How to understand a person's thoughts and feelings by facial expression

Reading emotions in the interlocutor's face

Each of us, at least once in our lives, has found ourselves in a situation where we wouldn’t mind giving half a kingdom for the opportunity to read the thoughts of our interlocutor. Unfortunately, we do not always correctly interpret this or that facial expression, eyes, facial expressions of another person. Meanwhile, there is even a special science - physiognomy, which studies how thoughts and feelings are reflected in appearance. Of course, this can only be called science conditionally - rather a teaching, but a very, very interesting one. And we have something to learn from it.

Important skill

The ability to see the connection between a person’s thoughts and facial expressions is important not only for intelligence officers, but also for us, ordinary law-abiding citizens. Knowledge of the basics of physiognomy can be useful in many situations. For example…

1. In a relationship between a man and a woman . When a feeling arises between young people, the ability to read thoughts in the face helps to better understand your loved one, not invent anything unnecessary, not make mountains out of molehills, and not worry about trifles. And in family relationships, knowledge of physiognomy eliminates incorrect reactions to words and related complications.
2. In relationships with teenage children . Almost every family experiences the difficulties of a son or daughter's transition. At the age of 13-14 years, when the psycho-physics of a growing child changes, when he begins to move away from his parents, not to let them into his inner world, contact is broken, mutual understanding disappears. Parents often complain that their son or daughter is lying or hiding something. This is where the ability to read faces comes in handy, and thus know what is going on in the head of an over-aged child.
3. When communicating with a small child . If a baby is just learning to talk, he cannot always explain what is bothering him. But almost any mother in such a situation demonstrates the skills of a psychic - she easily guesses and correctly interprets all the feelings that are reflected on the child’s face. It must be admitted that dads succeed in this to a much lesser extent.
4. At work, in communication with superiors or subordinates . It is not customary to openly express emotions here. You can guess the hidden reasons for certain statements by observing the employee’s facial expression.
5. In business, in communication with partners . In this area, being a subtle psychologist is simply necessary. During business negotiations, when discussing projects, concluding contracts, the ability to feel the interlocutor is as important as the ability to think analytically and quickly calculate all risks.
6. And in many other situations that arise in everyday life, be it communication with the class teacher of a schoolchild, or with a tax inspector, or with a lawyer conducting divorce proceedings, when a quick and correct reaction is required.

How are emotions experienced?

We did not directly study this issue ourselves, but when planning the compilation of this book, we believed that we could take advantage of the results presented in the scientific literature. To our disappointment, we discovered that despite the existence of a large number of theories of emotion and research on emotion, some fundamental issues have not received sufficient attention. For example, what events trigger each emotion? What are the possible variations in the intensity of each emotion? How do each emotion feel different? What are the likely actions of people experiencing anger, disgust, fear, etc.?

There were some answers or ideas in the literature that related to at least some emotions.
The most useful were the works of Darwin and Tomkins. Much of what we wrote inevitably had to be an extrapolation of the results of our own experiments and many years of thinking about the six emotions whose expression we studied. In each of the following chapters, we talk about the experience of experiencing each emotion, what science knows and what remains to be studied. Many of our friends and colleagues, having read these chapters, have found that the facts presented in them are in good agreement with what they have observed in their own lives and in the lives of people they know. You can determine the value of these arguments by comparing them with your personal experience and the experience of your friends. If anything we say here (about anger, for example) contradicts your experience or the experience of your friends, then perhaps we are wrong. If this contradicts your experience, but makes sense to your friends, then you will find out what is specific about the experience of this emotion by you personally (or your friends). © P. Ekman. W. Friesen. Recognize a liar by his facial expression. St. Petersburg: Peter, 2010. © Published with permission of the publisher

Hard Science

Correctly deciphering the “language” of facial expressions is quite a difficult task, especially at first.

Firstly , many interlocutors are deliberately trying to prevent this. They watch their facial expressions and do not show emotions. And no matter how hard we try to guess what’s behind this “unclouded surface,” it’s all in vain. If a person has good self-control, he is unlikely to make a mistake.

Secondly , it is not always possible to guess what caused a particular emotion. For example, when you enter your boss’s office on his call, you see that he is frowning and looking from under his brows. This facial expression clearly indicates that he is not experiencing the best feelings right now. And you immediately take it personally: he is dissatisfied with you, you are threatened with a reprimand, and you begin to frantically remember your own sins and hastily come up with self-justifications. Meanwhile, it may turn out that the manager’s gloomy mood is not connected with you at all. Perhaps his new shoes are too tight for him, or his child got a bad grade again, or his wife demanded a new fur coat, and he was just thinking about this and did not have time to wipe the angry expression from his face, because you entered the office too abruptly.

