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Condescending Body Language: Showing “I’m Better Than You”

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I stumbled across an interesting interview between a Fox News anchor and author Reza Aslan.

In this interview, which gets quite heated, Reza Aslan takes offense to the anchor’s questions and begins to list his accomplishments and accolades. This video is the perfect example of condescending body language in action!

I think this video is interesting because it shows what we do nonverbally when we feel attacked and go into defensive mode. Aslan shows the classic signs of “I’m better than you” body language or body language that demonstrates superiority.

I am not writing this post to pick on Aslan; I write it so we can see how “superiority” body language works so when you see it, you know exactly what is happening.

I also think this is important for our lie detection students. Liars often feel morally superior. In fact, they build up their feelings of superiority to cover up their own feelings of guilt. So you often see liars with this kind of indignant, “better than” nonverbal behavior.

Watch the video and see if you see some of these moves. And while you’re at it…

Can You Read Body Language?

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The Royal Nose

“My nose is so sensitive to your utter nonsense.”

In my body language course, we talk about how people who put their chin in the air and look down their nose are typically feeling superior. It is literally looking down your nose at someone.

When they first pan to Aslan in the Fox News interview, you will notice he is in this position before he tilts down and begins his answer. Already, we know what he’s thinking.

Volume Emphasis

“Did you hear me!?”

The volume emphasis is a nonverbal cue to superiority. We increase our volume on one word to call attention to the word and to imply that the listener is “slow” or needs help understanding.

Aslan says, “To be clear, I am a scholar of religions with FOUR degrees, including one in the New Testament.” This is a way of saying, “Four more than you. Or did you hear me? Four is a lot, if you didn’t know.”

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Third Person

“By the way, this is ME… ”

Aslan then begins talking about himself in third person. Another sign of superiority. He refers to himself as “Who,” as in “Who has been studying for two decades… ”

Watch our video below to learn how to be indispensable, appreciated, and respected by everyone in your life:

Slowed Words

“Do. You. Understand. The. Words. Coming. Out. Of. My. Mouth?”

The anchor continues to press her point, annoying Aslan even further. And he answers and slows down his words for her: “I. Am. A. Professor. Of. Religion.” And then, “That’s. What. I. Do. For. A. Living. Actually.”

Slowing down his words so much is likely to make the anchor feel inferior. It’s the same way adults speak to children.

Chin Thrusts

“Fight me!”

In addition to the fact that Aslan keeps popping his forehead up, looking down his nose at the camera, he also pops his chin up in an anger thrust. We have learned that this is part of the anger body language. This shows his anger and when combined with him looking down his nose, makes the deadly mix of condescending and angry feelings.

First Person Emphasis

“I’M oh-so superior.”

When Aslan does mention his book, he often emphasizes his first person pronouns. He says MY book, MY opinions, I made the conclusion. Again, this volume change hints at the subtle thoughts behind the words—his opinion is superior.

Now that you’ve got a glimpse of some of Aslan’s condescending behavior, let’s move on to even MORE condescending body language.

The Sneer

“Want to see my mouth weapons?”

The sneer is characterized by a rising of the upper lip, almost as if the lip is crinkling. When you see a sneer, you might even see the upper teeth showing. It’s also part of the contempt microexpression. This can indicate aggression and can be used to nonverbally say, “back off.”

The Palm

“Oh no you didn’t!”

If someone points their palm at you, this can be done in a very condescending way. Nonverbally, they’re shutting you down and telling you to stop. People might show the palm to people who they believe have little or no extra value to add to the conversation.

Avoid this gesture at all costs.

Steepling

“Think you’ve got the power? I disagree.”

A steeple is when someone brings their fingertips together and holds them in front of their body. Steepling isn’t just a hand gesture seen on Shark Tank. It can also be used to show power over someone else. Steepling is a nonverbal power move and can be used when someone feels like they’re right and you’re wrong.

An important steeple to look for is the handgun steeple. This steeple looks as if someone is ready to shoot with their finger guns. It’s a nonverbal way to shoot down someone else’s ideas.

During work situations, an employee can do this to nonverbally say, “Screw you!” to a boss or manager that is condescending.1

Eye Rolling

“Oh, come. On!”

Eye rolling is the classic move people do when they’re in disagreement or in conflict with what someone just said. It’s also a blocking behavior since we avert our eyes. Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt, a professor at the University of Ottawa, says that eye rolling is a mechanism we developed over time to act aggressive in a nonphysical way.

