Unmasking the Face: A Guide to Recognizing Emotions From Facial Expressions

In the current state of worldwide affairs, knowing how people feel is a vital skill. Knowing when people are lying, even more so. While reading emotions might seem like a straight forward task, it is quite certainly not for most. If such were the case, why is it that so many people fall prey for the lies from politicians & people in power when it’s obvious to others they are lying? Why is most of the populace unable to read lies when a select few can do so at will? Dr. Ekman’s book answers those questions rather poignantly. Transitioning to a quick sidebar that dovetails with this topic, the highly intriguing and groundbreaking show Lie To Me [2009] brought to the fore the issue of spotting lies to solve crimes when coupled with reading microexpressions in individual’s faces. What are micro expressions a curious mind might inquire? Excellent question. Micro expressions are very brief facial expressions lasting only a fraction of a second. They occur when a person is either deliberately or unconsciously concealing a feeling. These emotions have universal signals: happiness, surprise, fear, anger, disgust and sadness. Along with that, throughout the series, not only did Lie To Me feature still-frames of people acting deceitfully, but the show also began to cover various other aspects of people’s behavior in order to find dishonesty. And it just so happens that individuals can be taught, or can learn by themselves how to spot these errant behaviors. In plainspeak, in Lie To Me various methods of psychology were employed in order to ascertain whether or not people were being duplicitous. This is vital because it just so happens that the above show was in large part based on the work of behavioral psychologist Dr. Paul Ekman. Getting back on track, Unmasking The Face – A Guide To Recognizing Emotions From Facial Expressions by Dr. Paul Ekman is an incredible book that details part of the knowledge that was used within the TV show referenced above. Unmasking The Face helps individuals be able to pierce of the veil of lies that’s often cast upon them. In his phenomenal and fascinating book, Dr. Ekman covers some of the tools and data available in order to determine people’s true feelings via their facial expressions. At its core Ekman gives individuals the facial schematics to enable people to read the emotions referenced above. Along with that, the author also covers many of the psychological reasons why people carry out the actions that they do. The author also notes why many people make mistakes in reading emotions at certain times. In cataloguing facial deceit, Ekman also narrows down facial expressions to four reasons: cultural display rules, personal display rules, vocational requirement and the need of the moment. The author then proceeds to expound upon those four reasons at length. Coupled with that, the three management techniques individuals employ, which are simulating, neutralizing and masking, are also covered in some detail. Without a doubt, this book is foundational for a robust understanding of reading/understanding people’s behavior at a much more deeper/comprehensive level. Given all that, the skills in this book should definitely become part of everyone’s repertoire. Kindest Regards, Zy Marquiez TheBreakaway.wordpress.com

I have been a writer since I was fourteen years old. Being a writer, you watch people, you study them from afar, you take note of those small looks, those simple smiles, those cringed expressions, and those annoyed twitches that define their feelings on any host of a number of topics or events. People become easy to figure out. I've been a salesman, and the rule of thumb there is, you have seven seconds, from the point that you outstretch your hand, to the point that you say, "Hello, how are you today?" to size a person up, to figure out what type of mood they're in, are they serious about buying, or are they there really to just look. As a heavy man with a taste for beautiful women, you have to know when a woman is interested, when she wants that moment of escalation, when it's the right time to touch her hand, and the right time to kiss her, and the right time to suggest a change of venue. And last but not least, at a poker table, asking those four simple words, "Do you have them?" can mean all the difference between walking home with empty pockets and walking home with a few extra thousand dollars. People wear their emotions on their sleaves, whether they want to admit it or not, we are all emotional creatures, bound to bouts of anger, happiness, sadness, contempt, disgust, fear, and surprise. This book is a great book to start your education with, though I'm personally more in favor of Emotions Revealed by Eckman. This is an informative book, well written, with the strongest grasp you're going to find on the topic of facial expressions that is not in the academic field. I will be the first to say, for those who have a great interest in understanding how to read people, that this book is not the only material you will ever need. No, there are at least three commercial texts on body language that everyone should have, then, I would recommend for those who seek greater knoweldge, getting home study courses from some of the professionals. Kevin Hogan, Patti Wood, Janine Driver, and the such. I have personally only tried Kevin Hogan's course and I have no regrets. Now, to some fun stuff. I'm 22, so, I'm always looking on how things can be used for either dating, or party entertainment. After studying Paul Eckman's books, I have been able to consistently 8 out of 10 times, guess the card in a person's hand, by reading their facial expressions, in 5 to 7 questions. It's a fun trick that leaves everyone amazed and I'm asked to do it a lot because people believe they can't be read. Here's the fun secret about people, the harder they try not to be read, the easier they can be read. Though the book does not delve into micro-expressions, for which, Emotions Revealed, Second Edition: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life does a far clearer job with, this book is still a strong foundation into the knowledge of the face and emotions. I've said before that with a clear understanding of body language and the knowledge of how to use persuasion and speak deliberately, you become able to sell anything, get any job, seduce any woman (if you're a guy), and just have a lot more fun and control in and of your life. Books on body langauge that I would recommend. 1. What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People 2. The Definitive Book of Body Language 3. Winning Body Language: Control the Conversation, Command Attention, and Convey the Right Message without Saying a Word 4. You Say More Than You Think: A 7-Day Plan for Using the New Body Language to Get What You Want

I have yet to read it but in first glance it is good

Like my review for Dr. Paul Ekman's other books, one must enjoy the topic to enjoy his books. Because his books are scientific they tend to be dry. However, if your job involves interviewing people or deception detection, I highly recommend this book. This book is the basics with a significant amount of photographs to point out each emotion and compares and contrasts each emotion. I have received a significant amount of training in interviewing people and the trainers always start out with the disclaimer "do not use this information on your spouse" because you may not really want to know the truth. The same goes for this book. If you read this book and practice what Dr. Ekman shares, it won't take you long to see others through a different lens. For those in the security field, this should be mandatory reading. Reading faces and seeing when people flash anger, disgust, or contempt before their comments puts you one step ahead. Having read Dr. Ekman's books has benefited me both personally as well as professionally.

Great

This is a good introduction to understanding facial expressions. The first reason I bought it just to if there was anything in it worth writing home about. Not really. It’s very basic but what it does is put us back in touch with what we already know on an instinctive level, things that have been buried by social conditioning through our domestic and societal norms. Understanding facial expressions is just a first step in that process but its a very important first step into something that’s bigger and much more complex.

An incredibly interesting and practical read. The book breaks down facial expressions and emotions in a way that’s easy to understand but deeply insightful. It’s full of real examples and illustrations that help you see how subtle facial cues can reveal true feelings. Perfect for anyone interested in psychology, communication, or just understanding people better. A truly eye-opening guide.

A leitura do livro ainda me ocupa algum tempo. Mas as linhas de contacto com os textos de divulgação do pensamento que tive previamente me levara a adquirir esta obra estão a ser satisfeitas. Quando e se houver novidades partilharei convosco.

This is a great book if you have the patience to get through it. It's very dry and progresses slowly, but great teachings in it.

Velocissimo

Libro más que obligatorio si estás estudiando el comportamiento humano, las teorías del Doctor Ekman así como sus múltiples estudios sobre la universalidad de las emociones están sencillamente explicados aquí, las emociones universales explicadas maravillosamente en este libro con ejemplos de los diferentes músculos involucrados en cada una, además de un Excelente plus de traer al final una sección completa de ejercicios para desarrollar la habilidad de la lectura de emociones. Vale completamente su precio.