True feelings are reflected on our face because facial expressions can be involuntary, beyond the control of our thoughts and intentions. But the face can also lie, since we are able to control our facial expressions, not allowing people to see the truth and forcing them to accept the lie. The face leads a double life, combining expressions that we intentionally adopt with those that sometimes appear spontaneously, without our knowledge.
Truth is rarely pure and never unambiguous. (Oscar Wilde)
In fact, when a person communicates, he is always accompanied by microexpressions, and they can be seen. This suggests that even diplomats or intelligence officers are not always excellent at lying and restraining their facial expressions during times of strong emotions.
Facial movements - a joyful, tense, mournful facial expression, etc. - are involuntary and not purposeful. All voluntary movements, however, have a facial aspect: they are not identical to each other even when the same goal is in mind, and vary for the same person depending on his emotional state.
On the one hand, the face seems to obey our will. On the other hand, it lives on its own, its own, unknown to us life. The unconscious, involuntary component is constantly present, very often becoming predominant - and most of all when we are overwhelmed by some feeling. Crying, laughter, squinting with pleasure, a furious grin, as well as a simple yawn - all these are convulsions of the facial muscles, proceeding somewhat differently... Two levels of facial life - voluntary and involuntary - fully correspond to our internal stratification: consciousness and subconscious. The face is the center of mental muscles - the organ of communication between the psyche and another psyche - and with itself. Organ of the soul.
A person is a very valuable source of information for a verifier, because he can lie, tell the truth, and do both at the same time. Usually a face carries two messages at once - what the liar wants to say and what he would like to hide. Some facial expressions support a lie by giving us incorrect information, while others give away the truth because they look false and true feelings seep through all attempts to hide them. At some point, a face, being deceitful, may look quite convincing, but after a moment, hidden thoughts may appear on it. And it also happens that both sincere and ostentatious emotions are transmitted various parts faces at the same time. I think that most people cannot immediately spot a liar simply because they do not know how to distinguish sincere facial expressions from false ones.
Along with involuntary and intentional expressions, there are also those that were once memorized by us and now appear automatically, whether we want it or not, and sometimes even despite this and, as a rule, without our awareness. An example of this is facial expressions that have become habitual and “ritual”; they appear on our face quite often, especially when, for example, we cannot express our anger towards a high-ranking person. However, for now we will be interested only in intentional, controlled, false expressions used by people when trying to mislead, and involuntary, spontaneous, emotional ones, which sometimes reveal the true feelings of a liar despite all his efforts to hide them.
The involuntary expression of emotions on the face is the result of evolution. Many expressions human face similar to what can be seen in primates. Some emotional expressions- at least those talking about happiness, fear, anger, disgust, sadness, grief, and possibly a number of other emotions - are universal, the same for all people, regardless of age, gender, racial and cultural differences.
These expressions give us rich information about a person’s feelings, revealing the slightest movements of his soul. The face can convey such shades emotional experiences which only a poet can express in words. It can tell us:
- what emotions a person experiences (anger, fear, sadness, disgust, grief, joy, satisfaction, excitement, surprise, contempt) - each of these emotions has its own specific facial expression;
- about the overlap of emotions - often a person experiences two emotions at once, and both are partially reflected on his face;
- about the strength of the emotions experienced - all emotions have varying degrees of manifestation - from mild irritation to rage, from fear to horror, and so on.
In addition to automatic, habitual facial expressions, people can also have quite conscious ones, which they adopt by suppressing the manifestation of their true emotions and imitating others that are not actually experienced. Most people are excellent at using one or another mimic methods of deception. Almost everyone can remember a case when someone's facial expression completely confused him, but almost everyone is familiar with the opposite, when it is clearly visible from the person's face that he is lying. There are moments in the life of every married couple when one reads on the face of the other a feeling (usually fear or anger) that his partner not only does not realize, but even denies.
There are thousands of different facial expressions, and they are all different from each other. Many of them have nothing to do with emotions and belong to the so-called signs of speech, which, like illustrations, correspond to stress and punctuation (for example, facial expressions reflecting a question mark or exclamation mark). But there are also facial emblems: winking, surprised raising of eyebrows, contemptuous squinting of eyes, horseshoe mouth, skeptical grimace, sagging jaw, etc. There are also facial manipulations - biting and licking lips, smacking, puffing out cheeks. In addition, there are simply emotional facial expressions, both sincere and feigned.
Moreover, one emotion corresponds to not one facial expression, but dozens, and sometimes even hundreds.
