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How Can The Way A Person Laughs Give Insight Into Their Personality and Other Insights on Laughing

1)      How can the way a person laughs give insight into their personality? Though we may use are thinking brain to analyze something said to see if it’s funny the actual laughter are not fully controlled response, they are. Laughter vocalizations and body movements are primal physical reactions rather than logical rational word language. Though we do have different laughs and laughter we modify depending on how we feel and how others are laughing, our laughter itself is primal and not consciously controlled, or not controlled initially. Laughter is primarily a “Play” signal to bond us together socially.

2)     Does reading body language help give us insight as well? Nonverbal communication involves using all the senses to read someone. So we hear the many nuances of the laugh and see how the persons face and body move when they laugh to completely read them. For example if someone laughs and their head goes back and their mouth opens wide and their chest and torso move with the laughter we read that they are fully engaged in big full laugh.

3)     Is laughing (when it is sincere) something we do automatically, without putting a lot of thought into it? Most of the time our laughter is spontaneous and unconscious it is a primal “play” signal. It’s very difficult to control real laughter consciously. However we do read social cues to match others laughter and bond through the language of laughter in social situations with this spontaneous play laughter. There is also a second kind of laughter researchers call volitional laughter (fake laughter) that we may use under stress we use along with to smooth out social situations say when the boss tells an off color joke we don’t think is funny or to send negative messages in passive aggressive, “I was just joking” way. Volitional laughter is designed to show superior power, and or to “laugh at” in a way to cast someone out of the group.

4)     Do we always laugh the same way, or are there different ways we laugh at different times/in different situations perhaps? According to research we laugh 30 times more frequently in social situations rather than in solitary situations we have two major kinds of laughter, spontaneous and volitional laughter. We laugh when things are funny, but we also laugh under stress and even during or after trauma not to ignore the stress but to prepare ourselves to endure it!

5)     What does it say about you if...
A)    You clap your hands when laughing? You want to show how playful you are and want others to join the play.
B)    You usually cover your mouth? You are not sure you are laughing approximately
C)    You throw your head back? Free spontaneous laughter
D)    You put your hand on heart? Often to show your laughter is heartfelt, and if higher at times to try to contain overwhelming laughter as in your chest hurts from laughing.
E)    You crinkle your nose? To show playfulness and that you can’t believe how sweet the situation is, funny because we usually crinkle the nose in extreme pleasure, but in this case we are showing extreme displeasure.
F)     Is there another way of laughing we left out that you think is important to mention?

6)     Is there anything else you think is important to add when it comes to discussing how the way you laugh can reveal your personality? I have quite a few more things here. But the major thing is I have developed a survey to test how your laugh reveals your DISC personality type. I put a few of the questions at the end of this document with the answer key in the survey (do you wouldn’t have the letters D I S or C in the actual survey so if you wanted to you could put the survey and the key in the article. Let me know.


1.      Women laugh much more than men in social situations (just like smiling)

      1,200 case studies, researchers found that while both sexes laugh a lot, females laugh more. In cross-gender conversations, females laughed 126% more than their male counterparts, meaning that women tend to do the most laughing while males tend to do the most laugh-getting

2.  It’s complex and involves many parts of the brain

  •        Laugh The left side of the cortex (the layer of cells that covers the entire                surface of the forebrain) analyzed the words and structure of the joke.
  •        The brain's large frontal lobe, which is involved in social emotional                         responses, became very active.
  •        The right hemisphere of the cortex carried out the intellectual analysis                   required to "get" the joke.
  •        Brainwave activity then spread to the sensory processing area of the                      occipital  lobe (the area on the back of the head that contains the cells that            process visual signals).
  •        Stimulation of the motor sections

3.   It’s beneficial

  •  Laughter shuts down the release of stress hormones like cortisol. It also triggers the      production of feel-good neurochemicals like dopamine, which have all kinds of                calming, anti-anxiety benefits.” Laughter is good for your body too–you use your            core muscles when you laugh and you burn calories. increases blood pressure
  •  Increases heart rate (may be good exercise for the heart and may overtax it         changes breathing
  •  Reduces levels of certain neurochemicals (catecholamines, hormones).
  •  Provides a boost to the immune system.


      4. The first laughter appears at 3 and half to 4 months.




Patti Wood, MA - 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.
     

