Journal Entry - Week 4

This week I just went super nerd. I don't know why I do it, but every once in a while I get on a certain kick after something catches my attention and I end up drowning myself with hours and hours dedicated to a certain topic. It kind of amazes me really. I have a habit of pushing off and procrastinating assignments, but I'll dump hours into learning something else that's on the verge of curriculum. Go figure.

And while it doesn't always help my GPA, I usually end up learning some pretty cool stuff. Like this week, I veered off on a tangent of discovery after reading about a particular person's norms in nonverbal behavior.

It really kind of got my gears turning, and I ended up watching video after video of political addresses and speeches. I went through a number of different candidates and politicians, and watched a number of different speeches to see how they typically behaved and trying to recognize variations from the norm.

I did it with at least 6 politicians, but the one that was notable to me was Bill Clinton. Most particularly, his address denying his Monica Lewinsky relationship. It's amazing to watch really. In almost all of his speeches, he's very direct, very charismatic, and very open. But when he actually denies the relationship, his nonverbal behavior is completely different. You can tell that he tries to act natural, but the way he does things is completely different.

For example, when he has a tendency to shake his head from side to side while he denies something. But when he denies the Lewinsky allegations, his head is completely still. It's crazy to watch, really. I also noticed that he points while he's doing it, but he's pointing in a different direction than he his looking... almost distancing himself from what he knows is a lie.

Anyway, I thought that was cool. Study on, ya'll.