Each emotion has a certain and very specific range of expressions. This is not surprising, because each emotion corresponds not to one situation, but to a whole series. Let's look at expressions of anger. Anger varies according to:
- its intensity (from mild irritation to rage);
- degree of control (from explosion to hidden anger);
- rate of development (from a sudden outbreak to a slow boil);
- rate of decline (from sudden to prolonged);
- heat (from boiling to cold-blooded);
- degree of sincerity (from genuine to feigned - like parents scolding their naughty but beloved child).
And if we add to this the admixture of other emotions with anger: gloating, guilt, righteousness, contempt, then there will be even more components of this series.
Disgust. In disgust, the eyebrows frown and the nose wrinkles, the upper lip rises and the lower lip falls, the mouth takes on an angular shape. The tongue sticks out slightly, as if it is pushing out an unpleasant substance that has entered the mouth. Children, feeling disgust, stick out their tongue and say “fu” or “beh”; adults can express this emotion only by moving the upper lip or barely noticeable wrinkling of the nose. These movements are sometimes so subtle that they can go unnoticed by others. Sometimes they are involuntary, and the person does not realize that he is experiencing disgust.
Sadness. In a saddened person, the inner ends of the eyebrows are raised and brought together to the bridge of the nose, the eyes are slightly narrowed, and the corners of the mouth are lowered. Sometimes you can observe a slight trembling of the slightly extended chin. Depending on the age of the person and the intensity of the sadness experienced, its facial expression may be accompanied by crying. Mimic sadness lasts for a few seconds, but its experience can last longer. Usually it gives itself away in one way or another, although its signs can be almost subtle. The face looks faded, lacking muscle tone, the eyes appear dull. A sad person speaks little and reluctantly, the pace of his speech is slow.
Contempt is a complex pantomimic expression. By portraying contempt, a person becomes taller: he straightens up, tilts his head back slightly and looks at the source of the emotion, as if from top to bottom. With all his appearance, he seems to show his superiority over his “rival”. At the moment of contempt, the eyebrows and upper lip are raised, the corners of the lips may be compressed, the mouth is slightly raised and small symmetrical indentations are formed in the area of the cheeks adjacent to the corners of the mouth. The eyebrow may be raised or the head tilted back and to the side.
Happiness. The forehead and eyebrows are at rest, the lower eyelids are raised, but not tense. The outer corners of the eyes have wrinkles called spider lines or crow's feet. The corners of the lips are pulled to the sides and raised.
Astonishment. The eyebrows are raised upward, and horizontal wrinkles may form on the forehead. The upper eyelids are raised and show the sclera, the lower eyelids are relaxed. The lips are relaxed and parted.
Fear. The eyebrows are drawn together and raised, which can cause wrinkles to form in the center of the forehead. The upper eyelids are raised so that the sclera above the iris is visible. The lips are tense and stretched to the sides, and the mouth is slightly open.
Unlike a mask or a grimace, a living face incomprehensibly changes every moment - and it is its microfacial expressions that change - the ratio of the tones of different muscles, the play of their fibers and ligaments in infinitely varied combinations and vibrations. Tonic microfacial expressions convey secret movements of the soul, deep moods and states of mind, and convey character.
With great facial expressions you can play like a ball, juggle with masks. You can frown menacingly, you can smile tenderly; you can slyly squint your eyes or, raising your eyebrows, feign surprise; you can draw a face of horror, rage, despair, chain yourself in impenetrability - everything is possible and beyond that; but - if you are not a professional actor, not an expert in acting - you never know exactly what is coming out and what the possible impression will be...
It is very difficult to control the tone of the face - microfacial expressions, which alone give expressions liveliness, authenticity and persuasiveness. No wonder: unlike the arms, legs and torso, we don’t see our own physiognomy (and, sorry, the back face) - and by nature we shouldn’t see it, we communicate with it blindly. Yes, least of all, oddly enough, we know and understand our own face - all our lives it is the most unfamiliar, the most unexpected, the biggest mystery for us... Hence the insatiable need to communicate with mirrors...
Not every politician is able to control facial expressions so skillfully. The former president of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, wrote about his youthful attempts to learn to control his facial muscles: “...My hobby was politics. In those years, Mussolini ruled Italy. I had seen photographs of him and read about how he could change his facial expression in front of the public, sometimes taking on a firm, sometimes aggressive look, so that people, looking at him, read power and strength in every feature of his face. It fascinated me. I stood in front of the mirror at home and tried to imitate the authority of his face, but my results were disappointing. All my facial muscles were tired and it hurt – that’s all.”
How to understand what politicians are saying sincerely and what they have been taught? Olga Gladneva and a psychologist helped me understand facial expressions.
