Are there universal behavior responses? David Matsumoto of San Francisco State University and Jessica L. Tracy or University of British Columbia think so. In a recent study, the two observed blind athletes at the 2004 Paralympics and sighted athletes at the Olympics to determine if they moved similarly to express the feeling of pride. They observed subjects from thirty-seven countries and found that nonverbal expressions for pride were similar amongst both groups.

According to the New York Times:

In an article in the Aug. 19 issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers reported that blind athletes’ behavior and gestures on winning and losing were remarkably similar to those of sighted athletes.

Nonverbal expressions for pride — like an expanded chest, a tilted head and raised hands — are seen among primates, 4-year-olds and individuals from isolated and preliterate communities, suggesting that this behavioral attribute is universal, the researchers said. A diminished posture and slumped shoulders, by contrast, display submissiveness.

“These findings raise the possibility that pride and shame behavioral responses may be human universals, evolved to serve unique adaptive functions,” the researchers wrote.
While the study on congenitally blind subjects suggests that such demonstrations arise from inborn traits, the reactions of the sighted athletes did show that culture and society can have an influence.

So yeah that guy probably is feeling pleased with himself. And yes, you probably are accurately reading body language.