Trump and Clinton Laughter and the Candidates and Body Language Expert


Trump does laugh, but it’s a more of a quick heh heh. You don’t see him in public with his head back laughing.  His laugh would be quick.  He is a driver on the DISC personality inventory with some Influencer.  I have done several research studies on DISC and various body language movements including laughter.
Clinton is a C controller with Driver. C's typically laugh more internally rather than externally. And C's only luagh when they really mean it so it's been hard for her to fake her smile for the public, 


High D Driver personality motivated by: Control, Dominance and Challenges.  Their personality moves outward and direct through their body language. They are expressive with their non-verbals. Their fists fly through the air and their language can be colorful. If they overuse their tendencies, they may move to quickly or interrupt and not let your finish your sentences. Confident and very direct

High I Personality – Influence – DiSC Behavioral Styles are motivated by: Popularity, Status and Approval.  Their personality spirals out and upward in it’s expression. They laugh easily and generally elicit smiles and laughter you. Their enthusiasm can be contagious. If they overuse their tendencies, they can be perceived as insincere or flippant. Infectious Laughter Entertains Others

High S Personality – Steadiness – DiSC Behavioral Styles are motivated by: Traditions, Status Quo and Stability.  Their personality is inward and reserved, constant and subtle. Their slow movement and gentle energy is inviting.  If they overuse their tendencies, they can be indecisive and slow to action. Maintains Low Profile

High C Personality – Conscientious – DiSC Behavioral Styles are motivated by: Order, Precision and Proper Ways.  Their personalities have have the lowest level of natural movement. They appear formal and structured. If they overuse their tendencies, they can appear rigid and are often perceived as critical and serious. People often tell them to “Lighten Up!” Controlled Perfectioni


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.
     

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's Body Language in Second Debate, Apology, Smiles and Lion Behavior

Check out the link below:


By Kevin Uhrmacher and Lazaheir lecterns, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were able to roam the stage at Sunday night’s presidential debate. And while the spoken insults and accusations will provide much fodder for political analysts in the days ahead, we invited two body language experts to dissect the candidates’ nonverbal cues.Here’s a bit about the experts, whose lightly edited thoughts about the debate are below:David Givens, who is the director of the Center for Nonverbal Studies, a nonprofit research center in Spokane, Wash. Givens also contributed to this helpful dissection of Clinton and Trump’s body language before the debate.

Patti Wood, author of the book “SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma.” Wood has experience analyzing body language as it relates to anger, gender roles and apologies, which all proved helpful during the 90-minute spectacle.



The candidates walked out and, in a break with tradition, did not shake hands. Wood offered a thought about why it is so important. “A handshake … signals we are equals. Now we can come out fighting,” she wrote in an email Sunday night. The candidates did eventually shake hands, but not until the close of the debate.

‘He circles like a lion’: Trump declares his dominance
Looking to reverse his fortunes after a week on the defensive, Trump demanded attention with a display of aggressive sniffing, interruptions and emphatic pointing. But, compared with the last debate, “Donald was quite relaxed and calm,” Givens said.
“Trump came forth in full alpha-male mode,” The Post’s Karen Tumulty wrote after the debate. The experts agreed. Trump repeatedly pointed at Clinton as he lobbed accusations at her, a gesture Givens called “aggressive in all cultures.” He also compared Trump’s snorts with “a bull in attack mode.”

“I think the anger actually worked for him,” Wood suggested after the debate. “That’s his superpower.” For Trump, anger helps establish dominance and has a strong appeal, especially for disaffected voters, she said, adding that Americans are often drawn to the candidate who appears stronger.

Givens: “Trump’s constant pacing and restless movements around the stage attracted attention from Hillary's words, and visually disrespected her physical presence on the stage, as in ‘I am big, you are small.’ Wood: “He circles her during her turn. He is like a lion: going in with a biting attack, then keeping his attack energy going by continuing to move and circle.”

Givens: “Sitting is submissive; standing up is assertive. He paces [during her turn] to stay in motion, taking visual attention away from Clinton and her words. … His main message is ‘I am here, see me.’ “
Givens: “His manner of leaning hands and arms on the back of his chair as Hillary spoke was aggressive, too, as in a ‘broadside display’ of power. [It’s] common in the vertebrate world of males showing the biggest, widest parts of their bodies to intimidate rivals.”

