Facial expressions: what's it all about

I want to look at the issue of facial expressions, how character traits are gathered from the eyes and that vast range of accurate and less accurate information that is conveyed by the face and all its elements.

 

I can’t see the detail of faces. I don’t recognise people by their faces and can’t see facial expressions. I can just about make out a smile when I’m very close to someone, but not tell whether it is an open, rye, ironic, loving, joyful, sneering or sad one, or even a grin in one of its many guises. I can’t tell if people are sad, pissed off, contemptuous, desiring, lost, distant, upset, aloof, furious, happy, thoughtful, distracted or inspired by their face. I guess that I understand the language of facial expression through its strong place in our society, in descriptions of people, in fiction and in conversation; but I have no personal experience of them.

 

So, without seeing the face and getting only small amounts of (not always reliable) information from seeing body language, I get all my information about people, where they are from, their character, mood, background, education, personality, even whether I like, might trust, connect with  etc from their voice and how they use it.

 

So long as people make some kind of a noise (preferably vocally), I am really not sure that I am disadvantaged in making judgements about people without being able to see their faces. I haven’t undertaken any form of research on this of course, nor have I bothered to search for any in writing this (although it is bound to have been undertaken and may well  help substantiate my hunch. I guess I wonder how much it is another way that the power of perfect eyesight is exaggerated, or at least the power of other ways into learning about people, left unexplored.

 

Comments

  1. Tony9 July 2020 at 20:51

    This strikes a chord with me when politicians are on TV. Just my feeling, but some of them give out exactly those kind of vibes you discussed. And this is after they have probably had hours of vocal training and public speaking coaching. My favourite politician [of all time?] was Mo Molem - I always thought she spoke from the heart and projected sincerity. Nick Hancock on the other hand, despite his attempts to project himself as being in control and on top of things, I always think his vocal performance sounds like he is making things up as he goes along.

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