“In this photo, Viktor Andreevich is disappointed and irritated, trying to choose words so as not to offend anyone,” comments Olga Gladneva, a specialist at the EVAX-BiS center. - This is a very characteristic photo - in uncomfortable situations the president is difficult to see openly indignant. Because, based on the laws of physiognomy, such a person a priori will not strive for leadership, and therefore he speaks, as a rule, as if through force quite often. With his innate gentleness, he bribes the women he listens to, but he acts in his own way. Viktor Andreevich knows how to work scrupulously and for a long time, is patient, sees shortcomings, including his own, has a mathematical mind and possesses logical thinking.”
“Here Yulia Vladimirovna confidently talks about something she doesn’t really believe in,” says Olga Gladneva. - She emphasizes her organizational skills with her hair, and her open forehead signals her readiness to hear criticism. But if we consider that image makers are working on the prime minister’s image, then the “readiness” may be insincere. Her face is a challenge. She is probably the only politician to whom no one is indifferent. This is because this woman's character is a paradox (the high cheekbones and sharp chin give it away): when she tries to do good things, the result is bad, and vice versa. It is not surprising that among her subordinates there are people who are opposed to her, and among her opponents there are people who sincerely admire her.”
The fact that Viktor Fedorovich’s emotions in public are quite monotonous, according to Olga Gladneva, suggests that he does not play roles, and such people, as a rule, are well versed in the business they take on. They make decisions quickly. “In this photo, Viktor Yanukovych is definitely happy to see someone. Although the smile on his face is not always natural: when everything around is not good, he cannot pretend. And if you analyze a photo from, say, 10 years ago, you will notice that since then he has become less categorical and tough,” says Olga. - A general analysis of Yanukovych’s face indicates that he does not always say what he really wants to say. But in general, the work of specialists on his facial expressions is minimal.”
“Yatsenyuk has an unusual face for a politician,” says physiognomist Olga Gladneva. - There is no imprint of self-confidence on him - his facial features are small. But he is observant, sees all the shortcomings - his small eyes speak about this. Capable of making grandiose plans, while taking everything into account. Because of this, he makes decisions for a long time and implements them in the same way. He knows how to invent, but he needs hands that will embody his ideas; his own energy is not enough for him. He is polite in the Western cliché, when asked: “How are you?” answers: “Okay,” and it doesn’t matter how it really is.”
“Vladimir Mikhailovich, analysis of his facial expressions suggests that he is an open, emotional person who loves to express himself and talk. He likes to joke around with his friends. People with such facial features do not have real power, but they know how to act covertly, through others. Him unusual ideas, creative thinking - this is emphasized by the cheekbones. He knows how to listen and analyze, and present any idea beautifully. But it’s difficult for him to finish what he started.”
Simonenko’s face speaks of his determination: “He is inclined to bring everything to the end, but the result is not always what it was intended,” says Olga Gladneva. “During the process, things may acquire new details, and this politician does not always react quickly to changes. He knows how to embellish events, but sees them in real light. In this photo, when leaving the Presidential Secretariat, he has a worried face, although it is clear that he was thinking about something of his own. And this is always the case with this politician: he can think about personal things, but business is primary for him anyway.”
Oleg Tyagnibok “There is some difference between his personal attitudes and those that he expresses to a large audience - in the photo the look is both defiant and confident,” says Olga Gladneva. “That’s why he quickly makes decisions and quickly implements them. He looks at things realistically, but positions himself as an optimist. From a general analysis of the person, it follows that there will always be people in his team who are opposed to him.”
People tend to say one thing and think something completely different, so it is very important to understand their true state. When transmitting information, only 7% of it is communicated through words (verbally), 30 percent is expressed by the sound of the voice (tones, intonation) and more than 60% goes through other non-verbal (looks, gestures, facial expressions, etc.) channels.
Thus, if facial expressions are the movement of facial muscles, reflecting the internal emotional state of a communication partner, then the mastery of facial expressions is necessary, in fact, for any person, but especially for those who, by the nature of their activities, have numerous contacts with people.
It often happens that trust in people disappears when their insincerity is suspected. When the interlocutor begins to “evade” the truth during communication, only people who have some knowledge about the peculiarities of transmitting information can discern this. After all, facial expressions non-verbally communicate your true state to another person.
Psychology human behavior limitless. To fully study the secrets of facial expressions as one of its sections, it will take more than one year. Meanwhile, you can learn to understand your interlocutor by a glance or a hidden grin if you know about some nuances.
