Neither Ohio GOP Sen. JD Vance nor Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has the national stature of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, so viewers had a chance to judge these two relatively unknown politicians for the first time, side by side, in a relatively uncontrolled setting on Oct.
1, 2024. A lot of the post-debate analysis has centered on the candidates’ responses to questions on abortion and immigration , as well as other contentious issues like Trump’s and Vance’s refusal to recognize President Joe Biden’s 2020 win as legitimate. But I didn’t listen too closely to what Vance and Walz said .
Instead, I focused on their gestures, blinks and smiles. That’s because for over two decades I’ve researched the nonverbal behavior of political figures. My research has long centered on the Swiss Army knife of facial behaviors: the smile .
A smile isn’t just a sign of being happy. There are countless types of smiles, each of which has a distinct social purpose . At their core, smiles are emotionally contagious – used as a sign to reassure others that we mean no harm and want to cooperate.
The types of smiles that politicians tend to display can give us insights into their personalities. Former President Ronald Reagan , who was known as the “ Happy Warrior ,” had a smile that was highly contagious and reassuring to both followers and opponents alike. However, smiles can also be deployed as a form of self-regulation.
And they can sign.