The Dismissal

“Whatever.”

The dismissal is that backhanded wave some people do when they’ve just had enough. It’s common in rebellious teenagers and grumpy Grinches alike. Giving the dismissal is a way to “sweep” you out of the room or tell you to go far, far away.

You’ll often see this cue paired with rolled eyes or turning the head away.

The Finger

“Shhhhhh!”

This cue is NOT the middle finger but the index finger. Some people who are condescending might hold up their index finger as if to quiet you down. This is a way of putting their finger up to your mouth, without having to actually touch it.

Baby Talk

“Who’s a good girl? Why, you are! Yes, you are.”

Condescending people might also baby talk. In one study, caregivers used either a baby-talk voice or a neutral voice to address elderly residents in a nursing home.

Not surprisingly, the caregivers that used a baby voice were rated significantly less respectful and competent than the caregivers who were neutral. The baby talkers were also perceived to be less satisfied during the interaction—or, perhaps, perceived to be more condescending.

The Interruptor

“It’s leviOHsa. Not LevioSA.”

The Interruptor is someone who keeps on interrupting. And not in the polite way, either. When the Interruptor, err, interrupts, they do it out of anger or frustration. They’re basically saying your ideas and words are less important than theirs.

When you come across an Interruptor, try “playing the chicken.” Futurist and podcaster Rose Eveleth uses this term, which basically means to keep on talking, even when they’ve interrupted. This shows them that you’re not finished yet and discourages future interrupting.

But if that doesn’t work, perhaps it’s time to just cut your losses and move on.

The Deadpanner

“Oh, you’re So. Hilariously. Funny.”

The Deadpanner is known for their sense of humor (or lack thereof). They’re the type of person to be sarcastic all the time, but in the end, it just comes off as rude. In fact, science shows that sarcasm is just thinly veiled aggression or contempt.

Sarcastic people might not mean to be hurtful, but people on the receiving end might take it harder than they think.

Patting Someone on The Head

Believe it or not, some people actually pat people on the head. And I’m not talking about doing it to kids, either.

When you pat someone on the head, they’ll be forced to look up at you if you’re in a standing position. They might even have a confused look if you do this. Head pats sometimes might remind us of when we were kids—kind of like, “Good boy/girl!” We also pat our dogs and cats on the head, so you should avoid this gesture at all costs to avoid insulting someone.

The Nonverbal Approach

How do you deal with a condescending person? First, you might want to close your body language if it’s open. This is a nonverbal way to say, “Hey! You’re pushing my buttons” (or in a less nice way, if you’d like). Try one of the following:

  • turning your torso to the side
  • taking a step back
  • crossing your arms
  • breaking eye contact

This might cue them to start being nicer or risk breaking rapport. If they continue to be condescending, you might want to walk away or try the verbal approach.

The Verbal Approach

If nonverbals don’t work, I like to follow the 3-step approach of A-R-C:

  • Ask. Perhaps they didn’t mean to be condescending, and you misinterpreted it. Ask for clarification of what they said.
  • Repeat. Repeat back what they said or did to you. Going over this aloud might reinforce how silly or nonsensical this situation is.
  • Call out. Finally, if they keep being condescending, either walk away or call them out on it. Note: be careful of provoking a fight. Watch for subtle anger cues like a furrowed brow or nostril flaring if someone is about to engage in a fight.

Condescending vs. Contempt

When someone is being condescending, they are showing superiority in a passive way. They might appear helpful or nice but have an inner feeling of being superior. Others might feel condescending people are looking down on them.

People who show contempt, on the other hand, might show it more blatantly. Malcolm Gladwell says in his best-selling book, Blink:

“If Gottman observes one or both partners in a marriage showing contempt toward the other, he considers it the most important sign that a marriage is in trouble.”

Illustration showing condescending behaviour towards a person on the right and contemptuous behavior on the left

Either way, both condescending and contemptuous behaviors are downright mean and can even lead to bullying, especially in the workplace or romantic situations.

Are High-Status People Condescending?

There’s a myth floating around that people with higher socioeconomic status are more likely to be condescending. Is this true?

Recent scientific research shows that people with higher socioeconomic status have less empathy. This means they might be more likely to be condescending than other groups of people.

This dates back all the way to various groups in past history—from soldiers (Sparta, 400 BC), bishops (Rome, 1500), poets (Weimar, 1815), and farmers (China, 1967). So if you’re a victim of snobbery, don’t worry!

