Classification as Micro Expression - Research Paper Example

Micro Expression Joey has been working as a bartender in a local bar for over six years now. As his work experience increased, so did his understanding of the general body language of the people who came to the bar. Every now and then, a customer would hop in for a casual drink but ended up in a fight which led to damage of property and rarely human life too. It became imperative for the bartenders to keep an eye out for such trouble makers and to identify the potential trouble seekers for they not only got into arguments with the public but with the staff too. Over the years, Joey developed the ability to look at a person’s face and place him into the category of trouble makers. It helped him a lot in giving cue to the security personnel about any imminent danger. Not only did his observation prove to be helpful in preventing fights but he also developed a good ability to perceive and pick up hidden or deep rooted emotions that might not have been visible to a casual viewer. Joey started applying this knowledge in other scenarios as well and found them out to be a great help while trying to detect a liar. There are present hidden undetected emotional cues all around them, needing to be discovered and made good use of. A product of facial muscular activity, micro expressions can be defined as the brief involuntary emotional expression occurring when a person is trying to conceal the feelings he is experiencing (Humintell.com n.p.). Humintell.com further explains micro expressions as the emotions which are not concealable and are not voluntarily generated. These last for a very short duration of time, ranging from 1/15th of a second to 1/30th of a second. It has been observed that such micro expressions are seen in people who are experiencing a number of emotions a t one particular moment (Humintell.com n.p.) Facial muscles are capable of depicting a number of emotions, including fear, happiness, anger, sadness, surprise, contempt and disgust. All of these can be categorized as micro expressions. In case a person is lying, a fleeting emotion may pass across his face which would give him away. This emotion might not necessarily be related to his lying but can surely give a clue to a person well-rehearsed in detecting such change of facial expressions. Sullivan in her article on Psychologytoday.com (n.p.) is of the view that 85% of the people can be taught to learn these expressions and could then become able enough to detect such fleeting or extremely short term facial expressions in everyday life. As much as the micro expressions help in unveiling the hidden subdued emotional state of an individual, they prove to be accurate in detecting a lie in only half of the cases at maximum (Evana at divinecaroline.com n.p.) History of facial expressions According to Ekman (n.p.) the history of these facial expressions can be traced back to Darwin. Charles Darwin studied human expressions briefly but was able to conclude that certain emotions cannot be voluntarily controlled by humans and tend to show up for a mere fraction of second on a person’s face before vanishing altogether. In 1874, Darwin published his book titled The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals which illustrated the various human emotions he studied. One of these illustrations is given below. In the 1960s the work on micro expressions gained more insight and was studied in detail for the first time by psychologists in order to detect any hidden communication that might exist between a patient and a doctor (Humintell n.p.). Haggard and Isaacs studied the motion picture films for the detection of these fleeting expressions of psychotherapy hours. However, in late 1960s and 1970s, Ekman and Friesen expanded the study on micro expressions vastly through their work. They published their work explaining these emotions with the help of various diagrams thus explaining precisely how these emotions are displayed. The research on micro expressions continued and in 1999, Ekman expanded the list of 7 basic facial expressions to include few more which come under the category of micro expressions. A popular television series Telling Lies was telecast which portrayed the research of Ekman and Friesen making the public aware of this category of facial expressions. Although the work on this field continued, it was not until the beginning of the new millennium that the first detailed and objective study on micro expressions was published by Matsumoto et al. (n.p.). Another psychologist who worked on this subject was John Gottman who conducted his research with an entirely different aim. He observed the body language and facial expressions of couples and though his study was able to analyze the potential relationships which were less likely to last for long (Gottman.com n.p.). At the end of his research in 2002, Gottman concluded with a list of four emotions that can create havoc in the stability of a relationship. These include contempt, stonewalling, criticism and defensiveness, with contempt being the most important one (Gottman, Levinson 53-96). Types of Micro Expressions: There are three basic types of micro expressions (S.M. n.p.), 1. Stimulated micro emotions 2. Neutralized micro expressions 3. Masked micro expressions A micro expression is said to be stimulated when it is not accompanied by an 18-carat expression as mentioned by themicroexpression.blogspot.com (n.p.). While on the other hand, when an 18-carat expression is suppressed and the face reflects it by being neutral, it is called neutralized micro expression. Lastly, an expression totally opposite to an 18 carat emotion the person is experiencing from within constitutes a masked micro expression (themicroexpression.blogspot.com n.p.). Applications in Modern World: Since micro expressions form the basis of detecting a flicker of emotion in a person which could provide with a potential need, a lot of effort I being done to train people in order to comprehend and decipher these hidden emotional codes. Several programs are being provided with an initiative to impart the knowledge of micro expressions in a common man. The aim of almost all of these programs is to enable a person to detect lies. Keeping this concept and objective in mind, the use of micro expressions recognition is vital to the police force and intelligence agencies. This application of micro expressions is so critical and vital that back in the 1960s when this field of study was not well-developed, psychologists who were studying these expressions were hired to assist the judges, police force and other criminal authorities. Not only did this step prove to be effective, it also opened new avenues for young researchers and provided them with an opportunity to explore this branch of science further. This led to the development of modern day applications of micro expressions detection. In the police force, lie detectors have long been employed to point out when a criminal is lying during an interview. This application was further strengthened by the training of officials such that they were able to detect the lies which