Thread by @DrGJackBrown

1/ THREAD: Body Language and Behavior Analysis No. 4658: Amy Coney Barrett's unusual facial expression #BodyLanguage #BodyLanguageExpert #BehaviorAnalysis #EmotionalIntelligence

2/ Does this image of Amy Coney Barrett set off your internal alarm bells? — Regardless of your political ideology, it should.

3/ First and foremost, look at her eyes. Coney Barrett's upper eyelids are opened wider — not extremely widely, but absolutely her upper eyelids are opened significantly wider than baseline.

4/ Moreover this is in no way, not even remotely, a true (Duchenne) 'smile'. It's also NOT even a marginally well-feigned smile (i.e., 'social smile').

5/ One absolute requirement for true smiles are eyelids that are *at least partially closed*. This is an an absolute. The eyelids must be at least partially closed for the smile to be sincere — but, crucially they must be closed in a specific way.

6/ Along with the partially closed eyelids — the lower eyelids *must* have concave-up furrows (not wrinkles, but furrows arising from a specific eyelid muscular contraction).

7/ Note Coney Barrett's eyelids have no furrows — in addition, they are tightened — actively tensed (think of a tightening of the eyelids from side-to-side/laterally) . This adds to the 'Red Flag Factor' of the her upper eyelids being opened wider than baseline.

8/ So not only are her eyelids not partially closed (or even mostly closed or all the way closed as they would be for deep smiles of joy-happiness), Coney Barrett's eyelids are opened wider.

9/ Now look at Coney Barrett's mouth. Some people will say, "Well, that's just the way she smiles". No. It's not. The asymmetry of her mouth should send you a signal.

10/ While not all mouth asymmetry is indicative of insincerity, it should, most of the time, cause you to pause — and evaluate deeper.

11/ The fact that we see no teeth in this image does not indicate an insincere smile. In fact, many true smiles have partial suppression of the mouth components of this thought-feeling (and in many of these scenarios, no teeth are seen).

12/ The mouth configuration of Coney Barrett in this image is indicative of Contempt. Note the is a tightness in the area above her left upper lip and a flaring of her left nostril (although mostly shaded) along with lateral tension of the medial aspect of her cheek.

13/ So, although this image is posed, and no doubt a professional photographer was paid quite well to take dozens of images — AND Coney Barrett got to CHOOSE which image she wanted — all makes this image is particularly bizarre.

14/ SUMMARY: In the above image, the combination Amy Coney Barrett's:

• Upper eyelids opened wider than baseline
• Lower eyelids tensed
• Contempt mouth

Makes this facial expression/thought-emotion indicative of:

• Predation (Predatory)
plus
• Contempt

*Alarm Bells*

15/ Addendum: All professionals/individuals/corporate audiences who want to/need to learn #BodyLanguage nuance, please DM or email me ([e-mail]).

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