8 Body Language Tells From the Vice Presidential Debate

Before vice presidential contenders JD Vance and Tim Walz so much as opened their mouths on the debate stage in New York tonight, they both started talking to me.

No, I’m not a telepath. I’m a body language expert with over 50 years of experience — 25 of which I spent with the FBI, where I served in the national security division’s elite behavioral analysis program. I’ve used my expertise in the endlessly subtle science of nonverbal communication to help ferret out spies and put away criminals.

Tonight, I used it to figure out what Vance and Walz were really thinking and feeling behind all the talking points. Here’s everything I noticed during the debate:

Yes, Vance’s beard matters

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One of the first bits of nonverbal communication to appear in the debate was on JD Vance’s face: his beard. As POLITICO Magazine has noted before, Vance is the first White House wannabe to wear facial hair in 80 years . Our appearance is fundamental to our body language, and research indicates that voters see beards as (surprise, surprise) more masculine. That can be positive to some, reading as strength and competence. But to others, especially women, it can be negative, conveying aggression and opposition to feminist ideals.

Vance has a precision grip

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Several times throughout the debate, Vance deployed something called a “precision grip” when he gestured with his hands — bringing his index finger and thumb together, almost like an OK sign. This gesture communicates confidence and a command of the issue being discussed. It’s like the speaker is pinching a detail right out of the air, as if he’s caught a fly. When combined with other hand gestures — like wide waves of the hands and open-palmed gestures — the precision grip emphasizes when the speaker is zeroing in on something especially important. It’s a sign of fluency and authority and it is very persuasive when utilized in those precise moments.

Walz wants you to pay attention

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Several times, Walz addressed the viewer directly. In one dramatic example of this, when he knocked Trump for not “paying any federal tax for 10 of the last 15 years” — unlike you, the tax-paying voter — he pointed at the camera with his index finger, like Uncle Sam in those old “I Want You” posters. It was a bold, almost accusatory gesture — which made it great for the poster, but can come across as almost hostile. Our brains immediately perceive a point as “calling us out” — in other words, as threatening. Walz wanted our attention there, and he certainly got it.

Walz’s wide eyes showed his passion

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When Walz felt especially passionate about something, he’d open his eyes wide as saucers. Eye-popping can sometimes be a sign of surprise, but for Walz, it simply revealed his emotional intensity — like this moment during an exchange about abortion. The orbicularis oculi muscle, working in concert with the corrugator and frontalis muscles, contract to raise the eyebrows — a dynamic and emphatic facial motion that grabbed the viewer’s attention. Early humans would have made such facial gestures to communicate strong emotions, like “danger is close.” For Walz, it gave extra weight to his feelings and held our gaze.

Vance called attention to his heart

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During an exchange about abortion, Vance did something striking: He placed his hand over his heart and tapped his chest. Hearts carry a lot of significance for human beings. The vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) innervates the heart bilaterally, which is why we often feel sentiments there. When someone dumps you, that pang of emotion in your heart is real. It’s not just figurative, but a literal sensation. With all that in mind, putting your hand over your heart communicates deep emotion and sincerity. It’s such a strong gesture that it’s often taught in public speaking. But that presents a risk: If it appears contrived, you are in trouble. Coming off as dishonest is worse than doing nothing at all. I can’t say whether Vance was being authentic or not — I’d have to see him perform the gesture in different contexts. But the move was meant to communicate a heartfelt sentiment.

Walz disagrees with his glabella

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From the time we are born, we demonstrate negative sentiments by furrowing the glabella — the space between the eyebrows. Throughout our lives we use it to communicate our doubts and insecurities as well as disagreements in real time. Walz gave us a textbook example: During a disagreement over democracy, he furrowed his glabella forcefully at what Vance was saying. Then he held his eyebrows like that, in tension, for some time. While Vance had the floor, this was a way for Walz to silently say, “No way, that’s not right, and I am going to challenge you on this.”

Vance let a little frown give him away

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When Walz brought up Project 2025, Vance exhibited a little tell that carried a big message: a slight squinting of the eyes and a small frown. Clearly, this was a sore subject. When we hear something we’re unhappy or uncomfortable with, the negative emotion flashes over the face, exactly as we saw here. We have to guard against such behaviors in high-stakes interchanges like negotiations or, say, vice-presidential debates — they reveal to your opponent what topics you want to avoid and where your weaknesses lie.

The polite Midwestern “turn yield”

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Vance and Walz have at least one thing in common: a move we call “turn yielding.” Simply put, turn yielding is when you demonstrate respect for someone by yielding your time and allowing them to speak. We can signal that it is their turn by framing the body toward them, or by tilting our heads—nonverbally communicating that they have your attention, that you are willing to listen. This was a marked contrast to the presidential debates, when candidates spoke all over one another. Both Vance and Walz have roots in the Midwest, so perhaps this was an example of that famous Midwestern politeness. After all, culture is a major factor in how we express nonverbals.