Former FBI Agent Explains How to Read Facial Expressions | WIRED

Summary

Joe Navarro, a former FBI spy catcher, explores facial expressions and their role in conveying emotions and comfort levels. He debunks common myths about deception and emphasizes the face's primacy in non-verbal communication. Navarro advises on how to interpret genuine versus deceptive smiles and discusses the importance of observing facial details like the forehead, eyebrows, and lips for emotional cues. He also touches on the impact of masks on facial expression and the nuances of body language during video conferencing.

Takeaways

• 😃 The human face is a primary source of non-verbal communication, conveying a wide range of emotions and feelings.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Joe Navarro, a former FBI spy catcher, emphasizes that facial expressions are key to understanding non-verbal cues, contrary to common misconceptions about deception detection.
• 🤔 The face can be divided into two areas for analysis: comfort and discomfort, which are fundamental to how the brain reacts to the environment.
• 😌 Psychological comfort is indicated by relaxed facial muscles, smiling, laughing, and wider pupils, while discomfort can manifest in the forehead, eyes, and chin.
• 👀 The eyes, including the eyebrows and pupils, play a significant role in expressing emotions and can be a strong indicator of a person's state of mind.
• 😖 Signs of discomfort can include furrowing of the forehead, squinting, tucking down of the chin, and even a vibrating chin in highly emotional situations.
• 👄 The lips are highly expressive and can communicate various types of smiles, from social to secretive, conveying different intentions and emotions.
• 👶 From a young age, humans are attuned to facial cues, such as the subtle differences in smiles, which can indicate genuineness, reservation, or nervousness.
• 🎭 Even when faces are partially covered, such as with masks, we can still interpret emotions through the visible parts of the face and body language.
• 🔍 In video conferencing, direct eye contact through the camera can create discomfort; instead, angling oneself can promote a more relaxed interaction.
• 😯 The concept of chirality in facial expressions suggests that sometimes the face may show two different emotions on each side, which can be discerned by covering one half at a time.
• 🤝 Studying non-verbal cues, including facial expressions, benefits both the observer and the person being observed by fostering understanding and positive interaction.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is the study of facial expressions and non-verbal cues, particularly how they communicate comfort and discomfort, and how we can interpret these signals.

Who is Joe Navarro and what is his background relevant to the script?

Joe Navarro is a former spy catcher for the FBI with 25 years of experience. His background in understanding and interpreting body language and facial expressions is relevant to the script's content.

What does Joe Navarro refute regarding the detection of deception?

Joe Navarro refutes the idea that deception can be detected by simple behaviors such as touching one's nose or covering the mouth, calling such notions 'sheer nonsense'.

How does the script suggest we can differentiate between genuine and insincere smiles?

The script suggests that we can differentiate between genuine and insincere smiles by observing the overall facial expression and the context in which the smile appears, as well as the presence of other non-verbal cues.

What are the two main areas to consider when analyzing the face according to the script?

The two main areas to consider when analyzing the face are comfort and discomfort, as these are the primary reactions the brain has to the world.

What are some signs of psychological comfort mentioned in the script?

Signs of psychological comfort include relaxed facial muscles, smiling, laughing, slightly wider pupils, full lips, and a chin that tends to be further out.

How does the script describe the reaction to psychological discomfort in the face?

The script describes reactions to psychological discomfort as furrowing of the forehead, squinting, tucking down of the chin, and sometimes a vibrating chin, as well as covering of the eyes.

What role does the hair play in non-verbal communication according to the script?

According to the script, hair plays a role in non-verbal communication by conveying information about a person's state or mood through its combing, color, dryness, wetness, and arrangement.

What is the significance of the eyebrows in facial expressions?

The eyebrows are significant in facial expressions as they act as an exclamation point, conveying surprise, recognition, or emphasis, such as in the 'eyebrow flash' when greeting someone.

How does the script discuss the importance of the mouth in communication?

The script discusses the mouth as being very expressive, conveying a wide range of emotions and information through different types of smiles, such as social, interested, curious, and secretive smiles.

What is the concept of 'chirality' as mentioned in the script and how does it relate to facial expressions?

The concept of 'chirality' in the script refers to the idea that a face can show two different emotions on the left and right sides, making it difficult to interpret. By covering one half of the face, one can more clearly see the specific emotion being expressed.

How can we still communicate and understand emotions even when wearing masks?

Even when wearing masks, we can still communicate and understand emotions through the parts of the face that are visible, such as the eyes and forehead, as well as through body language and gestures.

What advice does the script give for video conferencing to avoid creating discomfort?

The script advises to avoid a direct, intense look at the lens during video conferencing, as it can create discomfort. Instead, it suggests angling oneself slightly to make the interaction more comfortable and relaxed.

