DISBELIEF DEFINITION:Withholding belief; a refusal to see the truth PHYSICAL SIGNALS AND BEHAVIORS: The mouth slackening Eyes widening Looking down or away, or doing a double-take Rubbing at an eyelid or brow Being at a loss for words Turning away and covering the mouth One’s expression blanching, going pale AskingAre you sure?type questions Scratching one’s jaw A shake of the head Rubbing absently at the arms Verbalizing shock:Are you kidding?orImpossible! Moving back slightly, increasing one’s personal space Showing one’s palms Lifting a single eyebrow and cocking the head An unfocused gaze Rapid blinking Running the hands through one’s hair Gaping or stuttering One’s mouth opening and closing Hands dropping to one’s sides The posture slumping slightly The neck bending forward, then stiffening back up Hands carving through one’s hair, holding it back and then releasing it Pulling glasses down and looking over the rims Openly staring Covering one’s ears RepeatingNoand other negatives:It’s not true! Folding the arms over the stomach and bending forward slightly Staring at one’s palms as if they hold the answers Jiggling, tugging, or tapping the earlobe Waving something off Making accusations:You’re lying. Refusing to listen to the people sharing the bad news INTERNAL SENSATIONS: A tingling in one’s chest A hardening or clenching stomach A small intake of breath (gasp) Light-headedness Restricted breathing MENTAL RESPONSES: Making an immediate moral judgment (either good or bad, wrong or right) Thoughts scrambling to understand Attempting to reason or glean more information Pretending to have misheard Growing angry but not knowing where to direct it Thinking back to the last time one was with the person being discussed ACUTE OR LONG-TERM RESPONSES FOR THIS EMOTION: A restless stance Arguing; trying to poke holes in the information one is being given Walking away—refusing to listen or discuss it further Voicing the emotion over and over:I just can’t believe this Difficulty speaking; giving choppy responses Holding a hand up to ward off the truth Demanding those with influence do something to change the outcome Closed body posture (the arms creating a barrier across the chest) SIGNS THAT THIS EMOTION IS BEING SUPPRESSED: Changing the topic Making excuses for one’s behavior:Sorry, I’ve not been sleeping well. Supporting the outcome; acting like one was “in the know” all along Reassuring others of one’s belief, commitment, etc. Asking questions to glean information without giving away disbelief Clearing one’s throat, pinching at one’s Adam’s apple, or laughing nervously Coughing, then pretending a drink went down wrong Offering fake platitudes:Interesting,orWell, that’s good then. MAY ESCALATE TO:Denial,Anger,Overwhelmed,Resignation MAY DE-ESCALATE TO:Doubt,Uncertainty,Resignation,Acceptance ASSOCIATED POWER VERBS: Bulge, deny, freeze, frown fumble, gape, gasp, grunt question, recoil, reel, refuse retreat, shake, shock, slacken splutter, sputter, stammer, stare WRITER’S TIP:While melodrama is usually a bad idea in fiction, it can be used effectively to characterize an over-the-top character.