Firstly, the key to a correct understanding of what a person would like to say is an objective assessment of everything he reproduces, taking into account the relationship between speech and facial expressions. Secondly, people are able to express emotions that arise in the soul in two ways:
- conventionally;
- spontaneously.
This means that if the partner wants not to reveal his true attitude to the information being communicated, he can limit himself to the simplest hint. But more often than not, this method is more misleading than effective.
How to determine the truth of information by facial expressions?
Before saying something, in most cases a person thinks about his words and tries to keep his facial expressions under control as much as possible. At the same time, it can be extremely difficult for the interlocutor to keep track of several reactions at once. On help will come psychology, which will teach you how to properly develop the ability of facial “language” or identify a sincere attitude towards something by facial expressions.
Reactions that appear spontaneously or involuntarily in the interlocutor can be correctly read only if there is a long-term relationship with a partner. If you do not take this point into account, there will always be a possibility of critical self-deception in the process of deep recognition of your partner.
It is not difficult to determine the degree of personal expression from the facial expression of a human face, but it is extremely important to take into account many associated factors. It turns out that women have a much harder time managing their emotions than men. It is difficult for representatives of the fair sex to hide their existing experiences, so their face more clearly reveals its owner in a given situation. In addition to gender, other factors also play a role in the success of withholding information:
- temperament (it is easier for a phlegmatic person to protect his feelings from prying eyes than, for example, for a choleric person);
- additional related circumstances;
- experience of the receiving party.
How to learn to understand facial gestures?
Facial expression, as psychology says, is predetermined by the influence of experienced feelings, which provoke controlled contractions and relaxations of muscles. Many people want to master the ability to control their emotions by performing special facial exercises. However, all the measures taken to teach the subtleties of facial expressions will not be successful if you do not know about other important points.
For example, facial symmetry in displaying feelings helps to recognize a lie much faster. In addition, lips can give away a person’s desire to disguise.
For example, increased facial expressions in the mouth area allow us to conclude that the speaker is worried about something. Lips curved in one direction indicate a skeptical or mocking attitude towards what is happening.
Facial expressions in acting
Correct and beautiful facial expressions are especially important for an actor. A professional in this field, before going on stage, must perform his usual exercises aimed at warming up his facial muscles. The simplest and most common training scheme takes no more than 5 minutes, however, the results of its influence on a person’s facial abilities are colossal. To warm up, you need to follow step by step instructions:
- In front of the mirror, concentrate your attention extremely on all the moving facial elements.
- Do it one by one (with eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, lips) simple exercises with each part of the face, lowering and lifting up.
- A few minutes after completing a simple set of exercises, pay attention to the mobility of all facial muscles.
Human psychology confirms that the viewer during a performance will be able to delve into what is happening and become interested in the plot of even the most uninteresting performance only if he detects a clear expression of emotion on the actor’s face. Clearly readable facial expressions serves as a means of additional effective messaging to the audience. Thanks to her, the essence of what is happening on stage comes to the audience.
Training to improve facial expressions
An experienced actor often has no problems with mastering his own facial expressions. The psychology of facial communication he has learned and mastered allows him not to monitor the work of his muscles. His face in moments of anger, sadness or joy clearly conveys internal simulated experiences and emotional mood. But in order to correctly perceive acting on stage, you must first study your facial gestures in detail.
- Group classes on control and management of facial expressions are especially relevant in creative circles. The exercises performed by participants in such training are coordinated by the leader. He occupies a central place in the circle of students. Thus, the teacher is able to monitor the quality and compliance with the rules of each exercise performed.
- As students build a facial “picture” in a group, the leader must promptly orient each of them if corrections are necessary: some need to squint their eyes more to complete the image, while others need to relax the corners of their mouth and not frown. The psychology of facial expressions can be mastered much faster during a group discussion of each exercise.
Years of creativity and painstaking work above themselves allow the actor to have no doubt about how his face looks at a particular moment. Without resorting to the help of a mirror, a person who has undergone long-term training in controlling personal facial expressions can portray this or that sensual mood.