Commenting on Trump’s ‘apology’ for the lewd 2005 video first reported by The Post on Oct. 7:
Wood: “Trump attacked Bill Clinton when he had a chance to apologize. A true apology does not include an attack.”Wood: “Clinton smiled as she began to respond to the Bill attack. [That] signals she was ready and confident. Her voice as she delivered was the strongest and angriest I have heard.”
Clinton stumbles on the smile
While Wood approved of Clinton’s performance overall, she said Clinton’s smile looked inappropriate. Both experts also thought Clinton looked comparatively weak when she sat as Trump spoke. Wood: “She stayed calm and even through most of the debates. His circling and staying close to her did not affect her, as scary as it looked to us.”
Givens: “Hillary addressed listeners sympathetically, with positive feelings and positive regard.”

Clinton reacts to Trump’s statement about using a special prosecutor to look into her “situation.” Reacting to Trump’s statements about her email scandal Trump criticizes Clinton saying she is “all talk” Both candidates react to a question asking for “one positive thing you respect in one another.”
Wood: “Because I've been analyzing her body language for a long time, I know her baseline … I think [the smile] was okay in the first debate [since] Trump rambled and had run-on sentences. [He] often did not make sense, so smiling seemed appropriate to communicate that she felt it was funny.”
The second debate was different, Wood said, because Trump spoke in more complete sentences and lobbed more serious accusations her way. This made it feel less natural for Clinton to crack a big smile.
Advice for the next debate
Trump should hew closer to his second debate performance, where he was more consistent across the entire 90 minutes, Wood said.
For Clinton, she offered some counterintuitive advice: Continue to break the rules. This may sound familiar to people who have worked in a corporate setting, Wood said. “A powerful person often breaks the rules.” (Think of the boss who shows up late to meetings.)

If Trump continues to flout the debate guidelines in the Oct. 19 debate, but Clinton sticks to her allotted time, she could look weak by comparison. Wood said she should monitor Trump and continue to establish power by going over her time limits if necessary.

Questions from My HLN Interview This Morning.

QUESTION 1
PATTI, RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE WE SAW HILLARY CLINTON AND DONALD TRUMP WALK ONSTAGE LAST NIGHT - AND NOT SHAKE HANDS.
WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT HOW THEY FELT COMING INTO THE DEBATE?
A handshake signals, "We are equals, I trust you, I am unarmed as we begin and we can be friends and equals when we finish this battle. A lack a handshake, show disrespect and creates fear and animosity.  

QUESTION 2
TRUMP DID A LOT OF PACING WHILE CLINTON WAS TALKING LAST NIGHT.
DOES THAT SHOW HE WAS NERVOUS, OR JUST EAGER TO RESPOND?

His bulk and circling are threatening. At that point he circles her during her turn he is like a lion. going in with a biting attack then keeping his attack energy going by continuing to move and circle. 

QUESTION 3
AT TIMES TRUMP SEEMED TO LOOM BEHIND CLINTON. 
DOES THAT COME ACROSS AS IMPOSING OR THREATENING?



QUESTION 4
LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE WAS A TOWN HALL FORMAT, WHERE THE CANDIDATES ANSWERED QUESTIONS ASKED BY AUDIENCE MEMBERS.

DID THEY LOOK ENGAGED WITH THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM?


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.
     

Hillary’s smile.

Hillary’s smile.

A couple things stood out am I don't think the smiling worked very well for her it looked inappropriate. I was honored by her composure. As a female she couldn't get mad we don't view anger the same way that we do man. She stayed calm and even through most of the debates. His circling and staying close to her did not affect her. As scary as it looked us.

I definitely think that know if she smiles or she doesn't smile it's a no-win situation for her let me send you a little piece as I've done several years of research on :-
It was often a female cover smile women smile to cover their anger men often smile to cover their sadness
It was often a female cover smile women smile to cover their anger men often smile to cover their sadness
What was admirable,  dare I say amazing,  is that n the context of those attacks she remained, for the most part calm centered and focused on speaking. 

One way to put this in perspective is to imagine how a man in terms of gender based stereotype might have been able to or might have responded. I think there would've been quite a bit of screaming and yelling and pointing.













Patti Wood, - 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.