The Obama-Romney debate: Who won the body-language war?

Once voters forget what President Obama and Mitt Romney said in their Wednesday showdown, they'll still remember the images they projected

Mitt Romney and President Obama
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The consensus is that Mitt Romney handily won the first 2012 presidential debate on points by attacking President Obama's policies and putting him on the defensive. Yet, according to many debate experts, substance matters less than the overall impression the candidates make with their tone and body language. "We process these debates with our reptilian brain," says Michael Crowley at TIME. "We watch for moments of conflict, wit, fallibility," and look for the body movements and facial expressions that clue us into "the candidates' true nature and character." In terms of body language, who came out better in Wednesday's debate?

ROMNEY

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us