Microexpressions

Demos (1988) writes that Ekman and Izzard coded facial muscle movements “in the three regions of the face separately—the upper face, with forehead and brows; the eyes, cheeks and nose; and the lower face, the mouth and chin.”

* * * * * 

From The Definitive Guide to Reading Microexpressions by Vanessa Van Edwards.

Surprise

Upper face: eyebrows raised and curved; horizontal wrinkles across forehead. Horizontal: eyelids opened; whites of eyes showing above and below. Lower face: jaw open; teeth parted but no tension or stretching in the mouth. 

Function: “When we raise our eyebrows, we open our eyes wider. This lets other observers see where we are looking much easier…so they can see exactly what we are surprised about.”

Fear

Upper face: eyebrows raised and drawn together; wrinkles in the center of the forehead. Horizontal: upper eyelids raised; lower eyelids tense and drawn up; eyes have upper not not lower whites showing. Lower face: mouth open; lips slightly tensed or stretched and drawn back. 

Function: “[Wh]hen we are scared and widen our eyes, our field of view increases. This lets us see any threats that might lurk nearby. Our mouth opens when we are scared because it helps us prepare for two things. First, it readies us in case we need to shout for help if we feel threatened. Second, it prepares us to breathe in a large amount of oxygen. This oxygen is helpful in case we need to run away…or fight the enemy!” Moreover, “when one person displays a fear microexpression, others around them will also open their eyes wider. This allows people around to be better prepared to seek out signs of danger.”

Anger

Upper face: eyebrows lowered and drawn together; vertical lines between eyebrows. Horizontal: eyes in hard stare or bulging; nostrils might be dilated. Lower face: lower lip tensed; lips might be pressed together; lower jaw juts out.

Happiness

Upper face: lower eyelid may show wrinkles or be tense; crow’s feet near outside of eyes. Horizontal: wrinkle runs from nose to outer lip; cheeks raised. Lower face: corners of lips drawn back and up

Sadness

Upper face: inner corners of eyebrows are drawn in and then up; skin below eyebrows is triangulated with inner corner up. Lower face: corner of lips are drawn down; jaw comes up; lower lip pout out.

Disgust

Upper face: eyes narrowed. Horizontal: nose wrinkled; cheeks raised. Lower face: upper lip raised; upper teeth may be exposed.

Function: “Disgust is the expression you make when you smell something bad or hear something nasty. When we squint our eyes in disgust, our visual acuity increases, helping us find the origin of our disgust.”

Contempt

Lower face: one side of mouth raised.

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