The body says a lot about people. The clothing folks wear, the way they move, the way they talk, they way they gesticulate, their immediate reactions to things—all of this and more reflect one’s own state of mind, how they feel, what they think, their opinions, values, and everything around and in between.
Body language expert Janine Drive exemplifies this in her now-viral analysis of Amber Heard’s and Johnny Depp’s court testimonies, specifically how they expressed themselves and reacted throughout the Depp Vs. Heard case.
The body says a lot about a person, and body language expert Janine Drive broke down the nuances of how Johnny Depp and Amber Heard expressed themselves in the courtroom
Image credits: CourtTV
So, author and body language expert Janine Driver broke down the subtle nuances of how Johnny Depp and Amber Heard expressed themselves and reacted to various things in the courtroom.
While Drive was present in the courtroom for that trial, she also went on CourtTV to elaborate on specific moments during the hearing.
If you’re not aware, Depp and Heard are currently in a legal battle against each other, and you can get the cliff-notes on the details in another Bored Panda article here and see people’s reactions here.
One of the key points Drive focused on was how Heard "leaked" contempt through her facial expressions
Image credits: CourtTV
Image credits: CourtTV
Many of Drive’s insights focused on Amber Heard, particularly on when she was listening to one of the recordings she made with Depp. After seeing the clip, Drive summarized her facial language as contempt and moral superiority.
“It’s on the left side of her face, right there. It’s moral superiority. And it’s out of place, especially for a battered woman. I work with battered women. […] And I have to tell you, battered women or women who are domestic violence survivors—they’re not leaking contempt. That’s moral superiority.”
Drive elaborated that domestic violence survivors express sadness and fear, and she wasn’t seeing that in Heard’s face. “It’s moral superiority. It’s almost like saying, I got you. I got you,” pointed out Drive.
With Depp, she noticed the occasional smile, which she explained as an attempt to hide the pain he's experiencing
Image credits: CourtTV
Image credits: CourtTV
She also talked about Depp, pointing out that he gives these brief smiles every now and then, signifying that it shows he’s experiencing feelings of weakness and vulnerability while talking about the abuse he has experienced to, in a sense, counterweight (as a defense mechanism) the pain he’s feeling because of it.
Drive pointed out that there is also this nervous laugh that accompanies the smile, and that people can see it in other interviews that he’s had over the years, especially when he is asked to revisit bad memories or, like in the court video, is being emasculated.
Drive also pointed out Heard's feelings of shame, anxiety, and stress, which can be seen in how she touches her face
Image credits: CourtTV
Image credits: CourtTV
There was a third clip Drive talked about, and that is again about Heard. In the video, she is seen being more tactile with her face, which Drive explains as a response to the spike in stress.
Moreover, when Heard touches her forehead, that is indicative of shame, which only emphasizes the absence of things like swallows, no cornering down of the mouth, no eye-brows pulling together which would signify sadness.
All of this leads Drive to believe that there was no battering done like some news outlets claimed in defense of Heard. If it was, she wouldn’t give out the non-verbal bodily communication that she is now.
Image credits: CourtTV
Image credits: CourtTV
You can see the full examination below
On another occasion, Drive was also commenting on a clip where Heard was said to have borderline personality disorder after an incident where she hit a former friend in the face.
A key moment here, according to Drive, was where Heard turned away for a moment to look over the shoulder, which signifies lack of confidence, as if to scan around to look for understanding and acceptance from others.
In another interview, Drive pointed out the moral superiority and anger Heard's been expressing in the following court session
Image credits: CourtTV
Image credits: CourtTV
Image credits: CourtTV
Image credits: CourtTV
You can check out the full second video below
Also, the eyebrows display displeasure and trouble—she seems bothered with anticipation for whatever bad news that might follow as per a perceived threat and she’s seemingly trying to control her anger.