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Abstract

The human face can convey information in several ways, including facial displays (i.e., stereotyped skin movements). Facial displays are quick, versatile, and inaccurate signals. According to some academics, they have emotional roots. This idea fueled discussion about facial expressions universality, voluntariness, and recognition. Theories then spread in an attempt to conciliate diverging data, unfortunately also favoring the disclosure of debated notions. Microexpressions and asymmetry of facial displays seem to be the keys to quickly accessing people’s internal states, for example. Nevertheless, they are complex phenomena with several potential determinants, as anatomy, neuroscience, phylogeny, and ontogeny of facial displays suggest.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    https://www.facialpalsy.org.uk

  2. 2.

    The term “facial expressions” is more popular. Scholars often use it to indicate the expression of emotions through facial patterns, however. Therefore, to avoid confusion, we will use the term “facial displays” for all the movements of the muscles of the face, not just those that signal emotions.

  3. 3.

    This work is often referred to as The Expression, thus shortening the title.

  4. 4.

    For further information, see https://www.paulekman.com/blog/suppressed-emotions-and-deception-the-discovery-of-micro-expressions

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Oggiano, M. (2023). Facial Displays. In: Misunderstandings About Non-Verbal Communication. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43571-3_4

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