Have you ever talked to someone and noticed they are mad? What about when they are sad?

Emotions are constant in our daily life. Facial expressions are the primary medium to display emotions. They are part of our non-verbal communication and help us quickly identify the mood of a person. What is interesting is that with so many different faces we are able to recognize the same message. This encoded information (facial expressions) is a self-preservation mechanism.

Imagine that you are in a foreign land and you see an angry person staring at you. Chances are that you will not approach that person.

SIX MAIN EMOTIONS

Social psychologists have identified six emotions that are recognized across cultures. The six emotions are: Anger, Fear, Disgust, Happiness, Surprise and Sadness. All of these emotions cue us to react to situations prior to engagement. In everyday life, it helps us read the mood of our coworkers, peers, and friends. Facial expressions not only transcend cultures, but age as well. Facial expressions are so vital to us that even babies display them. We can see the same facial emotions in a baby.
You can also test this by mimicking any of the six emotions (Anger, Fear, Disgust, Happiness, Surprise and Sadness) and see the reaction of the people around you.

Facial expressions complement verbal communication. Have you ever felt confused when talking to someone and their face does not match the expressed emotion? It is like they are saying two different things. Ralph Emerson Waldo once said, “When the eyes say one thing, and the tongue another, a practiced man relies on the language of the first”. When their message is not congruent, we tend to challenge the validity of their message. The first thing in our mind is that the person is lying.

In addition to complementing verbal communication, facial expressions are vital to the American Sign Language or ASL. Sign language uses a combination of hand gestures and facial expressions to convey a message. In most instances the incongruent messages occurs if the gestures do not match the facial expression.

When you need to convey something important to someone, what do you prefer: saying it face to face or over the phone?

I prefer “face to face” because I like to see the reaction of people. Maybe it is a way for me to validate their message with their expression.

What about you, “Face to face” or “over the phone”? Are facial expressions important to you?

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