What is the purpose of studying non-verbal communication according to the script?

According to the script, the purpose of studying non-verbal communication is to gain a better understanding of ourselves and others, to show care and empathy, and to positively affect interactions with others.

Outlines

00:00

😀 The Language of Smiles and Facial Expressions

Joe Navarro, a former FBI spy catcher, discusses the importance of facial expressions in conveying emotions and feelings. He emphasizes that the face is a key area for non-verbal communication, highlighting the differences between genuine, reserved, and nervous smiles. Navarro introduces the concept of psychological comfort and discomfort, explaining how facial muscles and expressions change accordingly. He suggests that by observing the consistency of facial behaviors with comfort or discomfort, one can better understand the true feelings of a person. The summary also touches on how we read faces from a young age, focusing on elements like hair, forehead, eyebrows, glabella, nose, and lips to interpret emotions.

05:01

🎭 The Impact of Masks on Facial Expressions

This section delves into the continuous communication through facial expressions and the impact of masks on this communication. Navarro notes the historical discomfort with masked faces, possibly due to the lack of full facial information. Despite this, he points out that even with masks, we can still discern emotions through the exposed parts of the face, such as the forehead, glabella, and eyes. He also mentions the importance of other body parts in conveying emotions when the face is obscured. Navarro then addresses the challenges of video conferencing, where the limited visual range can create discomfort, and suggests angling oneself away from the camera to create a more relaxed interaction.

10:01

🤔 The Concept of Chirality in Facial Expressions

Navarro introduces the concept of chirality, drawing a parallel from chemistry to explain how faces can sometimes display conflicting emotions on each side. He describes a technique for interpreting complex facial expressions by covering one half of the face to isolate and identify the specific emotions being conveyed. The summary discusses the importance of recognizing when a face is showing two different emotions and the necessity of understanding this discrepancy. Navarro concludes by emphasizing the significance of studying facial expressions for self-awareness and positive interpersonal interactions.

Keywords

💡Non-verbal communication

Non-verbal communication refers to the process of conveying messages or information without using words. In the video, it is the primary focus, as the speaker discusses how facial expressions and body language can communicate emotions and feelings. The script mentions how smiles, pupil dilation, and even the position of the chin can indicate psychological comfort or discomfort, which are all forms of non-verbal communication.

💡Psychological comfort

Psychological comfort is a state of being at ease mentally and emotionally. The script describes how when people are comfortable, their facial muscles relax, resulting in behaviors like smiling and laughing. It is a key concept in understanding non-verbal cues, as the speaker explains how facial expressions change when someone transitions from a state of comfort to discomfort.

💡Facial expressions

Facial expressions are movements of the face that convey emotions or reactions. The video script delves into various types of smiles and how they communicate different sentiments, from genuine happiness to nervousness. Facial expressions are crucial for interpreting non-verbal cues and are highlighted as a significant part of the human communication process.

💡Pupil dilation

Pupil dilation is the widening of the pupils in response to various stimuli, such as changes in light or emotional responses. In the script, it is mentioned as an indicator of psychological comfort, suggesting that wider pupils can be associated with a relaxed state of mind.

💡Chin

The position and movement of the chin can communicate emotional states. The script notes that a relaxed chin tends to be further out when a person is comfortable, whereas a tucked-down chin can signal discomfort or a defensive posture.

💡Eyebrows

Eyebrows play a significant role in facial expressions, often conveying surprise, recognition, or emotion. The script describes the 'eyebrow flash' as an exclamation point in non-verbal communication, used to acknowledge someone's presence or express surprise.

💡Glabella

The glabella is the area between the eyebrows, and its furrowing can indicate discomfort or displeasure. The script uses the term to explain how subtle facial changes, like squinting or furrowing the glabella, can signal psychological discomfort.

💡Lips

Lips are expressive parts of the face that can convey a wide range of emotions and intentions. The video discusses different types of smiles, such as social, interested, curious, and secretive smiles, highlighting the lips as a critical component in non-verbal communication.

💡Chirality

Chirality, a concept borrowed from chemistry, is used in the script to describe a situation where a face may show two different emotions on each side, making it difficult to interpret the person's true feelings. This concept is applied to understanding complex facial expressions and the potential for mixed emotional signals.

💡Video conferencing

Video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Meets have changed the way people communicate visually. The script addresses the impact of these platforms on non-verbal communication, noting that direct eye contact through the lens can create discomfort and suggesting that angling oneself can make interactions feel more natural and relaxed.

💡Synchrony

Synchrony in the context of the video refers to the harmonious alignment of behaviors between individuals, often leading to a more comfortable and engaging interaction. The script explains that achieving synchrony, such as mirroring relaxed behaviors, can create a positive and subconscious connection between communicators.

