In high-stakes situations from business meetings to first dates, many Britons struggle to discern what others are truly thinking. However, new expert guidance reveals that subtle facial movements can provide remarkable insights into genuine emotions, no matter how hard someone tries to maintain a neutral expression.
The Science Behind Microexpressions
Cormac Moylan, chief marketing officer at digital game store Loaded, explains that poker faces surround us in professional and personal environments, but they're not impenetrable. "The real challenge lies in uncovering what's hidden beneath the surface," Moylan stated.
Microexpressions represent the key to breaking through these emotional barriers. These brief, involuntary facial movements occur in fractions of seconds and reveal authentic feelings that people cannot consciously fake or suppress. While they happen rapidly, with focused practice anyone can learn to detect them and gain deeper understanding of others' true thoughts.
Six Essential Microexpressions to Recognise
Surprise
When someone experiences genuine surprise, their eyebrows typically raise and curve upward. Observers might notice horizontal forehead wrinkles and widened eyes showing white both above and below the pupil. The jaw may drop slightly without any mouth tension.
Fear
Concealed anxiety or fear often manifests through eyebrows that are both raised and drawn together, usually forming a straight line. Vertical wrinkles may appear between the eyebrows rather than across the forehead, with the upper white of the eyes visible but not the lower portion.
Disgust
True disgust proves difficult to mask completely. Look for narrowed eyes, a slightly wrinkled nose, and brief exposure of the upper teeth. These signals often flash across the face before the person can control them.
Anger
During tense conversations, anger reveals itself through eyebrows lowered and drawn together, creating vertical lines between them. The lips may tense with downturned corners or form a square shape, while nostrils often dilate noticeably.
Happiness
Genuine happiness remains the most challenging emotion to fake convincingly. Authentic smiles create crow's feet around the eyes, while fabricated smiles typically involve only the mouth. If the eyes remain unchanged during a smile, the happiness likely isn't genuine.
Sadness and Contempt
Sad microexpressions typically last slightly longer than others, featuring drawn-in upward inner eyebrows and downward-turned lip corners. Contempt presents as the only asymmetrical microexpression, usually showing as a slight raise on one side of the mouth indicating disagreement or dislike.
Practical Applications in Daily Life
Learning to recognise these subtle signals can transform personal and professional interactions across the United Kingdom. From negotiating business deals in London to building relationships in Manchester, this skill provides valuable insight beyond spoken words.
Moylan emphasises that while microexpressions happen "in the blink of an eye," dedicated practice can help anyone become more adept at spotting these emotional leaks. This knowledge empowers individuals to respond more appropriately to others' true feelings, whether in Cardiff boardrooms or Birmingham social settings.
