Ear Rubbing—These signify discomfort, disbelief or disagreement: “Boy, that doesn’t smell right to me, that doesn’t look right to me, that doesn’t sound right to me.”

·   Fingers or Objects in the Mouth—This cue links back to childhood, when we sucked a bottle, pacifier, thumb etc. Self-touch gestures, like hands or objects in the mouth, communicate a desire to find sustenance and comfort.

·   Rubbing Motions—These motions are more complicated. Rubbing may be a means of self-assurance. For example, we may gently rub a gold chain around our neck just before an interview, symbolically making it shine.

·   Holding MotionsWhen we were little and we were anxious or scared, our moms or dads held on to us, and the holding motion assured us that everything would be okay. When we went to bed as children, we may have held onto a teddy bear or a blankie to reassure us that everything was all right. As adults, when we are anxious or afraid we repeat these motions to reassure ourselves that everything is going to be all right. We may hold our hands together, grip our arms in a self-hug, or hold a pen or marker as we speak.

·   Preening Motions—We use these motions to prepare ourselves for an interaction. You might touch your hair, rub out the wrinkles on your pants, adjust belt or watch, tuck in your shirt, and women may touch their collars and or jewelry. These self-touch motions offer comfort to us and may subconsciously remind us of when our mothers used to do these things for us before an important event, such as the first day of school.  


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.