Synonyms
Definition
Facial expressions refer to the appearance changes in the face as a consequence of movement of facial muscles. They are one channel of nonverbal communication.
Introduction
The study of facial expressions of emotion can be traced back to Charles Darwin’s seminal work On the expression of emotions in man and animals (Darwin 1872/1965). Darwin discussed not only facial expressions but also included vocal expressions, postures, and other appearance changes (such as blushing). Even though his main point was that emotion expressions serve to prepare the organism for emotion-relevant action, he very much emphasized the communicative value of what he referred to as the language of emotions.
Darwin’s view of emotion expressions as the visible part of an underlying emotional state was disputed and rejected by those who considered facial expressions as social or cultural signals only. In fact, a number of studies in the early years of...
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Hareli, S., Hess, U. (2017). Facial Expressions and Emotion. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_518-1
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