Listen at the link below as Patti analyzes for ShowBiz Tonight the body language of Bobbi Kristina during the recent interview by Oprah and Ray J's body language when being interviewed about Whitney Houston's death.
Patti on ShowBiz Tonight:
http://www.youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert?feature=mheeOprah's Interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84x0EsBRqsERay J's Emotional Interview:
http://www.eonline.com/news/ray_j_whitney_houston_i_miss_you/295171Patti's Notes:
Bobbi Kristina, (Whitney Houston's Daughter) body language insights during Oprah Winfrey interview March 11, 2012
Repeating statements in effort to believe the positive things she is saying and make them true.
Bobbi shows a lot of self-comfort cues at the end of the statements showing that many of the positive things are not true yet but she is using them to reassure herself.
When we are little our moms touch and hold us rub our head and comfort us.
Self-comfort cues are a way to reassure ourselves when Mom’s not there.
Often sweeps her hands away from her body when talking about hearing her mother’s voice or music, showing she wants that painful voice to get away from her and out of her head.
When Oprah asks Bobbi if she can listen to her Mother’s music, she brushes her hair back three times and as she says, “I can hear her music” and as she brushes it back the third time she puts her hand into holding it in knuckles up fist. Distinct comfort cues that show she not only doesn’t want to hear her mother’s music but that she is fighting against the thought of hearing it.
“I can hear her voice,” she is striking with open hands away from her head as if she wants her Mother’s voice out of her head.
I got you, scratching her hair away.
Bobbi says to her Mother’s spirit “I will always need you. “Pushing her hair away and scratching the back of her head. “I can hear her voice talking to me.”
Bobbi says “Her spirit is strong” she puts her hands in her pockets, “It is a strong spirit,” she shakes her head no.
“I wake up at night all the time. At 5:00 in the morning.
“I just start praying,” Again her hands flow out and away.
Bobbi says, “I remember what she told me, what she taught me. “ “That’s what I take in that’s all that I take in.” She does another scratch this time scratching the hair away from her head one, two, three, four, and then five times. The intensity of this scratching motion on her right side of her head show some of what Whitney taught her daughter is what Bobbi would like to scrape away.
“I can still sit there and laugh with her” her hands and arms scoop that in “I can still sit there and talk with her” she takes her finger and scratches behind her ear.
“The first night I couldn’t stay there… the next morning...” she does a clear the throat cough that indicates the pain that morning after her mother died is tough going down.
“I thought it was ok to stay in the house” she holds her hand palm out to brush back her hair and shutters her eyes. “Still have all the things she has given me” she repeats it again.
Time code 5: 00 Bobbi says, “No one knows she was an amazing spirit”
Oprah says “That’s why we are doing this so people can hear…” Bobbi interrupts, “and that’s what I want.” Bobbi says that with more conviction than anything else in the interview.
Oprah finishes her thought, “The truth.” Hearing those words the truth, Bobbi says the words “that is exactly what I want,” but she for the first time in the interview scratches her nose, showing she doesn’t like the smell of what the truth may reveal. She then speaks of what she does want the public to know.
“She was my mother, she was a best friend” “We were one unit.”
Asked about dealing with the Paparazzi “Is it harder for you without her, she clears her throat, “At first it was.” “Did you ever feel she would leave?
“Last day,” coughs it out.
10:00 all these negative thoughts
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at
http://PattiWood.net. Also check out the body language quiz on her YouTube Channel at
http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
