The dictionary definition for this emotional state is agitated, nervous or confused. You become this way by something that flusters you.
In this case Roy has been presented with a list of powerful words. He thinks he should see some connection between them, but he can’t. So he’s just not sure how to respond. His gaze is unfocused: he’s not looking at anything, nor is he showing signs of thinking. If he was he might be nodding his head; but he’s gently shaking it.
He has pulled his lips into a nervous smile, which stays fixed on his face.
Changes in breathing is often a sign of nervousness. If you look closely you will see a sharp intake of breath, and a few seconds later a sudden breathing out.
Signs to note
- unfocused gaze
- sharp intake of breath
- head to the side
- pulls his lips into a smile
- shake of the head
- looks at John, then looks away
To see stills on this emotion visit our website:
http://www.momentumresearch.co.uk/emotions-a-to-z.html
By John Habershon
Dr John Habershon has spent many hundreds of hours conducting in-depth interviews during his career in consumer and social research. Over the last eight years he has analysed the nonverbal responses captured on video on a wide range of topics, ranging from favorite products and advertising on TV, to bereavement and stress at work. He became involved in work for those on the autism spectrum through friends with Asperger’s in the family and has created Emotions Reader, (https://vimeo.com/ondemand/readingemotionssystem) an interactive program with quizzes to help users identify facial expressions. John has a long standing interest in understanding emotions, having gained his PhD on the psychological effects of unemployment at Imperial College, London University. He has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. http://www.momentumresearch.co.uk/