You might be better off brushing up on your confident body language to deflect condescending people rather than trying to avoid them.

How to Stop Being Condescending

Do people say you sound condescending? Looking down on people may lead to you being instantly disliked.

Excuse me—do you REALLY think you know what you’re doing? Not until you read this ultimate guide on condescending body language! Read more to find out...

If your condescending behavior is causing you social problems, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Listen more, talk less. I find that a lot of condescending behavior comes from wanting to talk way too much. Listen and bounce comments off what the other person said—don’t prioritize your ideas over theirs.
  • Don’t give advice. I know sooo many people who give out advice like free candy. But some people don’t want free candy. If you’re going to give advice, avoid being condescending by first making sure the other person actually wants advice.
  • Let be, don’t fix. Another common problem people have is trying to fix everything. There’s an old saying that goes “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But if people don’t want to be fixed, you can’t fix them anyway!

Crack The Code on Facial Expressions

The human face is constantly sending signals, and we use it to understand the person’s intentions when we speak to them.

In Decode, we dive deep into these microexpressions to teach you how to instantly pick up on them and understand the meaning behind what is said to you.

Don’t spend another day living in the dark.

I hope this ultimate guide on condescending body language has you cued in on all the right cues.

To your success,

Vanessa



Side Note: As much as possible we tried to use academic research or expert opinion for this master body language guide. Occasionally, when we could not find research we include anecdotes that are helpful. As more research comes out on nonverbal behavior we will be sure to add it!

Sources:

1 Driver, J. & van Aalst, M (2011): You Say More Than You Think: The 7-day Plan for Using the New Body Language to Get what You Want. New York

38 thoughts on “Condescending Body Language: Showing “I’m Better Than You””

  1. I really enjoyed this post – and I agree with the 6 points that you have mentioned. I also believe their is a 7th based on this video, and my personal experience — repetition. He repeatedly mentions that has a PhD throughout the entire interview, he also states a few times that he is “a scholar”. In my experience, when someone throughout a conversation keeps repeating a fact or concept, or repeatedly brings the topic of conversation back to a place where it will allow them to re-state a fact or concept again and again, it shows that it is important to them. In the case of this interviewer, I believe that he repeats the fact he has a PhD over and over because he wants the interviewer (and therefore the people watching the interview) to feel this important and we should notice it, to effectively acknowledge his obvious superiority — which you have pointed out.

    -mike

    1. Vanessa Van Edwards

      You are completely right! When someone repeats something it is a definite clue to emotions. He says “I am a scholar” “I have a PHD” which he spells out for us like we are children. Sheesh.

      1. “which he spells out for us like we are children. Sheesh.”

        Vanessa, I can’t read your non-verbal behavior, but I can read your verbal behavior, and clearly your comment is projecting a somewhat bias outlook on Aslan. If we’re reading Aslan’s non verbal behavior as conceding then we are making a grave mistake of leaving out the context (ie. the interviewer’s verbal behavior) and in effect the judgement if this man is actually conceited or if his response is to the contents and logic of the interviewer’s questions.

        We’re also forgiving in mentioning how body language can be misinterpreted if the subject is from a different ethnic/cultural background (ie. Reza has Iranian roots) and may not follow standard western body language norms. Good Effort though!

        1. Vanessa Van Edwards

          Hi Adam,

          I wish we also could have seen the interviewers nonverbal. Her questions were very provoking as well you are right. Thanks!
          V

        1. Vanessa Van Edwards

          Yes it is definitely possible. I think being on national news makes anyone nervous as well so wanting to remind viewers why you are there is possible.

    2. Yes I noticed that too; he talked over her in his attempt to make sure we all understood he had a Phd, that he was qualified;
      did anyone notice how he said at the beginning he had been ‘obsessed’ with Jesus from twenty years! personally I found that odd. why, if he is a devout Muslin, he would be obsessed with Jesus. interested, fascinated possibly but obsessed?
      I found his slowing down as if talking to a child and at one point said something to the effect ‘let me speak’ when he continued to talk over her
      the whole interview was very interesting – and not just from a lie detection standpoint because of his attitude and condescension
      thank you for sharing it

  2. This post ignores the most important starting point of any “science of people”: humans behave in interaction with one another. It is a problem, then, that this analysis of Aslan completely ignores the interviewer’s behavior, because the interviewer’s questions explain Aslan’s responses. In other words, there was a reason he said the things he did, in the fashion he said them. Aslan was being asked why he writes on Jesus, and he said because he’s a “scholar,” with a “PhD,” and that’s his job. Then he was asked the same question again and again, and he became noticeably irritated.