Facial expressions in accordance with feelings
The psychology of facial expressions is understood in stages. To begin with, it is important to learn about how appearance a person experiencing different emotions:
- with joyful, inspiring feelings, the lips curl, their corners gravitate back, and fine wrinkles appear around the eye line;
- surprise or interest is shown on the face with raised eyebrows and slightly widened eyes, the mouth may be rounded and slightly open;
- disgust and contempt are reflected in a person’s appearance in different ways: in the first case, one can observe a wrinkled nose and drooping eyebrows, the lower lip is slightly protruded, giving the impression that the person has choked on something; in the second case, the interlocutor’s face will be elongated, eyebrows raised, and a “down” look is typical;
- It is easy to determine whether a person is scared or not by his widened eyes and eyebrows shifted inward; in addition, a slightly open mouth and pulled back corners indicate internal tension and stiffness;
- anger and anger manifest themselves in the same way: the forehead is furrowed, the eyes are threatening, the nostrils are widened, the lips are clenched, the skin may turn red;
- Feelings of shame are reflected in appearance by looking away, looking down, or shifting eyes, slightly closed eyelids.
It is important to perform exercises for the development of facial expressions regularly - only then the psychology of communication and facial expressions will become faithful assistant. The duration of the workouts varies from person to person, but most often they are performed for 10 to 15 minutes a day. The set of classes can be divided into morning and evening sessions. In addition, there is no urgent need to carry out gymnastics strictly according to the schedule.
Any exercise aimed at mastering facial expressions should be performed in front of a mirror. It is extremely important to take correct position bodies. It is most convenient to train your facial muscles while sitting, keeping your back and neck straight. It is worth considering that exercise is a considerable load on the muscles and can negatively affect elasticity in the future. skin. Proper facial care and moisturizing will help prevent wrinkles.
Exercises for beautiful and controlled facial expressions
The development of facial expressions occurs rapidly: after a couple of weeks of classes, with a diligent and persistent approach to learning, the changes will become noticeable and tangible not only to the student, but also to members of his social circle. Simple exercises look like this:
- Lips should be closed, but not squeezed. The entire muscular system of the face should be as relaxed as possible. Place your middle fingers at the corners of your mouth and press a little. The main task of this exercise is to stretch your lips “into a tube” and try to kiss the air. The nasolabial triangle should be tense for at least 10 seconds, then relax the muscles and repeat 5-6 times.
- With your mouth wide open, you need to raise your eyes up and blink constantly for 30–40 seconds. This exercise will not only tone your facial muscles, but also give your eyes a rest.
- You should clasp your cheeks with your hands so that your little fingers are in the corners of your lips. You need to make a wide smile without opening your mouth, and maintain it for some time (10–15 seconds). Gradually, returning to the starting position, relax for 10 seconds and repeat the exercise 5-6 times.
Mastering a perfect level of facial expression control is much easier than it might seem at first glance. The psychology of facial expressions will teach you to manage your emotions and determine the degree of their truthfulness in your interlocutor.
Verbal or verbal communication helps a person convey his feelings and thoughts to others. written language. In the first case, not only voice transmission of text is used, but also non-verbal means of communication, such as gestures or facial expressions. They enliven speech, giving it a more emotional coloring. The ability to correctly read nonverbal signals allows you to understand the true motives of your interlocutor, since it is facial expressions in communication that express a direct attitude to what is happening.
The meaning of facial expressions in human life
Non-verbal communication does not involve the use of speech, only sensory or bodily contacts: facial expressions, touch, gestures, gaze. They are the ones who help people achieve mutual understanding at the emotional level. Research has found that we transmit only 35% of information to each other through speech. The remaining 65% comes from non-verbal signals: body movements, gestures, gaze, facial expressions. They complement spoken phrases, enhancing their significance.
In fact, non-verbal means of communication are quite capable of replacing. This is what happens to deaf-mute people. For them, speechless communication through gestures and facial expressions is the usual way communication with others. The same can be said about children who have not yet learned to speak. People use nonverbal communication techniques to establish communication connections with representatives of the animal world.
The importance of facial expressions in the communication process cannot be underestimated. After all, sometimes a facial expression, coupled with other nonverbal signals, carries more information about the feelings or mood of the interlocutor than words. People are used to controlling what they say. However, nonverbal manifestations are difficult to hide. Many movements occur reflexively, before the emotion is evaluated by the brain. By learning to capture and interpret facial expressions and other nonverbal signals, you can understand not only what the interlocutor wants to say, but also what he is trying to hide.
Expressions of feelings and emotions through nonverbal signals
Gestures, pantomime and facial expressions are means of communication that are classified as optical-kinetic. This system of nonverbal signals includes appearance, voice timbre, hand or head movements, and body position in space. Successful establishment of contact depends not only on what the interlocutor says, but also on how confident his facial expressions, voice, and gaze are. This is what explains the interest in studying the meaning of nonverbal signals on the part of psychologists, businessmen and people who want to build a career.
What will facial expressions tell you?