Thirdly , in order to correctly interpret emotions, you need to remember that the perception of reality is influenced by a huge number of factors. This includes upbringing, education, environment, occupation, and the gender of the person itself. It is known that it is much easier to read feelings on a woman’s face than a man’s.

So in order to master the techniques of physiognomy, you will have to try hard. Watching people. Ask questions and at the same time study the reaction. Evaluate your speaking style. Notice all the nuances that will help you accurately guess thoughts and feelings.

Just such a face: how the brain creates emotions and why you can’t trust facial expressions

Even though people tend to smile when they're happy or frown when they're upset, facial expressions in and of themselves don't mean anything, says neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett. She spoke in an interview with The Verge about why it is impossible to determine emotions by looking at a face, how we learn to be sad, and what happens to feelings for which there are no words to express them in our language. “Theories and Practices” translated it into Russian.

Lisa Feldman Barrett

neuroscientist at Northeastern University in Boston, author of the book “How Emotions Are Made”
- You prove that emotions are created by our brain. How does this idea differ from the idea that has existed until now?

— According to classical ideas, emotions happen

. Something happens, the neurons react, and a typical expression appears on your face that you cannot control. According to this view, we frown when we're angry and pout when we're upset, and it is believed that people around the world not only have the same set of expressions, but are also born with the ability to automatically recognize them.

From my point of view, when it comes to emotions, facial expressions by themselves don't say anything. However, I am not saying that when a strong feeling is created in the brain, there are no physical indicators of the strength of this feeling. People actually smile when they are happy and frown when they are sad. But what I'm saying is that there is no single mandatory

facial expressions. And emotions are not something objective, they are learned, they are constructed by our brain.

— You write how, during research, you show a person a face in a photograph and ask them to identify an emotion from it, and people invariably make mistakes, for example, they confuse fear and anxiety. But fear and anxiety seem to be close enough feelings. Do people confuse emotions that are truly far apart, such as happiness and guilt?

— It’s interesting that you say that guilt and happiness are far from each other. I often show people the top half of a photo of my daughter's face and they say she looks sad or guilty or despondent, and then I show them the whole photo and her face is actually flushed with pleasure because she's in a chocolate museum.

If you compare a face to anything else, it will always lose. If in one case you show only the face, and in another pair it with a voice, pose or description of the situation, it becomes clear that facial expressions in themselves are difficult to interpret. In some experiments, participants were shown their entire faces but their bodies were completely hidden. The people depicted expressed negative or positive emotions, and the subjects, without context, made mistakes all the time. If you take a super positive face and place it in a negative situation, its expression will be perceived as more negative. Moreover, people do not simply interpret

facial expression as negative, but they also look at it differently, which can be recorded using software that tracks eye movements.

Facial expressions that are considered “correct” are simply stereotypes. People express their feelings in many different ways.

— What about such a phenomenon as resting bitch face syndrome? It's a much-debated topic, with people often believing that this way they can accurately determine who is a bitch and who is not, but women dispute such claims and say that they "just have that face."

“We've researched this, and the 'bitchy' face is actually just a neutral expression. If you look closely, there is nothing hostile about him. People use context or their knowledge of that person to see more negativity in their face.

“I’m wondering what all these findings mean for emotional programming or startups that are trying to analyze your facial expressions to understand how you feel?” Does this mean it is useless?

“The way they are doing this now will lead many companies to failure. If people rely on the classical view when developing their designs - if you are trying to create software or technology to identify frowns, furrowed brows or pouting lips and so on and conclude that such facial expressions indicate anger, then good luck.

But if emotional programming and other technologies in this field adjust their goals a little, then they have the opportunity to revolutionize the science of emotions. We need to learn how to accurately track human movements, and it would be so useful to measure them and capture as much internal and external context as possible.

- So, we know that emotions do not have a universal form. Can you explain your argument that emotions are created? As I understand it, what you are saying is that we have a basic feeling (like “pleasant” or “unpleasant”) and physical sensations that are at times triggered by the environment. We then interpret these feelings as specific emotions, like rage or guilt. How it works?

— The brain evolved to regulate the functioning of the body. The brain has to decide where to invest its resources: what will I spend and what reward will I receive? Our brain constantly regulates and constantly predicts what our body will feel in order to decide how much energy to expend. When these sensations are very strong, we tend to use emotional concepts to make sense of the incoming sensory information. We create emotions.

