Politico analyzes the “Obama Touch,” which they describe as:
…the squeeze on the biceps, the pat on the shoulder or the tap on the back that signals the displeasure of the commander in chief.
Fear the President’s Hand
January 29th 2009 - 10:20am
26 Comments
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I don’t think this is about displeasure. It’s a dominance thing – he seems to do it when he’s trying to take control of a situation, for example, when he wants to extricate himself from a conversation, or say something that the other person may not like. It’s a very dominant (pretty patronising) conciliatory gesture, as if he’s saying, ‘I’m going to interrupt you now, but here, have a pat on the arm to make you feel better’ – the pat is a way of disguising and smoothing over something that the other person may find unpleasant.
It’s dominant both because he’s taking over and because to touch someone in that way is a little presumptuous. Normally you would give a ’soothing’ touch either to someone firmly ‘below’ you (such as your kids) or to someone you’re very close to, but never to someone ‘above’ you or someone you don’t know well. To do so presumes an intimacy or superiority, and if that hasn’t yet been established, it’s pretty patronising – he clearly instinctively knows most people will forgive it because he’s idolised.
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This is not a useful analysis.
I have to say, “compared to what”. They only show Obama patting people on the back whom he presumably disagrees or is displeased with. They don’t look at him talking to people he likes or is pleased with. Does he pat everyone on the back? Or, just the people he doesn’t like?
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This must be wrong. As the person above me says, ‘compared to what’? The video even showed him pating his own wife’s back. I doubt he is disapointed in her.
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[...] website takes lie detection a step further — to a more practical level — to Faces in the News. Some of these “Faces” were even briefly tied into the show last night. And [...]
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I LOVE this show- but to be honest with you it seems like Obama is just doing that just because he does that. I mean honestly- sometimes it’s just a HABIT. In my opinion that is. I feel like maybe he just does that to everyone. If that pat on the back showed displeasure- would he really be showing displeasure to his wife all the time? I disagree with that. I think it MIGHT have been a good observation if he JUST DID IT ONE TIME. But that’s like his signature thing. Does that mean he has displeasure for the whole country? think about it.
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ragin' redhead February 13th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
do you really expect obama fans to see the truth of him? how can they when they have been hypnotized by their messiah
google: AN EXAMINATION OF OBAMA’S USE OF HIDDEN HYPNOSIS TECHNIQUES IN HIS SPEECHES
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nephritina February 14th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
i disagree because when i met obama at a town meeting in reading before the primary election he pat me on my arm to say sorry because the person behind me pulled him in to me… so i dont agree with you when you say hes displeased about something…. It more then likely a habit that he has not a tell sign!!! This is from personal experince!!
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Gilberto February 19th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
I don’t agree at all with the implication that he is showing any kind of displeasure when he’s tapping a person . In my culture it is quite common to tap people as a way of showing affection , to create feelings of intimacy , to calm and to soothe . In certain circumstances we use it to also to grab the attention of someone . In general we consider it something positive . Maybe the ones seeing any other explanation behind this are the ones that do it for the purpose they are assigning to the President .
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William March 2nd, 2009 at 7:41 pm
He patted the plumber on the arm even before he began speaking to him… I find that this video has a lot of holes in it. Oprah is a Obama supporter so why would Obama dislike her? I need to see video of Obama NOT patting his friends on the arm for this video to even have a shred of truth to it.
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I met obama in another country…. i bumped into him by accident… he patted me in the back and then punched me across the face… thats displeasure… it’s his set up move. he chooses at the end whether to hit you or not…brings down your guard.. sneaky guy.
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Dustin March 4th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Lie to me is a great show, and i enjoy reading about the facts behind it. But i really dont think Obama patting people on the shoulder is a sign of displeasure. As many of you have pointed out he does it to his wife all the time. I agree more with Kate, he does seem to do it at points where he wants to take control of the situation. It may very well be just a habit or something he does formally greeting people and saying good bye. And Ragin’ Redhead, your crazy. He is not hypnotizing us, I supported him along with many of my peers in school because i believe in him and what he will make this country for me, I’m only 16, and this election was probably the biggest my life will see. This was important history, and I believe he will make this country better and fix all the damage G. W. Bush did.
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Brendan March 4th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
I’ve always thought that during a hand shake the higher the free hand is to the other person’s shoulder the more intimate the relationship is or how personal they want to be. I remember reading this in a book but i can’t remember what it was called.
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Ms. Kim March 8th, 2009 at 12:33 am
He pats everyone, even his wife. I believe this is his way of connecting with others.
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Kate (January) was doing great until her very last sentence. One bad sentence can come close to making or breaking a good piece of literary art! I do agree with all the rest of your opinion. When he touches there is a huge difference in the pressure that is applied. I feel, depending on who, what, where the factors are in the situation dictates the touch and the meaning behind it. I noticed this touch of his years ago when he was a senator in my home state. It can be a very gentle and loving touch. When he wants to make a point it can be firmer and controlling. I know many people who use this touch myself included. I love to make a touching connection with people. I feel OUR PRESIDENT does too. I for one am happy that he likes to make a connection and take power!
