We hear so much about the power of body language in understanding what people are thinking and feeling. We saw this a couple of ways this week when Kelly Ripa returned to her show after learning that her co-host, Michael Strahan, was leaving. The big bru-ha-ha is whether Ripa was angry at Michael Strahan upon her return to the show.
In my opinion, Ripa's composure revealed emotional distress as evident by her hand holding. When she sat beside Strahan, she looked composed and attentive. She faced him, turned her upper body toward him and connected with eye contact. Her hands gave away her stress and anxiety. She had her left hand covering her right hand, but her left thumb knuckle was moving up and down and appeared that it was rubbing across the inside of her hand. I saw the shadow of this movement on the back of the couch. When one part of your body rubs on another part of your body this is called a self-soothing gesture as if to convince yourself that you can get through this. It's a subconscious movement.
When Ripa gave an explanation of their "national nightmare" to the audience, she tended to clasp her hands frequently. Again, hand clasping signifies anxiety and stress. During one particular hand clasp, Ripa's fingers on her left hand scratched the back of her right hand. This scratching motion indicates a self-soothing gesture.
Here's the thing about being in the moment, like Ripa was, you forget about your body language. And, your body will speak for you by revealing your tells.
What are your thoughts about Kelly Ripa's body language? Tweet me any questions at @blancacobb. Remember to use the hashtag #BlancaOn2. Or, you can find me on my facebook page.
Blanca Cobb is a WFMY News 2 Contributing Editor, body language expert and keynote speaker/trainer. Follow her @blancacobb. The opinions expressed in this article are exclusively hers.
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