Embarrassment is a powerful emotion. When we are in a social situation and feel ashamed, it’s not possible to control our reaction. After all, you can’t stop yourself from blushing, if that’s one of your responses to embarrassment. In states of embarrassment people want to hide, become invisible, or, asContinue Reading

In the last blog we looked at more than one emotion on the face (Disbelief/Irritation). This week one overwhelming and strong emotion is showing through: discomfort. Benjamin is watching a somewhat controversial TV ad and although he sits quite still we can see several signs which point to his discomfort.Continue Reading

Carrie is more than puzzled by the question she has just been asked; she is confused. Her eyes give away her feelings of confusion in different ways. Firstly, there is a lack of focus as she looks into the middle distance trying to find an answer. Secondly, there are severalContinue Reading

How can we tell when someone is thinking hard about a question? There are some simple signs when a person’s mind is really working – when a problem holds their attention completely. It takes effort, and we often see this in movement in the mouth and the brow. Amanda isContinue Reading

We can see that Laura is not interested in the statement she is reading. Her gaze is unfocused, her eyes look blank. She’s zoning out. But she is not just uninterested. She finds the idea on the page boring, which we see from her compressed lips and the downturned cornersContinue Reading

Awkwardness is about feeling a little unsure, suddenly feeling self-conscious. We can see the signs in the way Evan moves his body and avoids eye contact. He is talking about something quite personal, which makes him feel rather uncomfortable. There is a defensiveness about his posture, resting his chin onContinue Reading

The dictionary defines glee as: ‘great delight, especially from one’s own good fortune’ Lindsay has just been asked about a household brand. By coincidence, the makers had only recently given her exceptionally good service, replacing an expensive part at no cost. She is more than just pleased, she is delightedContinue Reading

Often in life things don’t go the way we want them to, whether it’s people who don’t cooperate or just objects, like printers that don’t work just when we really need them to print off an urgent document. When these obstacles seem unreasonable, or illogical, after several tries to makeContinue Reading

How can we tell the difference between someone simply enjoying something, on the one hand, and getting excited by it, on the other? The answer lies in the movement of the body.   The way Lisa smiles as she talks about this exciting topic, tells us that she is experiencingContinue Reading

Take a look at Laura watching one of her favourite TV ads. How can we tell she’s enjoying it? She’s smiling, not just in a quick and fleeting way, but with a sustained and relaxed smile on her lips. When people are experiencing pleasure we see the eyes widen. LauraContinue Reading