Highlights

From birth, humans spend a significant amount of time studying faces, recognizing emotions such as smiles, which can vary in authenticity and nervousness.

Joe Navarro, a former FBI spy catcher, discusses the importance of facial expressions in non-verbal communication.

The face is key to non-verbal communication, conveying a wealth of information and feelings, with comfort and discomfort being central to its expressions.

Signs of psychological comfort include relaxed facial muscles, smiling, and wider pupils, while discomfort may manifest as furrowed brows or a tucked chin.

The face's non-verbals immediately reflect our internal state, with behaviors either consistent with comfort or discomfort.

Reading faces involves examining hair, forehead, eyebrows, glabella, nose, and lips for subtle cues about a person's emotional state.

Smiles can be categorized into social, interested, curious, and secretive, each conveying different messages.

The subconscious assessment of facial features like pupils provides insight into a person's emotional state.

Cultural observations suggest that good guys in movies often wear masks covering their eyes, while bad guys cover their mouths, indicating the importance of the visible face in communication.

Even with masks, emotions can be discerned through the exposed parts of the face, such as the forehead and eyes.

When the full face is not visible, other body parts like the neck, shoulders, hands, and feet can still communicate emotions and sentiments.

In video conferences, direct eye contact through the lens can create discomfort; angling oneself can induce a more relaxed interaction.

Synchrony in body language, such as mirroring behaviors, can lead to a harmonious and engaging interaction.

Chirality in facial expressions can result in one side of the face showing a different emotion than the other, requiring careful observation.

Studying faces is essential for understanding emotions and validating others' experiences, which in turn benefits both the observer and the observed.

The study of non-verbal communication is beneficial for improving interpersonal interactions and self-awareness of one's own body language.

Transcripts

- From the time we're born,

we spend an inordinate amount of time

studying each other's faces.

As babies we can recognize that big smile

that we see of that caring mother

looking down on us and so forth.

But we're confronted with many variants of that.

Just take a look at these, all examples of smiles.

Some come to us, they're very genuine,

some are a little reserved, some are a little nervous.

They're all smiles, but what are they communicating?

My name's Joe Navarro.

And for 25 years I was a spy catcher for the FBI.

You may be familiar with my previous video,

I talked about body language.

There's just no Pinocchio effect.

And people who prattle that, and say, well,

we can detect deception because the person

touches their nose or covers their mouth.

That's just sheer nonsense.

And today we're going to focus on the face.

When it comes to non-verbals, the face is key.

There's so much information and feelings

that we receive from the face,

that for us, the face takes primacy.

So one of the ways to look at the face

is to think of it in two areas, comfort and discomfort,

because really that's how the brain reacts to the world.

So let's start with psychological comfort.

When we're very comfortable,

the muscles of the face become very relaxed,

and we have all the behaviors that are associated with it.

Smiling, laughing, usually the pupils are slightly wider.

The lips are full, and usually the chin

tends to be further out.

The very second that there's psychological discomfort,

usually it begins to register in several areas.

Now, for some people we'll see it in the forehead

and here between the eyes,

where there'll be furrowing of the forehead or squinting.

And of course, the tucking down of the chin.

Or, in some instances where something is really emotional,

you'll see the chin begins to vibrate.

Covering of the eyes also

is a display of psychological discomfort.

So our faces, what we feel in that moment

is immediately displayed by our non-verbals.

And the easiest way to look at it is,

is that behavior consistent with comfort,

or is it consistent with discomfort?

One of the questions that I'm often asked is,

how do we read each other?

How do we read each other's faces?

We start with the hair.

How it's combed, what color it is?

Is it dry, is it wet?

Is it curly, is it disarranged?

As children we play with each other's hair,

we look at each other's hair.

We immediately notice when it's wet, or dry,

or it's changed in some form.

We look at the forehead for information.

When it's smooth the forehead tells us

that everything is well and placid.

When it's furrowed, we begin to notice

that perhaps there's some sort of discomfort.

The eyebrows, the arching of the eyebrows

is our exclamation point.

Doing that eyebrow flash when we see someone,

we recognize them, we go, hey, how are you?

The glabella, this little area between the eyes.

Someone says something we don't like,

and we might squint at them and look at them askance.

The nose, do we wrinkle our nose upward?

We do that bunny nose.

At about three months of age

babies are already doing this one

when they don't like something they're being offered.

And then there's the lips, which convey so much information.

Maybe as often as the eyes, I'm asked about smiles.

We have the social smile.

The interested smile.

The curious smile.

We have little secretive smiles that we might give

to someone that we're interested in.