    In relation to the questions he was asked, his answers are more reasonable than this author suggests. Indeed, when seen as part of the interaction, his answers have nothing to do with presenting himself as “better than” anyone else, and far more to do with simply engaging with the interaction as it proceeded.

    While the author of this post “stumbled” upon this interview, the web is actually full of better analyses of this interaction.

    1. Vanessa Van Edwards

      Hi Austen,

      I did leave out talking about the interviewer only because I was using this as an example of a certain type of behavior. There is a lot more to be seen on the person to person side. Happy to hear your thoughts on it.

    2. Austin hi
      personally I think it’s down to perception
      I certainly thought he was preening
      he was very intent on ensuring the interview recognised he was a scholar
      and she was doing her job, asking him questions – which as you rightly pointed out made him angry which turned his answers into (from my point of view) condescension

  3. Yes, a very conceited individual with lots of body and verbal cues expressing such.

    On another subject (or person)… I would be very curious to have you study the interview between Charlie Rose and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad (which I am sure you already have).. and bring that up for topic of discussion….I believe that was the interview of the year if not century….He was very hard to read, but there were some tale-tale signs when asked if he did indeed have a major stockpile of arsenic supplies.

    Thanks, and keep up the good work.

    1. Vanessa Van Edwards

      Hi

      Send me a link you like and I will take a look at the video, if there is enough in there I will post about it!

      V

  4. Vanessa,

    Thanks for the video. It was very obvious in the first minute or two that this gentleman was on the defensive from the beginning. His repeated efforts to validate himself indicate, clearly, an attempt at superiority. 4 PHD’s etc. etc. Scholarship etc. etc. He spends more time attempting this validation than discussing the book. He probably has been challenged ad nauseam about his “Scholarship” and it comes out in his response.

    The interviewer, who I am unfamiliar with, clearly was pitting him against the opinions of other people rather than the merits of his writing and its specifics. It is difficult to discuss the merit of someone else’ opinion when it is not specifically referenced. No wonder he was defensive.

    When he talks about Christianity it is apparent he has some affection for the subject and his tone almost apologizes at times for what he perceives as the mistaken opinion he thinks others have of his work.

    As in all things just another persons opinion here.

  5. Hi V,

    Thanks so much for posting this interview. Huge fan of yours 🙂

    You know, I get it that you’re point is that his behaviour shows what superiority can look like, but I have to also acknowledge Austin’s comments about the effect of the interviewer’s conduct.

    The Anchor was, I believe, being adversarial. And was probably doing so in an effort to create an interesting and “spirited” discussion. In my opinion, her behaviour contaminated any chance of eliciting “pure” behaviours from Mr Aslan.

    And, despite the Anchor’s somewhat aggressive behaviour, Mr Aslan did a good job of maintaining a level of politeness throughout. However, some of his frustration started showing verbally at the 7:25 timestamp when he suddenly refers to the Anchor as “ma’am”. I believe this frustration was precipitated by her repeated interruptions, constant referencing of critical comments and his realisation that some of them — including the Anchor — probably haven’t even read his book.

    I have no affiliation with Mr Aslan, nor any strong faith ties, but I think a lesser man might well have resorted to attacks on the critics (see Lance Armstrong pre-admission denial interviews), attack on the interviewer, or termination of the interview. He showed the patience of Job (excuse the biblical reference!) and, I think, a genuine desire to participate in the process.

    The body language signals that you so rightly identified were — I believe — largely a result of Mr Aslan’s reactions to the demeanour of the Anchor and her biased line of questioning. However, if you take a look at this interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL6E4eMX-4k on Young Turks you can see that he does tend to exhibit some of the superiority signals here even though he’s in a much friendlier environment. Humbly, I would suggest that is because he is an expert on the topic and feels some superiority around that.

    Would love to hear your thoughts.

    1. Vanessa Van Edwards

      Hi Jeremy,

      Ohhh very interesting. Thanks for finding this. So in this second interview with a much less combative interviewer he shows some of the “better than you” body language, but not nearly as much. He does the “look down your nose” quite a bit especially in the beginning. He does this when he tips his forehead back.

