Microexpressions are now on my lists of interests. More so than microexpressions, I'm interested in learning to read people. I work with liars. It'd be good to have a science behind me on pointing out bull. And giving me reason to sympathize instead of missing a person's sincerity. Below is one article on microexpressions, a general info bit that has interesting tid bits. Things I learned from it include (assuming his statements are accurate):
1. Hand movements are not microexpressions-- with his statement, I suspect he's also implying that hand movements cannot be used to determine true from non-truth. I don't know if his implication is correct.
2. Microexpressions only cover 7 emotions: anger, sadness, happiness, disgust, contempt, fear, and
surprise. He says there is not one for guilt; I think
Lie to Me leads one to believe that there is.
The Truth About Microexpressions
There
has been a lot of talk lately about the idea of microexpressions. TV
shows like Lie to Me and Psych include elements based on the concept of
micro expressions. The problem is that a lot of the material out there
is wrong. I wrote this post to help explain what microexpressions
really are, and to help separate some of the fact from fiction that is floating around the web.
What are microexpressions?
First of all let’s get a proper understanding of what constitutes a micro expression. A microexpression is a
very brief
(1/2 a second or less) facial expression of one of the seven basic
emotions: anger, sadness, happiness, disgust, contempt, fear, and
surprise.
There are a few key things to note:
- Micro expressions are facial expressions, not movements of the arms, legs, hands, etc.
- In this context micro refers to duration of the expression, not the degree of movement.
- Micro
expressions are limited to the basic emotions. Basic emotions are
emotions that have been scientifically demonstrated to be associated
with specific facial expressions.
The
last bullet point represents a very common misconception. If someone
tells you about a microexpression for something other than a basic
emotion they are wrong. This means that there are no microexpressions for things such as guilt, scorn, disbelief, etc.
When do microexpressions occur?
Micro
expressions can occur when a person attempts to conceal an emotion.
This is true if the attempted concealment is intentional (suppression)
or unintentional (repression).
In this sense microexpressions are a form of leakage. The
microexpression “leaks” (reveals) information about the emotion the
person is attempting to conceal.
A classic beginner’s mistake is
to assume that people are constantly displaying microexpressions. The
truth is that microexpressions occur much less frequently than most
people realize. Here are a few of the reasons why:
- Many people who try to conceal emotions focus on what they are saying, not the movements of their faces (or bodies.)
- Microexpressions are more likely when our emotions are intense, such as in high stakes situations .
- Some
people just don’t display microexpressions when they are concealing an
emotion. Science hasn’t figured out why this is, but research has shown
that roughly 50% of people don’t.
Finally don’t forget that facial expressions are an important part ofcommunication.
This means that the more you express with your face, the better you
will communicate with other people. So it is often in our best interest
to display, rather than to conceal our emotions.
For example the angry glaring look you got when you forgot flowers on Valentine’s Day — Trust me, there was
no attempt to conceal. That facial expression was definitely meant as communication.
What do microexpressions mean?
When
you see a microexpression all it means is that the person was likely
trying to conceal an emotion, and failed to fully do so. By itself a
microexpression doesn’t tell you much at all. Like any form of a
nonverbal, you need to consider the context in which the microexpression
occurred. The next section goes into more depth, although remember
these three things:
- Seeing a microexpression does not tell you who or what caused the emotion
- Seeing a microexpression does not tell you who or what the emotion is directed at
- Seeing a microexpression does not tell you what a person is thinking
Does a microexpression mean someone is lying?
This question represents the all-time biggest misconception about microexpressions. Here is the answer:
Microexpressions in and of themselves do not mean that someone is lying
A key thing to keep in mind is that microexpressions are about
emotions, while lying is about the truthfulness of a
statement.
To see an example of how these can differ, assume a person is suspected
of stealing money from the company safe. Here is part of an imaginary
dialog:
- Interviewer: “Did you take the money?”
- Suspect: “I did not take the money from the safe!”
The
classic beginner’s mistake at this point is to think “Aha! A
microexpression of fear, the suspect must be afraid of getting caught.
The suspect is guilty!” All the microexpression of fear tells you is
that it is quite likely the suspect experienced some form of the emotion
of fear.
Remember: a microexpression does not tell you what someone was thinking.
The suspect could easily be innocent and is afraid that no one will
believe them. Maybe the suspect is having an affair with the office
manager is afraid their “indiscretions” will be discovered.
How can I learn how to spot microexpressions?
Microexpression training is offered by Dr. Paul Ekman (
METT) and Dr. David Matsutomoto (
MiX). I’ve taken both sets of training, and have found them both to be effective.
The
caveat with any microexpression training is that it is not a
“checkbox”. Even one hour can make a big difference, but if you are
serious about accurately reading the face, you need to practice on a
regular basis.
Fingerprint: B8770AEA4CC8BBDFA8A07240C1BA0F78
Related posts:
- Three Mistakes People Make about the 7 Basic Emotions
- Practical Examples of Deception Detection
The above article came from http://socialexploits.com/blog/microexpressions-explained/ This post was originally going to be about the degree of (in)sincerity I think President Barack Obama had when affirming same-sex marriage, but how I appreciate him saying it anyway. Obviously, I decided to go a different direction.
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