Next time you watch the presidential candidates speak, pay close attention to their unspoken language–signals such as facial expressions, posture, and hand gestures.
What the candidates don’t say could actually speak volumes about them, according to psychology professor Carrie Keating, an expert in facial characteristics and gestures.
After watching video clips of recent presidential debates and studying photos of the candidates, Keating appeared last week on two Syracuse television stations, WSTM-TV (NBC) and WSYR-TV (ABC), providing expert analysis of the candidates’ expressions.
“They’re mindful of how they say something. I don’t think you can get to the top level, the top rung in politics anymore, without being a pretty fair actor,” Keating told WSYR-TV.
Keating believes Republican front-runner John McCain makes good use of his body and hands when he speaks, often leaning in to establish a closeness with those listening to him.
She said Democrat Barack Obama benefits from being tall and having a defined jaw — “attributes that give them the look of a leader.”
As for Democrat Hillary Clinton, Keating told both TV stations that Clinton’s biggest challenge is balancing perceived power with likeability.
“If she looks masculine, competent and dominant, she doesn’t look feminine, warm and approachable.”
Hamilton’s Chenango Summer MusicFest, founded by music professor Laura Klugherz, also made headlines.
This month’s edition of Chamber Music magazine sings the praises of the festival: “The stationery of the Chenango Summer MusicFest in Hamilton, New York, includes the inscription ‘where the worlds of music blossom amid small-town charm,’ and it seems the festival is making good on that slogan.”
The article, “Mexico: A Return Visit,” highlights the local festival’s success at incorporating Mexican chamber music into the program.
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