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Over the years I have noticed how under stress (taking tests) or because of something that is going on (closely matched sporting event) people will force their fingers (sometimes objects such as pens) into their faces; denting their facial tissue - sometimes dramatically. I certainly saw this in high stakes interviews, in poker players who were worried, and in crisis situations. You often see this at hospitals as parents wait to hear the news regarding their children. Why do we do this? By pushing in our faces, it stimulates nerves on the face, in the facial muscles, and in the mouth which serves to pacify or soothe us psychologically (from What Every Body is Saying).
Face Denting
Here is a behavior that is rarely talked about in the literature, but it should make us take notice because it says: something is bothering this person or there are issues here.
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For additional information and a free bibliography please contact Joe Navarro through Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/spycatcher or at www.jnforensics.com – Joe can be found on twitter: @navarrotells or on Facebook. His latest book Dangerous Personalities (Rodale) is available on Amazon. Copyright © 2014 Joe Navarro
