THE MIND’S CANVAS 203abroad and noted how one politician, when asked a question he deemed
beneath him, merely raised his nose high, looking down on the re-
porter, and answered “No, I will not answer that.” The nose reflected
his status and attitude of contempt for the reporter. Charles de Gaulle,
a rather complex individual who eventually became the president of
France, was famous for projecting this kind of haughty attitude and
image.
The Rule of Mixed SignalsSometimes we don’t say what we’re really thinking, but our faces reflect
it anyway. For example, someone who is looking repeatedly at his watch
or at the nearest exit is letting you know he is either running late, has an
appointment, or would rather be elsewhere. This kind of look is an in-
tention cue.
Other times, we say one thing but really believe otherwise. This
brings us to a general rule when it comes to interpreting emotions and/
or words by looking at facial expressions. When confronted with mixed
signals from the face (such as happiness cues along with anxiety signals
or pleasure behaviors seen alongside displeasure displays), or if the ver-
bal and nonverbal facial messages are not in agreement, always side
with the negative emotion as the more honest of the two. The negative
sentiment will almost always be the more accurate and genuine of the
person’s feelings and emotions. For instance, if someone says, “So happy
to see you,” with jaws tightened, the statement is false. The tension in
the face reveals the true emotion the person is feeling. Why side with the
negative emotion? Because our most immediate reaction to an objec-
tionable situation is usually the most accurate; it is only after a moment
when we realize that others might see us that we mask that initial re-
sponse with some facial behavior that is more socially acceptable. So
when confronted with both, go with the first emotion observed, espe-
cially if it is a negative emotion.