Beauty is a fickle thing, and there isn’t a truer object of its fluctuation than the eyebrow.
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he delicate, little hairs framing and protecting the eye have been subjected to an extensive history of trends and a rotating supply of pencils, tweezers, razors and even bleach — balancing facial features and altering the perceived shape of the face in their wake. But brows serve a purpose other than decoration. If you’ve ever seen someone raise them in a moment of wonder or draw them together with a response of distaste (and it’s likely that you have), then you know the significance these arches bring when it comes to interpreting nonverbal communication. Disgust, anger, fear, sadness, happiness and surprise — whether you’re in the United States or China, the 21st century or the fourth, these six basic human emotions have universal indicators. The brief, reactionary facial expressions reveal an undisclosed sentiment, whether suppressed or repressed (consciously or unconsciously so). And the eyebrows are essential in interpreting each one. First documented in the 1960s and originally termed “micromomentary expressions” — since shortened to “microexpressions” — by a research duo known as Haggard and Isaacs, it was American psychologist Dr. Paul Ekman who pinpointed the six specific expressions through his studies during the same decade. (He proposed some additional ones in the ’90s including amusement, contempt, embarrassment and shame.) But here’s what sets them apart from your everyday display of emotion: Each microexpression is fleeting, and lasts only a fraction of a second — one-twenty-fifth to one-fifteenth of a second to be precise. And while Haggard and Isaacs inferred that the brevity of these movements meant they couldn’t be individually recognized or analyzed, Ekman and colleague Wallace Friesen determined that these
expressions could indeed be seen and broken down into a system of facial movements. From the slight raise of the brow to the faint squint of an eye, such localized activity has been studied and recorded in fields ranging from animation to counter terrorism. But if you’re not an animator or say, a deception-detection specialist with the CIA, or the television producer of “Lie to Me” (Ekman served as scientific advisor to the popular TV show that aired from 2009 to 2011), there are other valuable uses for learning to recognize these expressions. Emotional intelligence, while often overlooked, is something that can be developed simply by clueing in to these nonverbal cues. It’s about tuning in to the quick facial changes that occur within the small window of time that most people miss. When it comes to the brows, having a keen eye for their fleeting movements is key to decoding the emotions behind them. For instance, being able to catch the hint of surprise in brows that are raised and curved with stretched skin underneath, versus the glimpse of fear in brows that are raised and drawn together in a flat line with wrinkles in between, is a skill that can aid in deciding the best way to respond to others in specific situations. From disgust to anger, happiness to contempt, and everything in between, the brows are essential players in unraveling the discrepancies between someone’s words and their short-lived microexpressions. Narrowing in on these tiny movements can help us most in those first few seconds after words are exchanged, allowing us to quickly detect what emotion someone might be trying to conceal — and ultimately preventing misunderstandings with spouses, bosses and children alike through intentional communication. The result is a sense of empathy and heightened awareness: two traits that help you catch others’ emotions often before they even recognize their own.
GUIDE TO MICROEXPRESSIONS Size up strangers, understand lovers and catch liars in the act. Learn the basics of reading microexpressions based on Ekman’s research and tap into others’ feelings, and maybe even your own.
Sadness
Fear
Disgust
Brows are drawn inward together and outer corners are drawn up. (Corners of the lips are drawn down and the lower lip may pout outward.)
Brows are drawn inward together and raised. (The mouth may be slightly open or tensed and drawn back. The upper eyelids raise, but the lower lid is drawn up, exposing only the whites above the iris.)
Brows are drawn slightly inward together. (The nose also wrinkles and the cheeks rise, causing wrinkles below the lower lids. The lower lip may raise.)
Happiness
Anger
Surprise
Brows remain in place and are not raised or lowered. (Corners of the mouth are drawn back and up, while teeth may or may not be exposed, and cheeks are raised, causing crows feet near the outside of the eyes.)
Brows are lowered and drawn inward together, causing vertical wrinkles between them. (The lower lids are tensed, the lips are firmly pressed together and the jaw may jut out.)
Brows are raised, causing horizontal wrinkles high across the forehead. (The jaw also drops and the upper and lower teeth part; the eyelids open, causing the white of the eye to show above and below the iris.) FA L L 2 0 1 4
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