      Looking at these two videos is a great example of how one line of questioning can turn your subject against you and how another can lead to an engaging conversation. The Fox interviewer actually got very little information from Reza Aslan because she was more interested in pushing him on his religion than on the information in the book. We can learn from this because if you are in an interview and you begin to see in your subject the above physical signs that appeared in the first interview, you have the choice to keep pushing or to change tactics and go into rapport building.

      Thanks for posting!
      V

  6. I really enjoyed watching his micro expressions –
    Did you notice from the first question how his eyes got so big , clearly showing surprise to the question. Just when you think his eyes can’t get any bigger ….they do

    Thing check the furrowing of the brows and narrowing of the eyes shortly after when he talks about people attacking his work.

    Then my favourite, when the interviewer says that there are some people who are criticizing him, see how he swallows a couple times and takes this huge deep breath in – I can just imagine what he is thinking “oh, boy here we go”

    I couldn’t watch much further than that, this guy was annoying me proper with his defensiveness and condescension

    1. Vanessa Van Edwards

      Hi Marc,

      Great point. I didn’t even point out microexpressions. I think yes, he was shocked she started with this line of questioning. Totally saw the anger as well when he furrows his brow (and one could say he was justified as she kept pushing him).

      The swallows I think you are right they are nerves of getting ready to go into a tense topic. The breath in is definitely a preparatory breath–“this is really happening.”

      Thanks for pointing these out!
      V

  7. I don’t believe that he feels superior from the outset, the arrogance described by yourself came from the verbal attacks of the interviewer. I would find it very hard not to have an aggressive tone or body language, if I was in his position I would of quite simply lost it. I think he did a great job in keeping his composer.

    The points you mention are there but, they are there for other reasons. He stated his education and accomplishments to make sure that it was understood he didn’t write this book to attack the views of Christians and that what he had written was not formed from bias, whether personal or religious. He repeated certain points in order to try and get the interviewer to understand that his religion isn’t what drove him to write this book but that it is his interests/passion that brought this about.

    Fox has a knack for attacking people who don’t conform to their views or people who aren’t one of them i.e. white and Christian. (note I am white and non-religious)

  8. Hello Vanessa,

    Thank you for the posting – if nothing else, it’s generated a great response.

    I’ve been told that I come across as feeling superior a few times – all the mannerisms you pointed out – chin the air etc. I feel very hurt by this comment. Strangely, I’ve always been a rather shy and introspective person and feel that I’ve had to ‘act’ my way through life pretending to be more social and extrovert than I actually am inside so to some extent you’re right, I am basically a Liar – pretending to be something I’m not.

    With this in mind, I watched the reel and read the discussion with interest and feel inclined to rise to the Scholar’s defence from my personal perspective.

    First of all, I think there’s something intrinsically ‘insular’ and ‘isolating’ about being a scholar and author and this fundamentally says something about what sort of person he is. Not because in reality he feels better than anyone else because he’s well read or has achieved a lot academically but because he’s simply more comfortable immersed in his research.

    Yes, he realises that he has to do the book promotion tour but it’s probably the part of his work he least enjoys. Not all of us can be good with people. Which leads me to my second point, Secretly, people like me feel extremely inadequate and insecure. If anything, we feel quite Inferior to others who are more polished in social settings. We live a Lie each time we have to engage in any sort of meaningful interaction with people because we are just not comfortable in our own skins in that setting – with live television being one of the ultimate tests.

    I don’t think we are some sort of enigma. May I humbly suggest that society has developed a sort of ‘behavioural psychology for dummies’ or ‘basic psychology by numbers’ approach to ‘judging others’ which is very scary for people like me and could ultimately lead to a rise in persecution of personalities because they are ‘different’ for whatever reason and don’t fit into society’s neat little boxes.

    Please, when judging, let’s include the, what if…?

    PS. I’m obviously a terrible actor!

    1. Vanessa Van Edwards

      I think this is a very important point. The what if is incredibly important. I also think people can be conscious and inadequate at the very same time as feeling better than. The human emotional spectrum is an interesting thing. If I have learned one thin studying people it is that they might be feeling more than one emotion at a time and I think this video is the perfect example of that inner conflict being played out on screen. Thanks for this thoughtful response.

  9. The host seems brain dead and that is why Aslan is calmly repeating very important facts to her which has nothing to do with being condescending. She doesn’t seem to be listening and shows no respect for his vast knowledge. What else can one expect from fox?

