reading facial expressions

8/13/2019 Reading Facial Expressions

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Reading Facial ExpressionGreater Good Science Center

UC Berkeley


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We express fear when we feel phypsychologically threatened.

The facial expression of fear is oftwith surprise. But when were surpeyes open wider than when were our mouth isnt pulled sideways, linstead, our jaw drops and the moopen. Plus, our eyebrows are relatwhen were afraid; they arch moresurprised.

Fear


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HappinessThis is a classic display of a genui

called a Duchenne smile, which sihappiness.

Its defined by two muscle movemmovement common to all smiles izygomatic major muscle pulling thcorners up. But, critically, what rea genuine smile is what happens aeyes: The muscles tighten, makinwrinkles, or crows feet, around ththe eyes and creating that pouchilower eyelid. When you see these person isnt just smiling politely; genuine happiness.


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ngerYou see these muscle movementsaround the eyes, and in the broware feeling aggressive, threatened,frustrated. Researchers think we mexpression when we're angry becaprotect the face in a physical confliexample, the furrowed eyebrows c

the eyes.

People often confuse anger and disdisgust involves a raised upper lip wrinkle in the nose that you dont s


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EmbarrassmentWhen people are embarrassed, they gaze, which means they move their hand to the side, exposing their neck. embarrassed smile is different from oThe lips press together tightly, reflectof restraint or inhibition.

Embarrassment can look like shame, we're ashamed, our head moves stranot to the side, and we don't smile.


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PridePride involves signs of dominance.of the lips rise slightly, signaling thperson is happy. But what distingufrom happiness is that the head tila slight jaw-thrust. Those are claspower and dominancethey suggefeeling strong.

The expression of pride is also closexpression of contempt. They bothbackward head tilt, but contempt dinvolve a slight smile like pride doewith contempt the lip movement isasymmetricalonly one side tighte


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SurpriseSurprise is often confused with fear.were afraid, our lower eyelids tighteyebrows look flat and tense; with supper eyelids rise up and our eyebrAlso, our jaws drop when were surpour lip corners go sideways when wmaking the mouth look tighter.

Some experts believe our eyes openthis because when were confrontedsomething surprisinga long-lost frunexpected awardwe try to absorthis new information as possible.


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ContemptContempt is when you look down oderisively or suspiciously. Whats imabout the expression of contempt ilips tighten on one side of the face other. If the tightening were on botthe face, the person could be swallsalivating.

People often confuse contempt withBut disgust involves the raising of tand the bridge of the nose wrinklesexpress disgust about noxious thinabout which were derisive or susp


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DisgustWhen we feel disgust, the musclesupper lip pull up, raising the upperwrinkling the nose, and narrowing

People often confuse disgust and aanger tightens the mouth and loweeyebrows more significantly, and r

upper eyelid. With disgust, the moand the tongue comes out, just in need to throw up.


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FlirtatiousnessThis is a coy, flirtatious smile. What conflirtatiousness is when someone turns head away to signal Im not interestedsimultaneously makes eye contact. Thauniversal display that reflects the ambiflirtationthe flirter avoids and approasomeone at the same time.

Someone flirting gives off signals of pleindicated by the zygomatic major muscthe lip corners up, which also raises theslightly. Plus, the eyes are narrower thaneutral state because the orbicularis ocaround the eyes contract, suggesting fehappiness.


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PainWhen we feel pain, our facial musclways that contract the face and proharm. In the upper half of the face,orbicularis oculi muscles around thecontract, closing the eyes tightly, ancorrugator muscle lowers our eyebrlower half of the face, our lips tighte

upwards.

You'll see this particular expression when people are experiencing psychpain, such as when they see other pIts an expression closely related toBut rather than suffering in their owthey experience the pain and suffer

through empathy.


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CompassionWhen people feel sympathy or comcorrugator muscles pull the eyebroup, their lips press together, and thtilts forward slightlya sign of socengagement.

The expression of compassion is mconfused with sadness. The eyebro

movements are similar in sadness compassion, but with compassion together; when we feel sad, our lip


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musementThe tell-tale signs of genuine amusethe open mouth and the backwardsmovement. And like a genuine smiletell a genuine laugh when you see tcontracting around the eyes, makinfeet.

Genuine laughter often relaxes all mmovements in the body because of respiration patterns that happen whThis rapid shift to a state of relaxatifeelings of aggression or frustrationcooperating with other people, not c


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InterestWhen were interested in somethingfrontalis muscles raise our eyebrowand our lip corners turn up in a sligsuggesting were feeling pleasure.

The expression of interest is relatedexpression of happiness. But when

well show more exaggerated upwarmovements of our lip corners, and taround the eyes will contract more,eyebrow raising straight up.


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SadnessSadness is characterized by obliquewhere the corrugator muscles pull eyebrows in, but the inner part of tmuscle pulls them up. Theres alsopouching in the inner part of the fopeople will often look down. Plus, tthe lips are pulled straight down, g

mouth a curved look.

The expression of sadness is often with shame, and it shares the obliqmuscle movements of compassion.


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DesireDesire is signaled through the mouth,bites, puckers, or (as in this case) lip mouth is probably so strongly linked tbecause of the connection to kissing. make this facial expression when theyinterested in someone else sexually, bnecessarily romantically.

Desire is obviously a relative of love, bpeople feel loving and trusting and desomeone else, as opposed to sexually they won't necessarily make this kind with their mouth. Instead, they'll ofteway that suggests happiness, with a hthe side.


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PolitenessThis is a non-Duchenne smilea s

doesnt signal true happiness. It sthe person is trying to seem politecooperative, but they dont genuinhappy.

The zygomatic major muscle is pucorners up, but there are no signs around the eyesno crows feet asides, no pouching of the lower eyraising of the cheek.


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EmbarrassmentWith about 30 percent of embarrepisodes, people touch their facehappening here. Some experts beface touch is a defensive movemprotect the face after the person some social rule.

In some parts of the world, peopsimilar hand gesture when theyrBut with shame, the head movesdown, not to the side, and theresmile.


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PainWhen we feel pain, our facial musclthe face and protect us from harm.

In the upper half of the face, the oroculi muscles around the eyes contthe eyes tightly, and the corrugatorlowers our eyebrows. In the lower hface, our lips tighten and press upw

Especially when experiencing physicpeople will sometimes contract theihappening here, making this look evlike a display of self-defense.


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LoveWhen we feel love, our facial exprresembles happiness: The zygommuscle pulls the lip corners up, antightening of the lower eyelid.

But the distinct expression of lovethese muscle movements with a thead to the side. Thats a sign of

connection beyond just happiness


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Referencehttp://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ei_quiz/
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ei_quiz/http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ei_quiz/

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