- Let's go back a little. What are emotional concepts?

- This is what you know about emotion; you can't necessarily describe it in words

, but your brain knows what to do with it, and you know the feelings that come from that knowledge. When you drive a car, your brain knows how to do certain things automatically, and you don't have to formulate them or even be aware of the action in order to drive successfully.

When you know an emotional concept, you experience that emotion. For example, in our culture there is “sadness”, in the Tahitian culture there is none. Instead, they have a word whose closest translation is “the kind of tiredness you get when you have the flu.” This is not the equivalent of sadness, it is what they feel in cases where we would be sad.

- How do we learn these concepts?

“First we learn concepts from our parents. You don't need to teach children feelings

. Babies can suffer, they can and do experience pleasure, they can be excited or calm. But emotional concepts—such as feeling sad when something bad happens—are taught to children, although not always overtly. And this process does not end in childhood. The brain is able to connect past experiences in new ways to create new ideas, to experience something new that we have never seen, heard or felt.

— I am fascinated by the connection between language and emotions. From your point of view, if we don't have a word for an emotion, then we can't experience it?

— Here’s an example: you’ve most likely experienced “Schadenfreude” (“joy at other people’s failures,” schadenfreude; the concept came to English from German. — Ed.)

And yet you didn't know the word, but your brain had to work hard to create these concepts and turn them into emotions. It took you a long time to describe your feelings.

And if you know the word, if you hear it often, then it happens automatically, just like driving a car. This feeling is easier to trigger and easier for you to experience. This is exactly the story of the Americans and Schadenfreude: they have a word that they use often. This feeling can be recalled very quickly.

— Does understanding that they are constructed help us control emotions?

— Controlling your emotions will never be an easy task, and you will never be able to change the way you feel with the snap of your fingers.

But learning new words to describe emotions is useful because it helps you understand the nuances of emotions and better regulate them. For example, you can learn to distinguish between suffering and discomfort. This is partly why mindfulness meditation is so helpful for people who have chronic pain: it helps separate physical discomfort from suffering.

I think understanding how emotions are created expands the boundaries of control. You understand that if the brain uses your past to create your present, you must invest energy in the present to receive new experiences that will then become the seeds of your future. You can cultivate impressions now, and then, if you encounter something similar, they will become so automatic that your brain will reproduce them on its own.

Reading a person like a book

Reading in the eyes

We all remember the words of the classic that the eyes are the mirror of the soul. An experienced person can easily guess feelings from the eyes. Women manage this with particular ease - a fleeting glance is generally enough for them to assess a man’s state of mind without betraying themselves in any way.

And, according to psychologists, the eyes cannot lie. However, you can learn to skillfully hide the truth, as well as recognize a lie.

So, here are some tips on how to perceive certain eye movements.

1. A wandering gaze indicates a reluctance to get closer. If the other person catches your eye from time to time, it means that he wants to make eye contact and is in a constructive mood. An unblinking stare is often a sign of aggression, a desire to violate your personal space. However, if we are talking about relationships between a man and a woman, then, on the contrary, an open, direct gaze means interest and a desire to continue acquaintance.
2. If a person turns his eyes to the right , it means he wants to remember something. If he looks to the left and then up and also starts rubbing his eyes, scratching his nose or forehead, touching his chin or ears, he is clearly stalling for time, trying to somehow get out of the situation, come up with an excuse, in a word, lie. Frequent blinking also indicates this. If the interlocutor looks at the bridge of your nose, he is in a businesslike mood. A glance directed at the neck is acceptable for friends and good acquaintances. If your counterpart glances lower, this may mean that his interest in you is far from platonic.
3. Dilated pupils are usually interpreted as evidence of excitement and interest. Narrowed - as a manifestation of evil feelings. But here everything is not so simple, because the pupils react to light, dilating in the dark and constricting in bright light.

Assessing a smile

Usually we regard a smile as a manifestation of goodwill, sincerity, and openness. But not every smile reflects these feelings. That's what psychologists say.

1. If a person smiles, but at the same time his eyes remain wide open , he is being hypocritical, pretending to be happy, but in fact experiencing the opposite feelings. After all, a sincere smile implies narrowed eyes in the rays of wrinkles.
2. If the smile does not leave your face , this should also alert you. Perhaps the interlocutor is trying his best to please you, to earn your approval, while you are critical of him.
3. A crooked smile indicates an attempt to hide nervousness.
4. And there is also a so-called snake smile . This is when your eyes are properly squinted, and your mouth reaches to your ears, and you begin to tremble nervously and want to recoil from the owner of such a smile. Because he's clearly not sincere with you or up to something.
5. If a counterpart raises his eyebrows while smiling, he is ready to obey; if he lowers them, he demonstrates his superiority.
6. One raised eyebrow plus a slightly crooked smile is a signal of mistrust.

