Vladimir Putin delivered ‘bone crusher’ handshake to ‘sleepy’ Kim Jong-un ahead of meeting in Russia, says body language expert.
Russian President asserted authority throughout with wider stance while North Korean leader ‘couldn’t keep eyes open’ and showed anxious signs
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un, two of the world’s most powerful leaders, met in a clash of the titans type moment earlier today with the North Korean dictator visiting Russia to discuss a new weapons deal.
The two came face-to-face earlier today and body language expert Darren Stanton has dissected the moment telling BitcoinCasinos.com exactly what tell-tell signs each leader was giving away – with Putin the more dominant force and Kim seeming somewhat anxious to be there.
Behavioural psychologist Darren Stanton told BitcoinCasinos.com:
“Even though the clips are quite short of their interactions, we can still see a few interesting gestures between the two men.
“First of all we have the first handshake as Putin exits the car. It is clear that Putin proceeds himself and wants to be perceived as a stronger force. His first move is to advance very closely to Kim and give him a ‘bone crusher’ handshake – a stronger shake than normal to assert authority, something many powerful figures implement – most notably attributed to President Trump during his time in office.
“The handshake is a very powerful indicator of how someone is thinking – because it is an opening gesture that acts as a first impression. So from the outset we could see that Putin has come to talk business and not waste any time.
“During the press conference, you can see Kim sitting down with one hand resting on the table with his fist clenched. If you notice closely, you can see he is rubbing his index finger and thumb together. This is almost a demonstration of anxiety, giving himself reassurance. It can also be a sign of impatience as if he does not want to be there.
“He also has his right hand in his pocket, this is a regular gesture for Kim, we can say, this is a pacifying gesture or self reassurance, because he does not feel completely confident in his surroundings, or being in the situation. I believe he is ever so slightly intimidated by Putin, which is probably the intention. I also noticed that if you zoom in on Kim, he appears to be falling asleep as his eyes cannot seem to stay open.
“Putin is an extremely confident man, and the wide stance of his legs is another power move.
“There are photographs showing Putin and Kim shaking hands posing after the press conference. It is a little known fact that whoever is on the right hand side of a wide shot as you look at it often appears bigger due to the ways our eyes register light. Not only is Putin appearing bigger because of this mind trickery, but he is also using this space in a way that makes himself a bigger presence while making Kim look more inferior. Notice how Putin has his arm extended out where Kim is limited to a bent arm during the handshake.
“This idea of owning more space in photos is common with celebrities that hold their hands on their hips when posing at events or in busy situations to give themselves a bigger aura.”
Introducing Darren Stanton:
Darren Stanton is a former police officer with Derbyshire police turned behavioural psychologist, who once used his expertise to uncover the truth when interviewing hundreds of suspects.
He later moved into media and TV as a consultant, being dubbed the “Human Lie Detector” appearing on the likes of BBC’s The One Show, ITV’s This Morning with Phillip and Holly as well as working on screen with criminal barrister Robert “Judge” Rinder. He has also analysed heightened situations in the media such as General Election debates and the Royal Family. Darren has previously offered training and counselling to high level senior C-suite executives to help build their confidence in the boardroom.