otherwise would have gone unnoticed in experienced professional criminals. Not only in the police force, but in courts as well, people who are skilled with the training of studying and reading facial expressions are employed to help assist the court in decision making. Through their expert eyes, these professionals are able to pick out a lie from truth even in the absence of sufficient outward response. However, it should be kept in mind at all times that micro expressions form only a part of the entire picture. They do not enjoy the absolute authority to label a person as a liar and should not be held absolute while making a decision or giving a verdict. Moreover, micro expressions do not always portray lies. In certain cases, it may happen that there is no relation between the evident emotion of a person and his micro expressions. These fleeting emotions have a chance of showing a feeling completely detached and unrelated to the situation at hand. For example, a person may recall an incident from the past which makes him express a totally different and distinct emotion. In cases like these, it is important that the observer should not be judging on the basis of facial expressions solely. In addition to its use in the legislative and administrative bodies, micro expression reading finds its uses in psychological counseling of patients and in establishing better communication between a psychologist and a patent. It enables a doctor look in to a situation in depth and to reach at a more insightful decision regarding the patient. In counseling sessions, these expressions hint towards the potential hazards or danger signs as was proven by Gottman in his research. This application of micro expression reading can further be enhanced and utilized in marriage and relationship counseling. Moving onwards, with the advent of modern day technology, lie detectors and micro expression readers are now being installed in phones and other gadgets of everyday use. With incorporation of such applications in to the mobile devices and their penetration into societies, young generations who do not necessarily be in touch with such techniques have become more aware. Keeping in mind the modern era, development of video games, animations and other such things sees the application of these flickering emotions widely. it has been seen that companies now employ this knowledge in designing toys and animations to attract their audience and improve sales. Moving on to the everyday applications of these emotions in our lives, it is unavoidable as far as the daily interactions are concerned. While meeting people and interacting with them, a lot of emotional interplay is going on. The more a person is able to comprehend the expressions being portrayed by the other person’s face, the better he is able to understand them and improve his interaction. In this way, people can benefit from this at times even without their conscious knowledge. This is an application with the history as old as the mankind itself and only recently has been unveiled, understood properly and practically put to use. Lastly, recognition and comprehension of micro expressions finds its use in the business industry where a sales representative needs to be fluent and efficient in his business interactions. It is a key to the success of a good and vigilant sales man. Using this concept in an effective and cunning manner, it is expected that a sales person can profit greatly and multiply his produce and sales many folds. In short, micro expressions are incorporated in every aspect of human life and found application in the most unexpected of places. It is only through their proper comprehension and utilization that a person is able to succeed and gain an advantage over the others around. Notes The pictures of the 7 basic facial expressions have been taken from divinecaroline.com Facial expressions chart was taken from: Google.com. "Google Image Result for http://www.dgps.de/fachgruppen/methoden/mpr-online/issue4/art3/img5.gif." N.p., n.d.. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dgps.de/fachgruppen/methoden/mpr-online/issue4/art3/img5.gif&imgrefurl=http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic%3D950.0&h=953&w=691&sz=276&tbnid=hYhzOn_VH4mX7M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=65&zoom=1&usg=__WZLwzDxjhYD Image for Darwin’s book is taken from: Commons.wikimedia.org. "File:Expression of the Emotions Figure 1.png - Wikimedia Commons." N.p., 1965. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Expression_of_the_Emotions_Figure_1.png]. References Commons.wikimedia.org. "File:Expression of the Emotions Figure 1.png - Wikimedia Commons." N.p., 1965. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Expression_of_the_Emotions_Figure_1.png]. Divinecaroline.com. "Read My Face: Deciphering Microexpressions." N.p., n.d.. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://www.divinecaroline.com/22188/83672-read-face-deciphering-microexpressions]. Face-and-emotion.com. "Facial Action Coding System (FACS) and the FACS Manual." N.p., 1970. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://face-and-emotion.com/dataface/facs/description.jsp]. Google.com. "Google Image Result for http://www.dgps.de/fachgruppen/methoden/mpr-online/issue4/art3/img5.gif." N.p., n.d.. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dgps.de/fachgruppen/methoden/mpronline/issue4/art3/img5.gif&imgrefurl=http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic%3D950.0&h=953&w=691&sz=276&tbnid=hYhzOn_VH4mX7M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=65&zoom=1&usg=__WZLwzDxjhYD Gottman.com. "Frequently Asked Questions about Dr. Gottman's Research." N.p., 1992. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://www.gottman.com/49853/Research-FAQs.html]. Gottman and Levinson. A Two-Factor Model for Predicting When a Couple Will Divorce: Exploratory Analyses Using 14-Year Longitudinal Data. 2002. 83-96. Print. Humintell.com. "Microexpressions." N.p., 1974. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://www.humintell.com/microexpressions-2/] Matsumoto et al. (n.p.) A New Test To Measure Emotion Recognition Ability: Matsumoto And Ekman’s Japanese And Caucasian Brief Affect Recognition Test (Jacbart). N.p., 2012. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://davidmatsumoto.com/content/2000%20A%20New%20Test%20to%20Measure%20Emotion%20Recognition.pdf] Onlinelibrary.wiley.com. "Darwin, Deception, and Facial Expression - EKMAN - 2006 - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences - Wiley Online Library." N.p., 2010. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1196/annals.1280.010/abstract;jsessionid=2AE202B0504581FC70EDCCACAAED477E.d02t04?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false]. Psychologytoday.com. "Micro Expressions and A Good Liar." N.p., 2009. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/deception/200904/micro-expressions-and-good-liar]. S, M. "Microexpression: Types of Microexpressions." N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Dec 2012. [http://themicroexpression.blogspot.com/2011/07/types-of-microexpressions.html]. Read More