Explaining why many Americans appear to dislike the way Texas Republican Ted Cruz looks, neurologist Richard E. Cytowic argued that Cruz’s unfortunate and atypical facial expressions and body language may be to blame. As Raw Story put it, Cruz’s “creepy” face is not doing the candidate any favors, according to professor Cytowic, who argues that Cruz’s smile is the root of the problem.
“In a natural smile the corners of the mouth go up; these muscles we can control voluntarily as well. But muscles circling the eyes are involuntary only; they make the eyes narrow, forming crow’s feet at the outside corners,” Cytowic explained.
Ted Cruz’s body language, according to the neurologist, is often inconsistent with what he is saying. Cruz’s smile is atypical, since “his mouth typically tightens into the same straight line,” which usually signals disgust or disagreeableness.
The Texas Republican may be unaware of the message his body language and facial expressions are sending, according to professor Cytowic, but it is “incongruent” with his words. “His expression unsettles me,” Cytowic argued. Raw Story notes that many of Ted Cruz’s colleagues have expressed their dislike for the Texas Republican – some even publicly. Craig Mazin, Cruz’s former Princeton roommate, even called him “creepy.”
According to NBC News , Cruz’s challenger in the state of Texas, Democrat Beto O’Rourke, recently insulted his Republican nemesis during a heated debate, using a term created by then-candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 primaries: “Lyin’ Ted.” A few days later, O’Rourke walked back the insult. “That wasn’t the best phrase for me to use” the Democrat said, according to The Hill .
As detailed by a previous Inquisitr report, Beto O’Rourke is breaking all fundraising records and the Cruz-O’Rourke race has garnered widespread national media attention. O’Rourke’s campaign efforts have been successful enough to incentivize individuals like Michael Avenatti to try and get on the O’Rourke bandwagon.
A neurologist explains why it’s so difficult to look at Ted Cruz’s creepy ‘unsettling’ face https://t.co/B8JyNb7Vc3
— Raw Story (@RawStory) October 21, 2018
Via Twitter, Avenatti attempted to trick his followers into donating to his political action committee (PAC) by stumping for the Texas Democrat. The lawyer subsequently admitted to redirecting half of donations to himself, but defended his actions by arguing that prominent Democrats Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren “do the same thing.”
In spite of breaking campaign records, and in spite of analyses like professor Cytowic’s, Ted Cruz is still leading in the polls, according to RealClearPolitics . In the race for Senate, O’Rourke is behind Cruz by a fairly large margin.
In the broader picture, according to an NBC News / Wall Street Journal poll published Sunday, the Democratic Party holds a nine-point advantage over Republicans overall ahead of the November midterms.