The most important element of nonverbal communication is facial expressions. American psychologist Paul Ekman developed Facial Affect Scoring Technique or FAST for short, which allows you to determine the emotional state of the patient visually. The professor suggested conditionally dividing a person’s face into three zones:
- forehead and eyes,
- nose and area around it,
- mouth and chin.
According to the FAST method, the meaning of nonverbal facial expressions is considered only in the totality of changes in at least two of these areas. Such a simple analysis of a non-verbal signal allows, for example, to distinguish a feigned smile from sincere joy.
There are six basic emotions, most clearly expressed through facial expressions:
- joy,
- anger,
- astonishment,
- disgust,
- horror,
- sadness.
Involuntary or reflexive facial expressions These are nonverbal manifestations that the person himself does not control. It is she who reflects the true emotional state.
We propose to consider the most significant non-verbal manifestations of feelings reflected in facial expressions, which are schematically depicted in the picture:
- Emotion joy reflected on the forehead and mouth area. The corners of the lips are raised, the teeth are slightly open. Light wrinkles appear around the eyes. The eyebrows also rise slightly in relation to the bridge of the nose.
- The face of a man who is experiencing happiness, relaxed. This is expressed by half-closed upper eyelids, slightly raised eyebrows, and a radiant gaze. The corners of the lips are drawn towards the ears.
- For surprise Characteristic features are raised eyebrows, rounded eyes, and a slightly open mouth.
- Doubt expressed in a person’s gaze shifted to the left. It is the left hemisphere of the brain that is responsible for analyzing the situation. The position of the lips resembles a sarcastic grin, that is, only one edge of the lips is raised.
- Sullenness or despondency expressed by lowered eyebrows and corners of the mouth. The look is dull, indifferent.
- The face of a frightened man is tense. Fear expressed in raised eyebrows, wide open eyes. Teeth are partially visible through parted lips.
- Rounded eyes, slightly open mouth, raised eyebrows - this is how facial expressions express shock.
- A one-sided grin, a sideways gaze, squinted eyes and a raised eyebrow - this is what it looks like mistrust.
- The look of a person thinking about a problem, directed upwards. The corners of the lips are slightly lowered.
- Wide-open, excitedly shining eyes, raised eyebrows and a slightly open mouth express joy about a brilliant idea came to mind.
- Human, pleased with himself, looks relaxed. His eyebrows and eyelids are lowered, and his lips are folded into a half-smile.
- ABOUT insidious plans tells the story with a squinted look, raised outer corners of the eyebrows, lips compressed into a string, forming a tight smile.
- Sly squints his eyes and looks away. The left or right corner of his mouth rises.
- Demonstrating determination, the man purses his lips, clenches his jaw tightly, looks from under his brows. His pupils may narrow sharply, his gaze becomes threatening.
- Embarrassed, people look down, smile with closed lips so that one corner of the mouth rises. The inner tips of the eyebrows creep up.
- Resentment expressed in pursed lips, low eyebrows and eyelids. The gaze is directed away from the interlocutor.
- Concentrated When thinking, most people move their eyebrows so that a crease forms on the bridge of their nose. At the same time, the gaze seems to be directed inwards, the chin is tense, the mouth is motionless.
- Uncertainty is expressed in a slightly confused, wandering gaze, raised eyebrows. At the same time, the corners of the lips are lowered.
- Expression daydreaming on the face is characterized by highly raised inner corners eyebrows The gaze is directed upward, the corners of the mouth are located asymmetrically.
- Fatigue is expressed in complete relaxation of the facial muscles, including the eyelids. The lips take on a horseshoe shape, with the tips pointing downwards.
For precise definition emotional state based on facial expressions or a combination of non-verbal signs, it is necessary to take into account such details as the direction of gaze, the state of the pupils. If a person experiences strong antipathy towards the interlocutor, he involuntarily squints. A liar averts his eyes to the side; he is betrayed by frequent blinking or, on the contrary, by an unblinking gaze. Insincerity is evidenced by facial asymmetry and too mobile facial expressions.
Conclusion
Interpretation of people's nonverbal behavior through facial expressions or gestures depends on many factors. These are the cultural traditions of the country, gender, age of the interlocutor, the situation in which it occurs. It is worth remembering that nonverbal gestures and facial expressions differ between European and Asian residents. In addition, most adults have good control over their nonverbal reactions. To capture genuine emotions from the facial expressions that flash on the face in a matter of seconds, a certain skill and observation is required.
Alexander Lyubimov
Facial expressions, first of all, convey emotions. All these are annoyed, offended, excited, happy, joyful and surprised.
