Put it to the test

We now know the background of the micro-expressions and the way we should interpret our knowledge, but how do we gain the knowledge? With a lot of practice of course! Since the boring part is over we can go straight to the fun part of micro-expressions, recognizing the emotions and putting your knowledge to the test! I will give you some examples to practice your new found wisdom.

Disgust

The emotion that is shown on this woman’s face is, if you haven’t guessed it yet, disgust. We all feel and know this emotion. It is in our nature to recognize it. With a still frame it is a lot easier, imagine it coming by with a 25th of a second. The way we recognize disgust is by the wrinkling of the nose and the raised upper lip.

Anger

O, how he is green and angry (not to mention ugly). We all know who this guy, with serious anger management problems, is. The Hulk, a regular guy who turns green and ugly when he gets angry. I’m sure we all know our own hulks and therefore it is important to recognize this emotion. You will recognize anger by the glare in the eyes, narrowing of the lips and the down and together eyebrows.

Fear

A very unpleasant emotion, you might experience it after seeing a horror movie or when you walk alone in the dark. You can recognize fear by raised and pulled together eyebrows, raised upper eyelids, tensed lower eyelid, lips slightly stretched horizontally back to the ears.

Sadness

Everybody is sad some days, maybe after watching a sad movie, or you might be sad because of something that has happened to you. When you interact with people, such as your friends or family, sadness is important to recognize. You can often feel when someone is sad, and we all notice the slight trembling in the lips, but there is so much more to this emotion. The drooping upper eyelids, losing the focus in the eyes, the pulling down the lip corners slightly.

Happiness

Desired by many,achieved by some, happiness. A look that fits everybody, we all know it when we see it, but what’s the science behind it? We recognize happiness by the crow’s feet wrinkles, pushed up cheeks and the movement from the muscle that orbits the eye.

Surprise

When I was searching for an example for this emotion, all I could find were surprised kids. Maybe that’s because when we get older we have seen so much, so much that we don’t get surprised as fast as kids. But when we do get surprised we sure do show it! How can you see the difference between happiness and surprise? Easy, by the raised eyebrows, widened eyes and the open mouth (which you can see clearly on thispicture).

Contempt

Apparently, former president of the United States, George W. Bush was very contempt about something. About what we don’t know, but we can clearly see the emotion on his face on this still frame. How can you recognize it in others you ask? Well it’s actually pretty easy.You simply look for the following things: The lip corner is tightened and raised on only one side of the face. It might sound simple, but this emotion does not require a lot of muscles. Therefore it will not be shown very long. Pay attention while you are talking to someone and you might catch something that they are contempt about.

I hope that this was useful for many of you, recognizing emotions in the faces of others may help you with your social skills, relationships, jobs and many other things. Practice and enjoy!

Quote of the day: "Art is a lie that makes us realize truth", Pablo Picasso.

Are you lying, Sir?

Pauk Ekman - Telling Lies

Have you ever wondered: "why didn't I notice that my boyfriend was lying to me?" or "Why didn't I notice that my best friend was lying to me?" Well I can give you the answer for your questions: probably because you weren't paying any attention! Now, don't be offended. It happens to everybody sometimes, or their entire lives, but I am here to help you. I can show you how to pay attention and how to keep your eyes open to the subtle things. So, how can you catch a liar?

According to Paul Ekman, a psychologist and pioneer in the study of emotions and their relation to facial expressions, there are multiple ways to spot a liar. He tells us where we have to look and to what we have to pay attention to. And I just happen to know a thing or two about his research. I'm in a good mood today so I'll share it with you.

First you have to set up a baseline of the person you want to catch when he (or she) is lying, this way you will know what's normal and it will be easier to determine what's not. Okay, a baseline, check! The next step is to pay attention, this might sound easy, but you will have to know what to pay attention to. Here are a few tips, so you will know what to look for in a person:

1. Different explanations than what was overheard 
2. Changing lines during the change of circumstances 
3. Having trouble recalling the last line - Answers are not consistent 
4. The line is too smooth, sounds well rehearsed 
5. Long pauses during a speech 
6. A tightening of the lower eyelid or eyebrow 
7. Certain changes in gesture (based on the baseline) 

Don't take everything for granted though, some people are well trained and won't show everything. They lie very often and have had the time to perfect their lies and their techniques. You can use these tips to catch a liar, but be careful not to convict someone who is innocent. Be sure about the lie!

Now, I know this wasn't much to go on, so check in later this week and I'll show you some more tips and tricks on how to catch a liar!

Source: Paul Ekman, Telling Lies