When thinking about facial expressions and how they impact the feelings and emotions of those around us, several phrases come to mind: “the eyes are the windows to the soul” and “when you smile the whole world smiles with you.”
While scientists continue to find out exactly how emotions and facial expressions of those emotions actually work – another “chicken and the egg” type scenario – it is important to realize that the facial expressions we wear reflect and affect the people we come in contact with.
Effective Communication
It all boils down to communication. With the electronic age, many of us have become aware that sometimes the actual intended meaning of email messages are lost because we can’t see the expression of the person writing and sending the message. We can’t see if the person is sneering or smiling, frowning or winking--and not seeing those expressions can make a difference in how we interpret the message and how we react to that message.
Even in face-to-face situations where we can read facial expressions, messages are misinterpreted. Think of the last time someone said something that was supposed to be a joke, but was said with a straight face.
Our ability to effectively communicate and draw the right response from others, or to provide the right kind of support to others, comes down to being able to include accurate facial expressions – and observation of facial expression – to our interactions.
Facing Others
But facial expressions go beyond simply visually presenting our feelings and moods to others – they can actually change the day-to-day lives of those around us.
“A person’s face can do more than mirror the individual’s mood…it can create a mood for that individual…if you start your day with a scowl, before long you will become sullen and angry” (www.businessknowhow.com). People respond to facial cues. The emotions they observe on your face helps them understand how you’re feeling, what your words mean, and empathize with your situation. Their return facial expression can tell you if they’re getting the message you’re trying to portray or not. Sometimes misunderstandings occur from the misinterpretation of facial expressions. Whether or not these misinterpretations and misunderstandings are resolved – sometimes the fact that they occurred at all – can affect a person’s frame of mind and, in some cases, have even ruined relationships.
“[S]tudies have documented that observers tend to show emotional facial expressions that are congruent with the expressions shown by the sender” (www.psychophysiolab.com).
Turning your day around could be as simple as consciously taking your facial expressions into account. Like retraining our minds to think positively rather than focusing on the negative, retraining our faces from frowning to smiling can make a huge impact on our current mood, and the mood of those whom we deal with. Our negative, scowling demeanor can bring others down and dampen their spirits and make them feel as miserable as we are – none of us really want to feel miserable, do we?
Don’t blame your mood on the fact that you got up on the wrong side of the bed. Some people have been getting up on the wrong side of the bed for the last 20 years. But many times the biggest change can happen in us and in those around us if we only change our frown to a smile. I’m not talking about putting on a mask and covering up what we’re really feeling, but to make an effort to look for positives and express those positives on our faces.
“The moral: Set the tone for your day with a happy, confident face, and good things are likely to follow” (www.businessknowhow.com).
Sources: “What is in a Face? Do facial expressions reflect inner feelings? Or are they social devices for influencing others?” by Beth Azar, Monitor on Psychology (Jan 200, Vol. 31, No. 1) Accessed on December 29, 2010, through the American Psychological Association (www.apa.org); “Facial Expressions Control Emotions” by Rick Nauert, PhD, PsychCentral, Accessed December 29, 2010, on http://psychcentral.com; Business Know-How (www.businessknowhow.com); “Facial Reactions to Emotional Facial Expressions: Affect or Cognition” by Ursula Hess, Pierre Philippot, Sylvie Blairy, Cognition and Emotion (1998, Vol. 12, No. 4, 509-531) Accessed December 29, 2010, through http://www.psychophysiolab.com/uhess/pubs/CE2.pdf; “Depression Impairs Judgment of Facial Expression: Mood Disorders Affect Accurate Interpretation of Emotional Cues” by Laura Owens, Accessed on December 29, 2010, on Suite101.com.