Facial expressions

Do each of these emotional states have corresponding facial expressions? One theory holds that, when an emotion is experienced, a neural program sends messages to the face, causing certain muscles to contract and others to relax. These movements produce a characteristic facial expression lasting anywhere from a fraction of a second to several seconds.

Let's see if you can recognize the facial expressions that typically accompany each of the six primary affects.


(The illustrations in this module are from Ekman, P. & Friesen, W.V., UNMASKING THE FACE, Prentice Hall, 1975. Copyright Paul Ekman, 1975. Used by permission.)