Body Language Analysis

 Body Language: 5 Ways To Portray Dominance in Film and TV. 

Body language, the most primitive and instinctive form of communication. We convey hundreds of messages all day, everyday without even knowing it through our body language. It tells us about what kind of people are around us, but most importantly, it tells us who is dominant and who isn't. Who is alpha and who is beta. Dominant male body language is quickly becoming lost in this world of 'cancel manspreading', where men are forced to crush their balls by crossing their legs to make sure we don't offend people sitting on the bus or train; despite the fact the male pelvis is shaped differently to women's, so sitting with a wide stance is more comfortable and natural. But this is not what I am here to talk about. People have become too afraid to admit that dominant body language can actually be extremely beneficial in both your private life and professional life. Used correctly, it lets people know that they cannot walk all over you and take advantage, they must respect you and that you know your own self worth.

1) Eye Contact.

This one sounds fairly obvious to most people, however, keeping prolonged eye contact, especially in tense situations is incredibly difficult for most people, as we don't want to come across as rude or confrontational. I'm guilty of it myself. The thing about eye contact is, it's easy when you are listening to someone, but suddenly becomes much more difficult when you're the one talking. Using intense eye contact on a woman at a bar for example can create intimacy between the 2 of you without any words having to be said, but also lets her know that you're not afraid to get close like most men are. When used on males it can assert dominance, the first male to break eye contact will suddenly lose dominance over the meeting or conversation. I have tried this with people who I am usually intimidated by or who are in a higher social position than I am and when the other person broke eye contact first, but I maintained it, I felt a sudden surge of confidence and dominance over that encounter. It genuinely does work. But, if you really MUST break eye contact first, DO NOT look at the ground, always try to break eye contact by looking to the side. This is less submissive.

This image is a perfect example of asserting dominance during a tense situation between two alpha males. Notice the extremely strong eye contact between Alfie Solomons (right) and Tommy Shelby (left). If you were to just examine from the shoulders above then you would still be able to see that in this encounter, Tommy is the more dominant male, I think this is due to Tommy's head being tilted slightly towards Alfie, like he is advancing, being the aggressor. This encounter is also a great example of 2 other techniques I have included in this list, silhouetting and invading personal space. Although not easy due to the side on profile, we can see see that Tommy's arms are more 'puffed out' to the sides to give himself a larger, stronger silhouette. But the most powerful part of this image is the pointed finger from Tommy and just how close it is to Alfie. Tommy's finger is not only massively disrespectful and invading Alfie's personal space (it crosses the orange centreline), but it is also pointed at Alfie's throat, one of two vulnerable areas on a male; this is essentially saying "I am a threat to you and I'm not afraid to get close". In comparison, if we look at Alfie's hands (although difficult to tell because it's a picture) he seems to be fiddling with something on his jacket, maybe a pocket flap, and this is a clear indication that he is uncomfortable or anxious and his subconscious is trying to distract him from this situation. Alfie's hands are also placed lower than Tommy's (which are directly in front of Alfie's vital organs) and this is a very clear act of submissive behaviour from Alfie.  

2) What I Call 'Silhouetting': 

This techniques is used to increase your physical presence. Forming a larger silhouette than you naturally have, this radiates dominance and confidence. Men and women both gravitate towards the most confident and dominant person in the room, without being aware we are doing it, and by 'silhouetting' you are giving the illusion you are bigger and stronger and therefore the alpha. Movements and postures that give this effect include: arms spread wide, legs wide apart, shoulders pushed back and a straight back, instead of the common computer nerd hunchback, and holding your chin up rather than hiding it in your chest or looking at the ground. 

A good example of 'silhouetting' comes from Tom Hardy in the BBC show Taboo (definitely recommend). Here you can see him walking with his arms 'puffed out' creating the illusion that he is physically more imposing and stronger than he actually is. To the right of the picture you can see an angle I have drawn, The straight line is what a normal persons posture would be like, the angled line is what Tom Hardy's posture is like. This swaying motion as he walks is very reminiscent of the famous Connor McGregor strut, it screams confidence, dominance and says "I'm a threat, you best be careful around me". This paired with the dead straight stare leaves no doubt that he is the alpha in this situation.

Linked to 'silhouetting', so 2a) Exposing vulnerable areas:

This is seen in the animal kingdom quite a lot by apes and other species, exposing or showing the vulnerable parts of your body, such as your throat and genitals, is a display of confidence that other men are not a threat; that you are so comfortable in this situation you are willing to expose the most vulnerable parts of your body because you know they can't/won't touch you. Important to note that when I say 'expose' and 'show' I do NOT mean literally show them, what I mean by exposing is spreading your legs so you have a wide stance when you are sat down and keeping your chin up exposing your throat.

