From the start of the hearing, Charles Manson attempts to use manipulation on the parole board members. “I’m a little nervous,” he tells them. “I’ve been a long time sitting in a cell. I’m not used to people that much,” he added moments later. His words apparently belie his body language. “I don’t feel his behavior is genuine, I feel that he is trying to come across as a victim,” Elena Petrescu, a Center for Body Language trainer in Spain, said. “He wants to portray himself as a victim here, wants people to feel sorry for him and for him to be relatable. During the interview he tries to be convincing and manipulative at times.”
Further into the proceedings, Manson allegedly masks his emotions — including feelings of contempt for the parole board members — with a smile. “It is important to remember that smiling is the most common form of behavior used when trying to hide emotions,” Serkan Tunc, a Center for Body Language trainer from Turkey, pointed out.
