Introduction
As a speech-language pathologist (SLP) at Well Said, I sometimes work with clients on social communication skills, including the ability to recognize and interpret emotions. This is most often salient for clients on the Autism Spectrum. One of the most powerful tools we have for understanding how others feel is their facial expressions. The face is a window into emotions, and learning to read it can improve your relationships, communication, and empathy. In this blog post, I’ll introduce you to the work of Dr. Paul Ekman, a pioneer in the study of emotions and facial expressions. Dr. Ekman identified seven universal facial expressions that are recognized across cultures: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, and contempt. These expressions are often thought to be hardwired into our biology, meaning they are innate and not learned.
The Big Three: Eyebrows, Eyes, and Mouth
To help better understand how to recognize these emotions, I tend to focus on the “big three”: the eyebrows, mouth, and eyes. These three areas of the face are the most expressive and provide the clearest clues about what someone is feeling. While some people are able to understand emotions on a person’s face in an instant and do not need to be taught how to do so, some clients need to use their observation skills and turn recognizing facial expressions into a conscious cognitive process. I once asked a client, who had trouble recognizing facial expressions, what parts of a person’s face he observed to figure out how they were feeling. While he did mention the eyes, he said he mostly looked at “the cheeks”. This means he was missing all sorts of information, since he was neglecting some of the “Big Three”. Together we went through the 7 universal emotions and practiced what to look for in order to improve his recognition skills. Most of our work focused around the “Big Three”.
Eyebrows and Emotions
- Happiness: In a genuine smile (Duchenne smile), the eyebrows are typically relaxed. However, when someone is extremely happy or excited, their eyebrows may lift slightly.
- Sadness: Inner corners of the eyebrows are pulled upward and together, creating a furrowed or “pinched” look, sometimes called the “sadness triangle.”
- Anger: Eyebrows are pulled down and together, creating a furrowed brow forming a “V” shape.
- Fear: Eyebrows are raised and pulled together. Inner corners move upward, creating horizontal lines across the forehead.
- Surprise: Eyebrows are raised high and curved, and the forehead often wrinkles horizontally.
- Disgust: Lowering of the eyebrows, often accompanied by a wrinkled nose.
- Contempt: Often involves only one side of the face; one eyebrow may be raised slightly, creating subtle asymmetry.
Eyes and Emotions
- Happiness: Eyes crinkle at the corners; lower eyelids lift slightly (“smiling with the eyes”).
- Sadness: Eyes appear droopy or half-closed; upper eyelids hang lower than usual; may avoid eye contact.
- Anger: Eyes may narrow or “glare,” with tense eyelids and intense eye contact.
- Fear: Eyes widen, exposing more of the sclera; wide-eyed appearance.
- Surprise: Eyes open wide; upper eyelids raised high, lower eyelids relaxed.
- Disgust: Eyes narrow or squint, sometimes with a wrinkled nose.
- Contempt: Slight narrowing of the eyes, often with a raised eyebrow on one side.
Mouth and Emotions
- Happiness: Corners of the mouth turn upward, cheeks lift, creating “crow’s feet” around the eyes.
- Sadness: Corners of the mouth turn downward; lips may tremble or press tightly together.
- Anger: Mouth tightly closed or open wide (shouting); lips may be pulled back, exposing teeth.
- Fear: Mouth opens slightly; lips stretched horizontally; extreme fear may open mouth wide.
- Surprise: Mouth open wide, forming an “O” shape.
- Disgust: Mouth open slightly (“ew”) or tightly closed, upper lip raised.
- Contempt: Slight smirk; one corner of the mouth raised higher than the other.
Putting It All Together: Recognizing Emotions in Real Life
Now that we’ve broken down the big three, let’s practice identifying emotions in real-life scenarios. Here are a few examples:
- Scenario 1: Your friend walks into the room with eyebrows raised high, mouth wide open, eyes wide open. Answer: Surprise! Raised eyebrows, wide eyes, and open mouth.
- Scenario 2: Your co-worker has eyebrows pulled down and together, mouth tightly closed, eyes narrowed. Answer: Anger. Furrowed brow, tight mouth, narrowed eyes.
- Scenario 3: Your child comes home with inner eyebrows raised and pulled together, mouth turned downward, eyes droopy. Answer: Sadness. Raised inner eyebrows, downturned mouth, droopy eyes.
Tips for Improving Your Emotion Recognition Skills
- Practice Observing Faces: Spend time people-watching and try to identify emotions. Pay attention to eyebrows, mouth, and eyes.
- Use a Mirror: Practice making different facial expressions in front of a mirror to notice movements for each emotion.
- Watch Movies or TV Shows: Observe actors’ facial expressions. Pause and identify emotions; cartoons or commercials can help due to exaggerated expressions.
- Ask for Feedback: If unsure, ask someone how they feel to connect facial expressions with emotions.
- Be Mindful of Context: Facial expressions depend on the situation; consider context to interpret emotions accurately.
Why Emotion Recognition Matters
Being able to recognize emotions on people’s faces is a crucial social skill. It helps build stronger relationships, respond appropriately in social situations, show empathy, and navigate conflicts effectively. As an SLP, I’ve seen firsthand how improving emotion recognition skills can transform a client’s communication comfort. In the earlier example, the client became adept at recognizing facial expressions, improving his confidence in social situations.
Final Thoughts
Facial expressions are a universal language, and learning to read them can deepen your connections with others. By focusing on the eyebrows, mouth, and eyes, you can become more attuned to the emotions of those around you. Remember, practice makes perfect, so take the time to observe, reflect, and learn.