Emotions appeared a long time ago, all higher mammals have them: dolphins, cats, dogs, monkeys... We have a lot of common emotions with them: joy, surprise, sadness, anger, disgust, contempt, grief, shame, interest, guilt, embarrassment. People have an order of magnitude more emotions, I won’t list them all - just a lot.
And facial expressions in monkeys (and in humans) developed precisely to demonstrate emotions - as a means of communication. So the story about facial expressions will be strongly connected to the story about emotions.
Illustration and reaction
Emotions can be divided into those that occur as reaction: They told him - he was upset. These messages are more “sincere”, but often less expressed. And there is emotions-illustrations: visual demonstrations of the condition. They are more deliberate and grotesque, but more understandable. “Incorrect” demonstration of them is like saying in a very slurred and unintelligible way: “I want to tell you something important.” It is very difficult to communicate with such a person: the “speech” is unintelligible, and it is not clear what he wants to say.
It’s clear: emotion-illustrations are more for communication
And if emotions-reactions it’s just more convenient to calibrate - they report a “sincere” assessment of the situation - then emotions-illustrations It’s worth learning to show it “correctly” (that is, the way it is customary to show it in a given culture) and decipher it correctly.
But, most importantly, practice distinguishing the first from the second. Emotional illustrations are of little use for obtaining information about a “sincere” reaction.
At the same time, emotional illustrations are by no means something “bad” - we use them all the time. That’s why they are “illustrations” - they help to better understand words, maintain attention, convey “intonation,” etc. “Correct” emotion-illustrations are one of the main tools of a speaker, politician, and actor. Yes and in Everyday life When we tell something, we must correctly convey this non-verbal information. And when we listen, we show that we hear and sympathize.
And one more important thing:
Most people show the same emotions in more or less the same way.
At least emotions-reactions. There are problems with illustration emotions, since not everyone understands how to demonstrate them correctly.
Microexpressions
The same Paul Ekman, who is engaged in calibrating lies, talks about microexpressions - very quick facial demonstrations of emotions. People regularly try to control their own emotions. Or rather, their demonstration. But the unconscious is much faster than consciousness, and an emotion-reaction usually always manages to appear before a person decides to demonstrate something else instead.
Naturally, it is not at all necessary that a person will hide his emotions. But this happens quite often. Well, another emotion is expected or demanded from him, it is indecent in this society, its demonstration leads to unpleasant consequences, and the demonstration is more suitable - to the correct ones.
True, these same microexpressions only work for strong “basic” emotions. And their Ekman stands out for only seven: contempt, disgust, anger, surprise, happiness, fear and sadness. And these emotions must really be strong.
In general, as many experts on emotions as there are, there are as many opinions as to what the basic emotions are.
What to look for
I’ll give you a picture again with demonstrations of “basic” emotions.
And, you can see that first of all you need to pay attention to just a few things:
lips, eyebrows, eyes.
That's what a woman gets painted - that's what we look at;).
Actually, emoticons, which are used specifically to indicate emotions, have only eyebrows, eyes and lips. And that's enough.
We are training
In everyday life, we don’t often come across creepy specialists in hiding emotions - most people demonstrate them quite clearly. You just need to learn how to calibrate them (and demonstrate them “correctly”). So let's train. Basic emotions: joy, happiness, surprise, fear, sadness, contempt, disgust, anger, indignation, dissatisfaction.
It is clear that there are many more emotions and they are often “mixed”. But we’ll talk about this in more detail when we look at meta messages.
Look at the picture and identify the “main” emotion. Let me remind you that we look first of all at: lips, eyebrows and eyes. Below the picture are conditionally correct answers.
Pictures from videos of the Canadian channel Just For Laughs Gags: they create various situations and film the reactions of random passers-by. So the emotions here are quite sincere, and not played by actors.
1. The upper lip is tense and raised, the eyebrows are lowered, the fold between the eyebrows, the cheeks are raised: disgust.
2. Facial muscles are relaxed, lips are relaxed, mouth is slightly open, eyes are wide open: surprise.
3. Symmetrical relaxed smile, eyebrows relaxed, muscles in the corners of the eyes tense: joy.
4. Facial muscles are tense, eyes are wide open, eyebrows are raised: fear.
5. The lower eyelids are relaxed, the upper eyelids are slightly lowered, the lips are relaxed, the corners of the lips are down, the eyebrows are raised: sadness.
6. Symmetrical smile, wrinkles in the corners of the eyes, relaxed eyebrows: joy.
7. Lips are tense, the upper lip presses the lower lip, the corners of the lips are down, the eyebrows are tense: dissatisfaction.