        1. Really? “duh, you moron”? I don’t think that was necessary. Even if Phil’s comment missed the point.

  10. This is an interesting video. I am afraid i would have to disagree with the comments of Aslan having some form of superiority complex. IF anything, i would say it is the interviewer who feels inferior to the idea of someone out of her comfort zone (a non-christian) writing about an area that i suspect is close to her heart and rather that even reading or skimming the book, she launches into irrelevant questions that are not even based on the correct information. Clearly from the interview, not only has she not taken time out to learn anything about his background despite having comments made by others but she judges and sides with the judgements made based on nothing but what they said! For this reason, she responds in an uneducated way and i am sorry to have to say this, but Alsan IS right and he IS better educated and best placed to make the comments he has. He repeats the point as she seams unable to understand that a scholar writes books based on evidence and not personal belief and even when he tells her things he included that don’t support his own faith- she doesn’t still understand that he really is writing based on evidence and not her tainted perception of how she thinks the book should read so people have better comments.

    Many people as he said do not agree and many do agree as we has humans have varying opinions. The interviewer was supposed to be asking about the book- as he pointed out. Not as she did, form a view based on incorrect and judgmental people and then accuse him of the very thing she is- biased. The body language can be classed only as a defense to an attack in this case and i think a better example in a neutral conversation would better display superior behavior.

    I would not for that reason say Alsam displays superior behaviour- he has been attacked and questioned with the underlying (yet clear) tone of ‘how dare you write this book as a Muslim’. I think he was quite polite actually not to ask her the question more clearly as she appeared not to understand of ‘how dare you ask questions about me or my book without doing the research you are paid to do as part of YOUR job and then resort to relying on incorrect information’ . Something that also reinforces to him she doesn’t take the time slot agreed for the interview seriously in addition to everything else. Slowing down and repeating the same answer to her one question badly disguised with many wrappers was absolutely necessary for this interviewer even partially comprehend that she completely missed the point. This interview says much more about that interviewer behaving in a way i would describe as uneducated, biased and plain wrong.

    1. Hi Nina, thank you for your comment. I do agree that identifying “better than you” body language may be more accurate in a neutral conversation than a defensive one. We will look for more examples to share! -Danielle and the Science of People Team

  11. What I really enjoy here is your not-so-subtle insinuation that he’s a liar, just because he shows these signs of condescension. This host went after him right away for being a Muslim writing about Christianity, which is ridiculous. I’m Canadian; does this mean I can only write about things that are Canadian? Of course he’s feeling frustrated. That doesn’t mean he’s a liar. Be careful of your own assumptions here.

  12. I dont know, I’m not an expert in body language, but I think he’s is just trying to make sure that the book he wrote has a lot more to do with History than with his opinion itself, that’s why, I MY opinion he sometimes repeats about his PHD and his two decades of academical research on the subject. He just wants to make it clear that what he wrote is a result of his work, not just an assumption out of his religion.

  13. I appreciate this thought provoking post and I agree with the comments that point out the relevance of considering an adversarial agenda on the part of the Fox anchor. I believe that context is integral to correctly interpreting someone’s state of mind through their body language. Re: the Fox interview, I believe that Mr. Aslan’s initial body language was indicative of that of someone fortifying himself for battle, given the negative Muslim bias of FOX News. When Mr. Aslan pushed back against the anchor’s efforts to discredit his credentials and motivation for writing about a Christian subject, it appeared to me that his intention was to hold his own and be appropriately assertive in his own defense in the face of repeated attacks on both his objectivity and his objective in writing his book. Re: the Young Turks interview that Jeremy referenced earlier in the comments, Mr. Aslan certainly appeared confident and appreciative of his interviewer’s respect, but again, the context of the interview was such that it was appropriate for him as part of a book tour to support his interviewer’s pretext that he had an expertise and authoritative point of view worthy of the interview. Rather than an “I am better than you” attitude, I sensed more a collegial, “thank you for your promotion of my legitimacy and scholarship and I’m going to try to prove I’m deserving of the credit” message in his body language. I think these examples serve to demonstrate cues that may be misinterpreted, depending on one’s focus and filters.

  14. The questions by the anchor are silly and she is not understanding his point hence him having to break it down. Read the book first lady!

  15. Wow! I am the only female in my department and often feel like I am being spoken down to. I can’t unsee these behaviours now! Even the slowed down talk thing happens a lot!

  16. This article demonstrates that bias plays a significant role in interpreting body language. For me the far more interesting article would interpret the “superiority” body language, intonation, message, etc. demonstrated by the Fox News host.

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