7 Micro-expressions That Betray You

Microexpressions  are very quick, involuntary facial expressions that express an emotion we feel. They allow us to know what the people we come into contact with are feeling, because these expressions are innate and universal. Learning to identify them will make your personal relationships easier, help you identify the emotions and needs of your partner, your friends, family, etc.

In addition, by manipulating our body language, we can stimulate ourselves in the direction of the corresponding emotion. In other words, we have the incredible power to stir emotions through our expressions.

How many facial expressions are there?

More than 10,000 different facial expressions have been cataloged to date, although only seven basic microexpressions have been identified. These are the subtle, universal gestures that allow us to read emotions in the face of a person we are looking at, and they form the basis for the rest of our facial expressions.

Fury

The micro-expression of anger is mainly concentrated in the upper part of the face, where we draw our eyebrows down and into a frown. We often tense our mouth and draw a sharp line with it, part  our lips slightly and clench our teeth.

A typical gesture of anger is to move  the chin forward in a defiant manner.

Fear

This micro-expression is characterized by tense eyebrows and eyes wide open, which allows us to perceive everything in our field of vision, because we sense danger somewhere.

In the lower part of the face, the jaws are loose; also instinctive behavior that allows us to scream and breathe in oxygen.

happiness

Joy can be recognized by slightly squinted eyes and wrinkles in the outer ends of the face and lower eyelids. Trick: When a person pretends to be happy, these wrinkles are not formed. In joy we will also show our characteristic smile, which opens more and more as we feel happier, until we finally show our teeth.

contempt

With this expression, the upper part of the face can take on different shapes. To identify this expression we need to look at the lower part of the face; this is where we see a very specific expression, which consists of raising one corner of the mouth, while the other shows a half smile.

Thanks to a study on this micro-expression, conducted by John Gottman, it is possible to know whether a marriage will end in divorce, if we see that the gestures of contempt are common among the two partners.

Surprise

This is characterized by raised eyebrows and wide-open eyes. In the lower part of the face, the jaws are loose and the mouth is open.

sadness

This is one of the most complicated micro-expressions to pretend. It is characterized by lowered eyebrows that meet subtly in the center. The mouth is often curved downwards.

disgust

This micro-expression is one of the easiest to identify, as the entire expression is concentrated around the mouth and nose. The nose wrinkles and the upper lip is raised, often showing the upper teeth. We also show this in personal relationships, when we feel disapproval or disgusted by someone.

I am sharing a video with you as a summary so that you can turn to this extremely valuable and important training on enjoying satisfying intra- and interpersonal relationships. Most importantly, for inner growth, both for you and for those around you.

Do you think you are able to recognize each of the 7 micro-expressions? Try it out with loved ones you trust.