Can body language predict the presidential election?

BOSTON, Mass. — From blinking eyes to making gestures, a body language expert says that the difference between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are significant.

Boston College Associate Professor Joe Tecce said how quickly candidates blink their eyes has been used to predict eight out of nine of the past presidential elections. One famous example is the debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon; those watching the debate thought Kennedy had won, while those just listening thought Nixon had.

"Hillary Clinton is at 40 blinks per minute, which is the 20 to 50 normal range on television and Donald Trump is at 64 blinks per minute," he said.

He said we all evaluate body language at an unconscious level.

He found Clinton's gestures are controlled and that she's steady while looking at the camera. However, it's not the same for Trump.

"Donald Trump is quite frenzied, he has a lot of head movements," he said.

Tecce believes if things continue the way they are now, Trump will lose.

"If these differences persist, my prediction is going to be in October, based on the debates, is that he will lose the election," he said.

Tecce says so far this really hasn't been an issue based campaign, but more about personality. He hopes the differences get smaller over time so there's more of a contest.

Cox Media Group