Tag Archive for: Head shake

Head Shakes

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Head shakes are not as black and white as some understand them to be. Just because someone says something positive, but shakes their head “no” doesn’t mean it is inconsistent. There are many exceptions to head shakes to apply this rule across the board.  As with all things in deception, you must understand the nuances of communication first and foremost.

In this video, you will see George say to David Wright, “It sure puts a new spin on their split” to which David answers “Absolutely” as he shakes his head no.  If you applied the head shake concept to this and believed David was insincere, you’d be mistaken.

The Head Shake

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Many people struggle with head shakes and nods and if the person means what they say, especially if they shake their head, but say yes.

Here is an example of Michelle Obama.  She says, “I can say that I enjoyed this year” and yet she shakes her head no.

Does this mean she didn’t enjoy this year?

No, it does not.  Her head shake is not in contradiction to what she is saying.  Often times we emphasize what we feel with a head shake. Its normal and natural, and throws a lot of people.

If you want to know if someone’s head shake it out of line, for beginners, it should be in opposition to the words “yes” and “no” to correlate or have significant meaning. There are other instances that have significance, but its more complex.

Please refrain from political comments.  This blog is about deception, emotion and understanding human behavior.  The only thing I will say about Michelle is I love how humble she is–considering her position and status.

Thanks, Gregory, for the question.

The Head Shake

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Photo by: DFI/AAD/starmaxinc.com 2010 12/7/10 Kim Kardashian at the launch of her Brissmor Watch Collection. (Hollywood, CA) Photo via Newscom
Kim Kardashian

People often shake their head for a variety of reasons.  Some times people shake their head in disbelief.  Sometimes they shake their head in amazement, like when they’d say “I can’t believe how big that wave was.” Other times they shake their head  to mean no.  Just because someone shakes their head left to right (or vice versa) when they say something that is affirmative, doesn’t mean it is a sign of deception or they don’t believe what they are saying.

Head shakes are quite tricky business if you don’t have a deep understanding of human nature, and I caution people not to use head shakes as hot spots or clues unless you understand the nuances.

As with all clues to deception, for every clue you tell me that indicates a lie, I can find an honest person who does the same thing.

For beginners, when you are looking for this clue in deception, you want to look for a change between an unconscious action to a conscious correction for it to be a solid clue.

With Kaine Horman, his head shake in this video (which I cannot get to load this morning), does not flag me as inconsistent in any fashion.