Possibly the best example of 2 and 2a comes from Bjorn from the TV show Vikings. He is sat in a very large throne which most people would look lost in if they tried to sit in it, however, because of Bjorn's use of silhouetting, he still manages to fill the throne and look powerful. His arms are making use of the armrests and he has increased his 'wingspan' by spreading them. His legs are spread and he has a very wide stance with his feet wide apart, pointing outwards. Notice where I have circled, they are his most vulnerable areas and yet he is perfectly comfortable having them exposed, showing us just how comfortable and confident he is. He knows he is the most dominant person in the room.

3) Un-reactivity:

If you are reading this and there is a loud bang outside your window, or you're walking down the street and a car horn blares, how do you think you would react? I bet 90% of you would either jump with surprise or turn to look towards the source of the sound. However, as natural as this may feel, it is actually a very beta body language move. Think back to the last dominant, alpha male you watched in film or TV, chances are that he was actually very un-reactive, loud noises don't make them jump, car horns don't make them turn around with shock because this would portray them as being nervous or on edge. To remain calm, collected and un-reactive during a volatile situation can help you to assert dominance and tell others you are the alpha because nothing they say or do can phase or unsettle you. This is especially important in negotiations. The aim is to move slowly, I don't mean in slow motion, but moving and answering questions in your own time is a very attractive quality to women, not rushing for anyone shows you have total control.

4) Tonality:

Probably one of the hardest to control as it will require thinking to do correctly, but what I mean by tonality is the pitch in which you talk and how you finish your sentences. Talking in a higher pitch is very feminine and submissive. Ending sentences on a high/er tone makes everything you say sound like a question, meaning it is easier to be dismissed by people and makes you sound unsure about what you are saying. Submissive and beta behaviour.

Ending your sentences on a lower tone could be classed as a verbal form of a 'full stop', this draws a metaphorical line under what you have said and makes you sounds more confident and definite in what you are saying. Something else for you to try is to incorporate whispers or talking in a very low tone, whispers can drive home a point much harder than screaming or shouting as people naturally hang on every word that is being said. This would probably be most effective if you have already established dominance using some of the other techniques first, otherwise, people might misinterpret this as being shy or mumbling and being submissive.

5) Personal Space:

Possibly the most intimate technique on this list and the hardest one for people to use and improve on. Getting physically close to someone and being on the verge of invading their personal space is the ultimate shows of confidence and dominance, it shows that you don't back down to anyone. When used with males, intruding on their personal space or getting very close helps to establish who the alpha is and who poses the bigger threat, whether it be an elbow or knee intruding into their space it doesn't matter, the effect is still the same. You will likely cause the other male to feel uncomfortable which will result in submissive behaviour, he will either break eye contact, lean backwards or back away, or try and place something in between you and him in a subconscious defensive act, such as, crossing his arms or placing a bag in front of his torso to protect his vitals. When used around women, this will show that you are not intimidated by a woman's presence, like many men are. It can also increase the sexual tension between you and the woman as a  lot of women are attracted to dominant men (just from what I have been told by women). Even a little physical contact like a hand on her back or a knee rubbing against hers can highlight how comfortable and confident you are around her; if the woman is interested in you too then it can make all the difference. But you must be CAREFUL when doing this, don't go in for the physical touch straight away, if a woman shows ZERO interest in you when you are just talking, do NOT then escalate to this, simply accept it and walk away, the aim of this is NOT to harass women and make them feel uncomfortable, or go around walking into guys on purpose like a dick, you are only trying to display confidence and dominance, not start a fight.

To help understand why this shot is so great at displaying dominance using personal space, you need to know the context. Luca (right) is purposely trying to intimidate Polly (left) while threatening her family, so he definitely isn't trying to take her home... The orange centreline represents the invisible boundary most of us follow, a lot of us don't cross that line because we think that is too close for comfort. However, you can see Luca' elbow has extended far past the centreline and is intruding into Polly's personal space. His broad frame can be easily compared to her very tight, confined frame. It is easy to tell that Luca is completely dominating Polly and he is totally comfortable in doing that, he holds the power. Whereas, the pink lines, which represent Polly's silhouette, are very tight, compact and fearful, she is protecting herself by placing her arms in front of her vital organs and her hand in front of her throat/face; she will be doing this without even realising it. It is a primal, instinctive reaction. Of course, I am not saying you should do exactly this to anyone, as it would likely spark and argument or fight, but it is a fantastic example of how powerful you can become by closing the distance between you and another person.

To close I'd like to thank "1STMAN" on YouTube for the inspiration to do an analysis of my own, I learnt a lot from watching his video analysis of various film and TV characters and a lot of my knowledge came from watching his videos. So if you enjoyed reading this or want to learn more about the meaning behind body language then check out his Instagram @1STMAN or YouTube channel 1STMAN.