Interpreting facial expressions

1. Wide open eyes, raised eyebrows, wrinkles on the forehead, a smile - this is how sincere joy or surprise can be manifested.
2. A flushed blush, moistened eyes, a bitten lip - a person feels embarrassed.
3. A flushed face, a downcast gaze, knitted eyebrows, tightly compressed lips are a sign of shame.
4. A flushed face, tightly compressed lips, a stern look - a person is angry.
5. A top-down look, raised eyebrows and chin - a person signals his own superiority.

© Ilyina Natalia, BBF.RU

GuruTest

Microexpression in psychology refers to a very quick and involuntarily appearing facial expression that occurs when a person tries to hide something. As a rule, people cannot completely control microexpressions; they appear unconsciously, most often at critical moments. They are the ones who reveal to us the true emotions of the interlocutor, they can show whether he is lying or telling the truth, as well as how he relates to the topic of conversation.

It is quite difficult for an inexperienced person to notice microexpressions. As a rule, such a change in facial expression lasts only a few moments - on average from 40 to 200 milliseconds. A person's inability to manage such fleeting emotions can help others understand his true feelings and hidden feelings.

Basic negative human emotions

In order to capture micro-expressions on a person’s face, you need to have a good understanding of what basic emotions he may be experiencing. American psychologist and lie researcher Paul Ekman identifies 5 main negative emotional states of a person.

Anger. An angry face usually has squinted eyes because when people get angry, their eyebrows tend to droop and their eyelids move downward. The lips of angry people are compressed, the nostrils are dilated; in some, on the contrary, the eyelids rise, but the eyes seem to roll out.

Contempt. As a rule, contempt makes the face somewhat asymmetrical. This is associated with the appearance of a grin, one edge of the mouth of which rises up, and the other falls slightly. When people feel contempt, their eyes and eyebrows are tense, and their nasolabial folds are especially prominent.

Sadness. You can recognize a sad facial expression by a deepened nasolabial fold, the appearance of wrinkles on the forehead, and raised upward inner corners of the eyebrows. Sadness is also reflected on a person’s lips - they fall down, but the cheeks, on the contrary, rise slightly.

Disgust. It is very easy to understand disgust - when we experience it, our face involuntarily begins to wrinkle. People who feel disgusted often close their eyes slightly, and also curl their mouths, draw their eyebrows, and raise their cheeks.

Fear. Frightened people can be recognized by their rounded eyes, raised eyelids and open mouth. As a rule, fear deepens the wrinkles on the forehead and also makes the mouth and eyelids tense.

Is it really possible to hide unpleasant emotions?

Facial microexpression is a very subtle psychological thing, so an untrained person can with great difficulty catch the facial expressions of dissatisfaction on a person’s face. To do this, you need to peer purposefully, and also closely observe the slightest changes in the expression of the interlocutor’s face. In order to develop such mindfulness, you need to spend a lot of time on training, and also study the main characteristics of a person’s basic negative emotions.

As a rule, wrinkles are indicators of feelings - they show the activity of the face, as well as changes in its expression. Most often, with unpleasant emotions, they become somewhat sharper and clearer for a short time. Eyebrows are also particularly expressive - they often take different shapes depending on the emotions and feelings that take over a person. Eyebrows can rise and fall, as well as shift.

Microexpressions can most clearly be seen in a change in gaze, the appearance of a certain sparkle in the eyes. If you want to learn how to read emotions, then you should pay close attention to the eyes; it’s not for nothing that they are called the “mirror of the soul.” The movements of the eyelids also play a certain role - the narrowing or widening of the eyes occurs precisely due to changes in their position.

The last bright part of the face is the lips. The position of the mouth on the face and its symmetry can be a clear sign of the manifestation of unpleasant emotions. The mouth can be tightly compressed, wide open and tense. Raised and lowered corners of the mouth also indicate different emotions.

Thus, we can say that recognizing the dissatisfaction, anger, lies or contempt hidden by the interlocutor on a person’s face is quite possible, but this requires good attention and honed skill. It can be quite difficult for an ordinary person to learn the basics of facial microexpressions, to catch their fleeting reflection in a person’s eyes and lips.

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13.04.2019 02:48