78 I Can Read You Like a Book R
cheekbones without a facial expression at someone. What does
this convey? The language is universal, but in English, the descrip-
tion has even become a cliché: looking down your nose at someone.
The message of the gesture is so clear that it can effectively be
used as a regulator to control conversation.
Absolute brow control
Brows punctuate our messages. If you were capable of abso-
lute brow control, the impact on your communication style would
make you surreal. I pride myself on the capacity to become
expressionless in interrogations, but this same expressionless face
is not useful in conducting interviews and carrying on business and
personal relations. Although I believe I can look expressionless, I
pale by comparison to Kevin Spacey when it comes to brow control.
As Roger (Verbal) Kint in the brilliant thriller The Usual
Suspects (1995), Kevin Spacey calmly participates in an interroga-
tion with an obvious lackof body language from his brows. Kint
refers to himself as a CP (Cerebral Palsy), and exhibits signs of
both debilitation and mental impairment, so his oddly still face
projects a subhuman quality. (Note: This discussion is necessarily a
spoiler, so if you haven’t seen the movie, rent it and then come back
to this section.) When U.S. Customs agent Dave Kujan (Chazz
Palminteri) drops a bombshell, however, Kint shows use of the pain
muscle that seems to punctuate genuine surprise at the revelation.
(Is the surprise the information itself, or the fact that Kujan has it?)