8. Eyebrows are lowered and tense (fold between the eyebrows), lips are tense, the corners of the lips are down, cheeks are tense, eyes are open: anger, indignation.
9. Eyebrows drawn together and lowered, lips tense, corners of lips downward: dissatisfaction.
10. Eyebrows drawn together, nose wrinkled, upper lip raised, corners of lips downward: disgust.
11. Face relaxed, lips relaxed, eyebrows raised: surprise.
12. Symmetrical smiles, lips relaxed, eyebrows relaxed: joy.
The meaning of emotions
One of the functions of emotions is informational: they tell us about the assessment of the situation. And to others, about our attitude (toward ourselves, information or the listener).
Emotions are so-called meta-states: they are evaluative states “about”. That is, emotions don’t happen “just like that” - there is always an event about which this assessment is made.
The situation itself can be in the past, in the future, and occur in the present - emotions are always now. So they convey to us our unconscious assessment of the situations to which they relate. And how do illustrations communicate our attitude?
Joy: some value is satisfied.
Fear: there will be a very unpleasant event. (Fear always refers to events in the future.)
Astonishment: an event occurred that greatly violated expectations.
Discontent: some values are violated.
Happiness: Core values are satisfied. (Happiness, in fact, is not a very long-term experience - it arises only when we begin to evaluate the situation).
Sadness: there were pleasant events in the past that will not happen again, missed opportunities.
Grief: loss of something important.
Irritation: serious violation of expectations.
Excitement: there is a possibility of satisfying important values (gain).
Disgust: The person's behavior or event is unacceptable.
Contempt: feeling of superiority.
Delight: expectations were more than met.
The face is not only an aesthetic part of the body, which is responsible for our attractiveness. It can accompany our emotions, therefore it can both reveal sincere feelings and reveal true intentions. Despite the fact that there are people who can control their facial expressions, it is still worth knowing the basic facial “punctures”.
Joy, good mood, admiration in facial expressions
Joyful emotions can be recognized by the following signs:
- a smile that involves the eyes and upper cheeks;
- slightly raised eyebrows;
- transverse wrinkles on the forehead;
- brilliant eyes, direct, lively gaze.
A joyful state is characterized by active facial expressions involving the entire face and after a while is replaced by calmness. If a smile remains frozen on an indifferent face for a long time, such joy is unlikely to be sincere.
Shame, embarrassment, guilt through facial expressions
The following facial “factors” can indicate that a person is ashamed or embarrassed:
- lowered eyes or averted gaze;
- eyebrows, head down;
- the eyelids are slightly raised or drooped completely;
- the face is turned to the side, flushed.
Take a closer look at other parts of the body - shame raises the shoulders, squeezes the person into a ball, and forces him to cover his face.
Anxiety, fear, horror in facial expressions
Feelings of anxiety, fright or fear are in many ways “facially” similar, but have some differences:
- fear – widened eyes, “running” gaze, pallor, confusion on the face;
- anxiety – “wandering”, restless facial expressions, “running”, inattentive gaze, fussiness;
- fear, horror - a frozen face, widened eyes, straight, slightly raised eyebrows, downturned corners of the mouth.
Lies, insincerity in facial expressions
The following facial cues will help you suspect that your interlocutor is not entirely sincere with you:
- fleeting micro-tension of the facial muscles (“a shadow ran by”);
- “running” or cunning gaze, avoiding eye-to-eye contact, squinting, frequent blinking;
- a slight insincere, ironic smile;
- redness and paleness of the skin.
Interest, attention, indifference in facial expressions
If you see that your interlocutor is facing you and looking attentively directly at you, he is most likely interested in the dialogue (or you). At the same time, his eyes will be open, the surface of his forehead will be flat or widened, and his nose will be slightly directed forward. The interested interlocutor's mouth is closed, his eyebrows are slightly frowned.
If the interlocutor looks down or past you, his gaze is dull, his eyelids are closed, his mouth is slightly open, and his corners are lowered - he is not interested in you and your conversation.
Anger, indignation, pride through facial expressions
A fold in the area of the bridge of the nose, a tense muscle area above the upper lip, or pursed lips may indicate that the situation is unpleasant for a person. Widened nostrils and raised wings of the nose, a direct “drilling” gaze, and redness of the face should also alert you.
A feeling of disdain or disgust can be expressed by raising the head, looking straight down, a wrinkled nose, and pulled back, often asymmetrical lips. There may often be a smile of superiority.
Facial expressions are one of the components of the equation of true human emotions. To get the full picture, also look at gestures, behavior, and intonation.
