Facial Expressions of Emotion
Facial Expressions are the universal signs of emotions. But why are certain expressions preferred? Let’s consider the Seven Basic Emotions. These seven basic expressions are shown in Figure 1.
Action unit changes
The top five Action Units for three emotional states varied systematically when the study subjects were silent or speaking. This statistically significant difference was found for many emotions, including fear, anger, and sadness. Although the differences in Action Unit production are not significant in the present study, these findings are intriguing. Moreover, the data suggest that speech affects the production of specific Action Units, such as the check raiser and lip raiser.
Universal expressions of emotion on the face
Psychologists have been fascinated by the universal facial expressions that express emotion for decades. These non-verbal gestures can convey a lot of information about our thoughts, emotions, and thoughts. According to Charles Darwin, we have an innate ability to use our faces to communicate and are the richest source of non-verbal communication. Many of us use facial expressions to express a variety of emotions, but what are the underlying causes? Does our emotion level affect our physical appearance?
Hidden emotions can be uncovered by microexpressions
The study findings provide systematic evidence that microexpressions can be used to differentiate truth tellers and liars. Microexpressions can be brief, short-term or long-lasting. Regardless of their duration, these expressions can be used to reveal the hidden emotions of an individual. A facial expression may be used to convey disapproval.
Evolution of facial expressions of emotion
Although many facial expressions can be recognized by others and are universal, they are not all produced in the same way. Neurobiological constraints, as well as relative spontaneity, are the causes of facial asymmetry. Scientists have studied the evolution of facial expressions in animals and humans without any prior expectations. For example, a smile is characterized by wrinkling around one’s lateral corner and upturned lip corners. A smile that expresses joy involves wrinkling around one corner of the eyes.
Emotional effects on AU intensity
The FACS manual explains how AUs are related. These relationships can be further divided in two categories: mutual exclusions, and co-occurrences. Co-occurrences refer to groups of AUs which often appear together and give meanings for facial emotions. Mutual exclusions are defined by distinct rules and rarely occur naturally in daily life. Here is a brief overview of these two classes. This article will focus on the co-occurrence class.
Mechanisms behind facial expressions
Researchers have been studying the neural mechanisms that determine how we process facial expressions. They have shown, for example, that our brain activates the appropriate mental states when we view faces of other people. It has been shown that facial expressions can influence our perception of interpersonal distance. Other researchers have looked at how emotion is perceived by varying the size and intensity of facial expressions. The majority of their findings are still unknown.