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(NewsNation) — It wasn’t just about what was said with words at NewsNation’s GOP primary debate; the candidates’ body language and mannerisms also spoke volumes.
Human Behavior Academy President Susan Constantine, a body language expert, said it was interesting to watch the dynamics between the four candidates during the fourth debate.
Constantine explained that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie‘s posture presented himself as the ultimate authority among the candidates. She said he came off as very powerful, commanding and demanding.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, however, presented himself as trying to create his own ranking among the other three candidates, Constantine said. As the only presidential hopeful without political experience, she said Ramaswamy comes off as almost juvenile, trying to overperform and more contrived.
“He’s got every word synced with every gesture, and that in itself kind of loses its natural fluidity,” Constantine said. “This is what I would call a really good orator, a great speaker, but also over-rehearsed.”
She explained that Ramaswamy wants so badly to come across as powerful, but he tends to overpunctuate and use jagged movements. From this, Constantine said Ramaswamy actually loses the power he is trying to portray.
“It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but when it becomes so rehearsed, it’s what we call impression management. He’s trying really hard to impress his image to everyone else,” she said.
The winners of the night based on body language were former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Constantine said. She said the two were “literally threads away” from one another at staying calm, composed and confident.
“Nikki Haley stayed composed throughout. She wasn’t going to get involved in the drama,” Constantine said. “She looked straight ahead, and I think that she did that because she didn’t want to get emotionally involved.”
Constantine explained that when eyes meet, that’s when emotion tends to start running high.
“She stayed in her lane,” Constantine said.
DeSantis, on the other hand, always has a very strong, powerful look accompanied by awkward gesturing, Constantine explained.
The biggest offsetting mannerism for DeSantis is that he holds his teeth together, she said. By doing this, DeSantis gives off the effect that his emotions don’t match his expressions.
“He either overemotes or he underemotes,” Constantine said. “He looks sometimes angry.”
DeSantis has a hard time regulating his emotions, she explained. Sometimes it is obvious that he doesn’t know what emotion he should show with his words, Constantine said.
“That’s where people are getting tripped up. I don’t think this has to do with the quality of what he does in his command. I think it has everything to do with cognitive ability and also sensory overload,” she said.