There is so much to our mouths, it's so expressive.

But starting at a very young age,

we're already focusing on these things.

You may not notice, for instance, the pupils,

whether they're wide or narrowed,

but subconsciously your brain is assessing this information.

There's just so much there.

So we never stop communicating with our faces.

It is something that is always telegraphing

our emotions, and our sentiments,

and sometimes even our desires.

[dynamic music]

One of the things that was startling to me

when studying faces was what I had

been picking up for decades.

When I look back on the Lone Ranger,

watching the movies of Zorro, or even Batman and Robin,

one of the things you notice is all these good guys

were wearing masks that covered the eyes,

but the bad guys always covered their mouths.

So the bank robbers would wear a bandana

and then just pull it over their faces.

Undoubtedly, we are being affected by the fact

that we cannot see the full face.

I mean, we first had reporting of this

right after World War I.

Where we saw the horrors of that war

and soldiers who had their faces somehow ameliorated,

they had to wear these masks.

And even with masks,

they still were not being received well into society.

And so there has always been something unsettling

about not being able to see the full face.

And I think it has to do with the fact

that we get so much information from there.

But even with masks,

we can still communicate with each other,

we can still understand what people are trying to say.

And you can pick up above the line of the mask.

Look at this clip, notice that

even though they're wearing a mask,

we can still see the emotions behind that mask.

We can still decode that face.

Now obviously, you're not gonna see lip compression,

but with some people you really see it both in the forehead

and in the glabella region of the eyes.

And then, of course, in the orbits of the eyes

there's a lot of squinting.

So for some people,

it doesn't matter that you can't see their mouth,

you'll certainly see it in their face.

But you know, the rest of the body

is transmitting information.

If we can't see the full face, where can we go?

The neck, the shoulders, right?

The hands, the fingers, the thumbs in particular, right?

So when we emphasize, the fingers are wide.

When we lack emphasis, our fingers come together.

Even our feet communicate sentiments.

So we have to redirect where we're getting information.

But always remember, that from the time we're born

we're looking at the face for that information.

We just have to be patient with ourselves

and know that there's still information out there,

we may just have to get it from other parts of the body.

[dynamic music]

A lot of us now are doing these video conferences,

Zoom, Google Meets, and so forth.

And the visual range has changed completely

because now we're only seeing maybe from the chest up,

maybe we're only seeing the face.

One of the things we know is that in face to face meetings,

this tends to be on a subconscious level, very aggressive.

So directly looking at another person

as I am now directly looking at the lens

is actually creating discomfort,

that we actually get greater comfort when we turn slightly,

it makes the other person relax.

And one of the mistakes that I'm finding on Zoom calls,

and Google Meets, and other environments,

is this very direct, intense look at the lens.

So one of the things that you can try,

next time you're on a video call,

is angle yourself and see if you find that more comfortable.

See if it's more relaxed.

See if in doing that behavior

that the other person then does the same thing.

They feel a little bit more relaxed,

maybe they lean back a little bit more.

One of the things that I teach is that synchrony is harmony.

So the more that I can get the other party to relax,

to mirror my behaviors,

the more I know that we are in synchrony.

And that's powerful because we are

both engaging each other at a conscious

and at a subconscious level.

[dynamic music]

So about 30 years ago, while still working for the FBI

and conducting thousands of interviews,

I began to notice that there were times

when I would look at a face

and there was just something odd about it.

I couldn't quite pinpoint what I was seeing.

And so I began to think about the concept of chirality.

And chirality usually, in chemistry,

means that when you fold something over

it looks like it's going to fold over perfectly,

but in fact it doesn't.

And that's what I found with faces.

Sometimes when someone presents in a way

that they're difficult to interpret

it's because their faces are actually showing two emotions,

one on the left and one on the right.

And if you divide the face in half,

and just cover one half of the face,

you'll be able to more clearly see

what that specific emotion is.

Take a look at these photographs.

Now these photographs are taken

during emotionally charged moments.

And when you first see the face, you may look at it and say,

well, there's something going on there.

But it's not till you cover perfectly one half,

and then cover the other half

that you begin to see the real gross differences.

Normally, when we feel an emotion,

we see it fully on both sides of the face.

But because we don't see the full emotion on the whole face,

that's something that we need to focus on,

and determine why, because something isn't right.

[dynamic music]

Why do we focus so much on the face?

We focus on the face because of necessity,

because through our faces we can show that we care,

through our faces we can validate

what others are going through.

And so, by studying the faces of others,

we gain understanding about ourselves,

realizing that our body language

will affect others positively.

And that's why we study nonverbals.

We study nonverbals because it benefits us,

but it also benefits others.