R Review From Scalp to Soles 73
human communication. Later in this chapter, I will look closely at
one actor who has astonishing brow control: Kevin Spacey.
Eyebrow flash or lift
Eyebrow flash is a fleeting expression with a lifting of the brows
as its primary component. This may be instant and disappear quickly.
Your eyebrows flash when you recognize someone. It’s an
involuntary and universal response. I’ve seen it in bringing two pris-
oners together who assert that they don’t know each other. As
soon as they see each other, though, the eyebrows go up a little and
we know they’re lying.
The lack of an eyebrow flash triggers your intuition that some-
one who should recognize you does not. The next time you see
someone you know, pay attention to your brow and his. You expect
a mirroring from that person an acknowledgment, even though you
aren’t conscious of your expectation for that response. When you
don’t get it, an awkward moment follows. A typical occasion would
be your 20-year class reunion. You see someone who used to be
the head cheerleader, who looks basically the same as she did in
high school. You, on the other hand, have become a marathon
runner—a far cry from the pudgy geek who ruled in chemistry
class. Your eyebrows flash when she approaches, but she looks
straight at you with no sign of ever having seen you before. And
she doesn’t know body language well enough to fake it.
Compound the eyebrow flash of recognition with a wrinkled
brow and here’s what you get: I know you, but I’m concerned
about where/why/how. One of my body language students told me