The Importance of Facial Expressions in a Presidential Debate: A Story In GIFs
October 2, 2012
U.S. News and World Report - To better understand the implications of these smiles and blinks, Whispers turned to two experts on non-verbal communication, Erik Bucy, a professor at Texas Tech University's college of media and communication, and Patrick Stewart, an associate professor of political science at the University of Arkansas.
Historically, how a candidate fares in a presidental debate depends not only on what he or she says but also how he or she says it. False smiles, toothy smiles, eye blinks and darting eyes—these are the expressions that appear in reaction shots, and in the moments that are replayed for days after the debates.
...
To better understand the implications of these smiles and blinks, Whispers turned to two experts on non-verbal communication, Erik Bucy, a professor at Texas Tech University's college of media and communication, and Patrick Stewart, an associate professor of political science at the University of Arkansas.