Your body language reveals more about your mood and level of anger than you probably realize. 

And, we need to look no further than Prince Harry’s body language during his – and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, recent interview with Oprah Winfrey to observe how this works. 

Experts claim that body language easily reveals suppressed anger. That’s exactly what the world saw as Prince Harry talked of his father, Prince Charles. 

Body language expert Judi James told Metro UK that Harry was “comprehensively” negative toward his father, and it all started with the noticeable multi-second pause Harry took before talking about his father. 

Body language reveals emotion

Most of us understand the basic non-verbal signs of emotion. A smile reveals happiness while a frown says something completely different, such as anger or sadness. But, body language goes far beyond just our facial expressions. 

“The dramatic pause lasting several seconds before he spoke [of his father] kind of said everything, really,” James said. “And that’s when he started to do the fast blinking. He sighed, he did a leg judder, he did a tongue poke.”

Harry admitted that there was “a lot of hurt” between him and his father, and also revealed that Prince Charles stopped taking his calls. Though Harry spoke fondly of his mother, he made no real effort to suppress his anger toward his father during that portion of the interview, James said. 

James added that Harry also came across assertive and dominant in the interview with a solid, secure relationship with the Duchess of Sussex, Harry’s wife. 

“They meshed their fingers together, so it was about as tight a handhold as you can get, and you could see them, one would be rubbing their thumb onto the other one’s hands, even within that handclasp”. 

By the end of the interview, Harry’s hand was on top in the clasp, indicating a more dominant, aggressive, and confident posture as the interview went on. 

Without further ado, here are 5 subtle body language expressions that reveal anger:

Our body language is those non-verbal cues that we make, many times without knowing it, that reveal our mood and emotions. From the movements of our eyes straight down to our feet, these motions communicate a lot of information to keen observers. 

Anger can be subtle, but as the interview with the Royals shows, there are ways to observe anger in other people if we know what to look for.

Here are five subtle body language expressions that reveal anger. 

1. Silence

Pausing before answering a question reveals discomfort or deep consideration. In Harry’s case, he was probably considering how to talk about his father in a way that was both honest and not outwardly hostile or emotional. 

2. Rapid eye blinking

Harry’s rapid eye blinking is another tell-tale sign of anger. Though blinking is natural, blinking rapidly is a subconscious cue of discomfort.

People tend to blink more quickly when under stress or even when they are excited. 

3. Lip tightening

We tighten our lips when we feel distrustful or disapproving of our situation or our surroundings, writes Very Well Mind. Pursed lips can indicate distaste.

Biting your lips could mean that you’re worried or anxious while more subtle changes to your mouth (for example, when the lips are turned downward, like a grimace) reveal anger or disapproval.  

4. Crossed arms

Crossed arms can mean anything from defensiveness to anger to self-protection.

In addition, tapping or fidgeting with arms or fingers (or even legs!) may reveal boredom or impatience while standing with hands on the hips suggests aggressiveness.

5. Jaw thrust

A jaw thrust, or clinch, is a clear and telling sign of anger. Similar to how one might grit their teeth, this expression implies that the person is trying to control their anger.

“This is also a territorial gesture,” writes Science of People. “When someone chin juts at you they are threatening your space with theirs. It’s a nonverbal way of saying, Back up!”