People vicariously experience embarrassment when observing others' public pratfalls or etiquette violations. In two consecutive studies we investigated the subjective experience and the neural correlates of vicarious embarrassment for others in a broad range of situations. We demonstrated, first, that vicarious embarrassment was experienced regardless of whether the observed protagonist acted accidentally or intentionally and was aware or unaware that he/she was in an embarrassing situation. Second, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we showed that the anterior cingulate cortex and the left anterior insula, two cortical structures typically involved in vicarious feelings of others' pain, are also strongly implicated in experiencing the ‘social pain’ for others' flaws and pratfalls. This holds true even for situations that engage protagonists not aware of their current predicament. Importantly, the activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and the left anterior insula positively correlated with individual differences in trait empathy. The present findings establish the empathic process as a fundamental prerequisite for vicarious embarrassment experiences, thus connecting affect and cognition to interpersonal processes.
“When we are living with people who have a delicate sense of propriety, we are in misery on their account when anything unbecoming is committed. So I always feel for and with Charlotte when a person is tipping his chair. She cannot endure it.” [Elective Affinities, J. W. Goethe].
REad More...◦
Friday, April 15, 2011
Vicarious Embarrassment and Why we are Embarrassed for people like Micheal Scott on The Office
Thursday, April 7, 2011
New Research: Something in the way we move: Motion dynamics, not perceived sex, influence head movements in conversation.
Something in the way we move: Motion dynamics, not perceived sex, influence head movements in conversation.
Boker, Steven M.; Cohn, Jeffrey F.; Theobald, Barry-John; Matthews, Iain; Mangini, Michael; Spies, Jeffrey R.; Ambadar, Zara; Brick, Timothy R.
doi: 10.1037/a0021928
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance - Online First Publications & Volume 37, Issue 2
Abstract: During conversation, women tend to nod their heads more frequently and more vigorously than men. An individual speaking with a woman tends to nod his or her head more than when speaking with a man. Is this due to social expectation or due to coupled motion dynamics between the speakers? We present a novel methodology that allows us to randomly assign apparent identity during free conversation in a videoconference, thereby dissociating apparent sex from motion dynamics. The method uses motion-tracked synthesized avatars that are accepted by naive participants as being live video. We find that 1) motion dynamics affect head movements but that apparent sex does not; 2) judgments of sex are driven almost entirely by appearance; and 3) ratings of masculinity and femininity rely on a combination of both appearance and dynamics. Together, these findings are consistent with the hypothesis of separate perceptual streams for appearance and biological motion. In addition, our results are consistent with a view that head movements in conversation form a low level perception and action system that can operate independently from top–down social expectations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)
You can find the entire papre online.◦
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
How to Interrogate a Dog
For fun...
For the record, dogs do not have the emotion of guilt, they are great because they only live in the moment, and this dog is reacting to the owner's emotion, demeanor, and gestures.◦
Monday, March 28, 2011
Watch the Progression: Fight Erupts Over White Lady Calling Black Girls “Animals”
If only they both would have been better about reading body language and facial expressions. Watch the man who enters and sits down, and how quickly he decides it might be good to move. Watch her friend who changes seat positions, and her posture, and how she plays a lead role in having the conflict grow...
The real hero, is the 'hold up, hold up, chill out" guy.
Unfortunately it is not all that uncommon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rm4SazjKsQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFw5pc2SAAU this was a little different in that one of the parties was attempting to diffuse the situation, which usually works, but I would suspect both were not of sound mind. The hero here is how a girl places herself in between them when the fight is broken up, but in the most subtle way, not many people would do this.
If you look through them, there are a common common things that happen: escalation of the communication from forceful talk to yelling; placing props to the side; both parties become more aggressive in some way.
This is raw emotion and why several law enforcement are being trained to recognize the heightened emotion, and responding in an unexpected manner (calmness). Many times neither party wants to back down, until the conflict boils over into physical assaults.◦
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Set the TIVO or DVR: Science of Interrogation
Thursday 17th March 2011
5:00am Eastern: Science of Interrogation on National Geographic Channel◦
Sunday, March 6, 2011
An Article You Should Check Out: What Steve Jobs' Body Language Means for Apple Stock
"Body language is undoubtedly one of the most important forms of human communication. Especially when someone isn’t talking.
"Which is why I was so fascinated by a recent article in Forbes in which body language expert Carol Kinsey Goman examined Steve Jobs' recent performance at the iPad 2 unveiling. Her conclusion? "
More>>>◦
Thursday, March 3, 2011
An Article You Should Check Out: CEO Vocal Cues Can Influence Company Performance
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
An Article You Should Check Out: Researcher Defines Four Categories of Sneezers
Patti Wood, a body language expert based in Atlanta, noticed early in her career that people with certain personalities seemed to sneeze in particular ways.
The company that makes the allergy drug Benadryl asked her several years ago to study sneezing and personality types.
Researcher defines four categories of sneezers - St. Petersburg Times◦
Humintell's Evaluating Truthfulness Webinar this Saturday
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