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I do this hand touch thing. Usually on the upper arms, shoulder, or upper back. It’s not because I’m displeased.
I do it to in various situations for various reasons. Most of the time, the situation is casual or a meeting. In those times, I do it to make a deeper connection, to show comfort and that I’m on the same level they are. In a way, it’s like breaking that personal barrier that surrounds the person and just trying to connect on a deeper level while talking or meeting.
Other times, I do it in intense situations. Just to calm the person down, or to show I understand. It makes the atmosphere between the person and I more casual and comforting. The kind of atmosphere where two people can talk about something on the same level or without awkwardness.
In no way do I believe the “touch” is out of displeasure. I’ve never done it out of that and Obama does it on various occasions that just do not fit if he were doing it out of displeasure or anger.
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Cammeron April 4th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
I do not think this is a gesture of disgust. People sometimes have gestures that they perform on a regular basis just because of habit. For example. In the interview with A-rod he kept flashing the expression of contempt. But he does this in every interview. Which is the same with Obama. He even does it to his wife
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When is this garbage link going to be removed or a disclaimer attached? It’s obvious that politico’s inferences are incorrect. After watching this video, I actually stopped watching Lie To Me even though I had watched it religiously. I have a much lower opinion of the show and Dr. Ekman’s research because they are featuring this “article” on their website. Seriously… you can’t come up with anything better than this?
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Marianne April 30th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
APRIL 30 4:30 FOX NEWS with Major Garrett. Watch Obama talk about Chrysler after he found out Chrysler was doing it on their own. It is 4:00 on Fox news April 30. Obama stuck his tongue in his cheek, actually, below his bottom teeth on one side! He made the outside of his face stick out as he stuck his tongue in from the inside.
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THIS IS SOOO COOL!!!!!!!
mr. obama gets pissed more than he lets on!!!! -
I think it is just a friendly gesture.
He is naturally open and warm but it is possible that he sometimes forces himself to do it to give reassurance or calm down some people. Also he might just like touching, a kinesthetic person. Also if we consider the close proxemia maybe he is honestly trying to show friendliness, honesty and intimacy.
Personally I found that if you are in a heated discussion some friendly pats on the back or the shoulder or the arm helps to defuse the situation, it can give the sensation of honesty and care.
Visually it can look like disdainful, but close your eyes and try to give yourself some pats on your shoulder and try to see what you feel. Of course to accurately interpret the real meaning of the patting it has to be checked with the facial expression and the proxemia.
I don’t think there is a universal “meaning” for all the pattings, every patting has its own purpose depending on the other variables, but I am inclined to say that most of them are to show friendliness and reassurance. -
Somore May 26th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
I think it is a (trained) guesture of habbit.
There are studies and a lot of little experiments that show, that when e.g. a waitress just briefly touches her costumers when talking to them or bringing them food and so on, she gets tipped higher.
People in general like “a good pad on the shoulder” or nearness of other indiviuals.
It could therefore be that Obama either learned to just briefly touch nearly everybody he meets to form some kind of “bond” or that he is realy that open and warm as the poster above me mentioned. -
This maybe a stretch. Obama is a lefty so it maybe a natural inclination for his left hand to find something to do. I’m not an expert.
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you guys say compared to what… if i am not mistaken they show him and his wife.
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Jaesung August 19th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
yea, i agree that he’s inclined to pat people. but you can see how differently he pats each person. for example, at 00:58, he puts his hand on the back and gently taps with his four fingers, and by patting him on the back, Obama is embracing the man in hand. Obama likes him!
In the first footage, however, he pats pretty hard; he raises his hand relatively far from the shoulder and pats the shoulder with his palms using his wrist. also in this one Obama pats from the front, as if supressing his subject – kinda looks like he’s trying to say “you can shut up now.” and there is much more evidence that shows that Obama doesn’t feel much love for him; he displays unilateral contempt, hostility (Obama looks down at him with his chin up, and leans towards the guy with a shaking head) and concealed anger (although he is smiling with his lips, the muscles upon his eyebrows are tightened). -
For what it is worth it seems that when Obama uses his right hand in this video he is saying I am done with speaking to you/let’s move on. When he uses his left hand it seems to be a sign of connecting or affection. As with all data, including visual data, this video is not a scientific sampling, just one individual’s choices to edit and show his perspective, whatever that may be.
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barnette7874 January 15th, 2010 at 10:08 am
These are all key signs that he is trying to control the entire situation. The further up the hand goes the more forceful you are trying to seem….the tighter you squeeze the had the more control you are trying to take(as a bully)….He is trying to appear friendly to the outside, but to the ones he is direct contact with he is trying to take control of the entire situation…..
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