Body language expert reveals truth behind Luigi Mangione's 'relaxed' smile in court

An expert in body language has weighed in on Luigi Mangione's latest courtroom appearance after photographs showed him flashing a seemingly relaxed smile.

The 28-year-old returned to a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday (Aug. 11) as his case over the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson continues to move towards trial.

Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, was photographed in a grey suit speaking with members of his legal team, with several images capturing him smiling broadly during the proceedings.

The photographs quickly stood out because they showed a noticeably more relaxed-looking Mangione than in some of his previous court appearances, where he has at times appeared stern or tightly focused.

Dr Beth Dawson, a communication expert and body language analyst for over 25 years, has since examined the pictures, although she cautioned that a still image cannot definitively reveal how somebody is feeling.

The expert highlighted signs of trust and confidence in Mangione's smile (Pool/Pool/Getty Images)

She said: “From a body-language perspective, we see someone who looks engaged and the couple of smiles we can see are socially engaged, but a single photograph can’t really tell us what someone is feeling, but there are some features that stand out.

“In one picture of him smiling, the upper teeth are visible, and it’s not a polite closed-mouth smile, and the cheeks are raised, which is consistent with a positive smile.

“The lower face looks relatively relaxed; there is no jaw clenching and lip pressing, which we would associate with tension and worry. He is looking at someone and is fully engaged, and the smile shows trust and confidence, but it is more of a social smile than a spontaneous grin.”

Another image from the hearing showed Mangione with his mouth closed and a more serious expression, which Dawson said carried a different set of signals.

“There is another image where he looks more attentive. Here we see the lips are closed and pressed together, and the eyes are relatively open, which shows a more focused and observant gaze as opposed to a relaxed posture.

Dawson said Mangione appeared more focused and attentive in some courtroom moments where his mouth was closed and not smiling (Pool/Pool/Getty Images)

“There are no facial markers of surprise, anger, or worry. The overall feeling is one of ‘I’m listening, watching and taking this in’ rather than the more relaxed social smile in the previous photo.”

Dawson also highlighted Mangione's posture when he was pictured interacting with his lawyers, suggesting the images indicate a level of comfort with the people around him.

“He looks very relaxed and in tune with his legal team. His posture also shows that too, as he's leaning forward and his shoulders are down, so it shows he is receptive and engaged with his legal team. There is an apparent rapport with his team in the body language he is displaying.”

Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania, following a 911 call from the manager of the McDonald’s Mangione visited. This was five days after Thompson was shot dead in Midtown Manhattan in December 2024

His legal team has since challenged the use of evidence including an alleged weapon and notebook, while Mangione has also pushed for greater public access to proceedings.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8, with his latest appearance potentially among his final trips to court before the trial gets underway.