When asked to think about a particular fashion brand, Karen doesn’t try to hide how dissatisfied she would be if she owned it. It is immediately expressed, as she pulls down the corners of her mouth and presses her lips together.
This is a good example of someone displaying their feelings for all to see. But while her mouth is telling us she is dissatisfied, she is also telling herself. She would make this expression in private, as well. Try thinking of something you don’t like and see what happens to your mouth.Karen makes her feelings even more obvious by wrinkling her nose. This is a biological sign. Wrinkling the nose protects against bad smells, and signals disgust. We also use it to express our more general negative feelings. She is telling us loud and clear, without speaking, that she would not want to own this fashion item.
Signs to note
- compresses her lips, pulling down the corners of her mouth
- wrinkles her nose
- pulls up her mouth under her nose
By Dr. John Habershon
Dr John Habershon has spent many hundreds of hours conducting in-depth interviews during his career in consumer and social research. Over the last eight years he has analysed the nonverbal responses captured on video on a wide range of topics, ranging from favorite products and advertising on TV, to bereavement and stress at work. He became involved in work for those on the autism spectrum through friends with Asperger’s in the family and has created Emotions Reader, (https://vimeo.com/ondemand/readingemotionssystem) an interactive program with quizzes to help users identify facial expressions. John has a long standing interest in understanding emotions, having gained his PhD on the psychological effects of unemployment at Imperial College, London University. He has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. http://www.momentumresearch.co.uk/
