Sarah Palin

If you watched the 2008 Republican National Convention, you most likely watched Sarah Palin deliver her speech in an attempt to find out more about this relatively unknown VP nominee. As expected, Palin revealed some interesting facts about her personal life, making many people feel they had known her for years. But for those who knew what to look for, there were some fascinating nonverbal messages communicated by Palin when she was talking about her young son with Down Syndrome.

While addressing potential voters who were also dealing with the challenges of raising and caring for special needs children, Palin said “…if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.” This message was very clear and concise, and very intentional. A message that probably went unnoticed by most viewers, at the conscious level, however, were the emotions of anger and disgust that quickly flashed across the face of Palin.

Paul Ekman coined the term “micro expression” to describe the almost imperceptible facial expressions that rapidly flit across the face of a person, leaking a plethora of information about what emotion they are feeling. These micro expressions are all but impossible to conceal, and offer those who know how to spot them an almost unfair advantage when interacting with others.

As Palin was delivering the phrase mentioned above, she clearly leaked the emotions of anger and disgust. For every emotion we experience, there are certain facial muscles that contract, reflecting to the world what is going on internally. With disgust, the upper lip is raised as high as possible. The lower lip is pushed out, while simultaneously being raised. The nostrils are flared, and creases or wrinkles are visible on either side of the nose. Anger pulls the eyebrows downward and brings the inner corners together. As this is occurring, there is an attempt to open the eyes nice and wide, resulting in the upper lids being pressed against the eyebrows. When the video of this becomes available online, be sure to watch; you’ll be shocked at how powerfully these expressions are displayed.

Now, don’t rush to a conclusion about what Palin is angry or disgusted about. While one can become very skilled at determining what emotions someone is experiencing by watching their face, it’s simply not possible to say with any degree of validity why they are feeling them, or what they are in reference to. Of course, some guesses will be more accurate than others, but without more information, guesses they will be.

It’s possible that Sarah Palin is angry and disgusted by how some people treat and taunt those with special needs. It could be that she is angry and disgusted about the way certain people are judging her about running for office while having a special needs child. Then, it is possible, that Palin feels angry and disgusted about the fact that, at this point in her life, she is faced with the challenge of caring for a child with Down Syndrome. I don’t know. I can’t know. Only Sarah Palin can know for sure.

Let this be a reminder when communicating with other people. While it may certainly seem like you know exactly what the emotion they displayed is in reference to, do not assume. I’ve always found it useful to say something like “Jim, I may be wrong, but I sense you are feeling angry about something, if that’s the case, would you be comfortable sharing it with me?” Questions allow us to take the information we gathered from their nonverbal signals or body language, and determine whether it’s relevant to the issue at hand.

Just know that other people are always giving your more information than you’ve been noticing, and that once you have that information, you have to factor it in appropriately. The tendency to jump to conclusions can wreck most any relationship, whether it is personal or business.

So, what can we safely say about Palin? She displayed the emotions of disgust and anger when talking about being an advocate for those with special needs children. To say, with certainty, much more than that, would require talking to Palin.

Copyright © 2008 Vincent Harris-All Rights Reserved

Vincent Harris is a Body Language Expert and the author of The Productivity Epiphany. Get a FREE copy of Vince’s Advanced Body Language Report “The Science of Making a Great First Impression” valued at $29, and his Ebook “A Step by Step System for Achieving Any Goal, a $39 value at http://www.vinceharris.info