Humans have developed more complex facial expressions than any other species to help them connect with each other and create stronger bonds.
- People with more expressive faces were more liked and perceived as more pleasant.
- They were also better at negotiating and building relationships.
- This “may explain why humans have evolved more complex facial expression than any other species, helping us better navigate the social world,” the authors say.
Are you an open book, your face expressing every single emotion, or do you have a stoic and impassive face? Researchers from Nottingham Trent University claim that people with more expressive faces are perceived as more likeable and more successful in social life. To reach this conclusion, they conducted a study, the results of which were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Assessing emotions and facial expressions
As part of their work, the scientists conducted an initial experiment in which they interacted via videoconference with 52 people and recorded the exchange to analyze their natural reactions and expressions during various everyday scenarios. The conversations focused on a range of behaviors, including listening, humor, embarrassment, and conflict. To test the ability to not have facial expressions, the participants were asked to keep their faces still while their partner tried to get them to move.
Then, the same adults recorded short video clips of their faces as they tried to achieve social goals, such as appearing friendly, appearing threatening, and disagreeing without being disliked. More than 170 people were then shown clips from a selection of video calls and recordings and asked to rate the emotions and expressions conveyed to determine how expressive and likeable the volunteer was.
In a second experiment, the team analyzed unscripted video conversations between 1,456 strangers in which the conversation partners rated how much they liked each other. “Facial expression cues were extracted using automated analysis of the Facial Action Coding System, and measures of personality and partner impressions were obtained by self-report.”
People with expressive faces are more pleasant and more successful socially
According to the results, having an expressive face is linked to positive social outcomes. Specifically, participants in the first experiment who were more facially expressive were more liked, perceived as more agreeable, and were more successful at negotiating and building relationships.
“Facial expression could also play an important role in conflict resolution,” said Eithne Kavanaghwho led the work. “This research is important in evolutionary terms because it may explain why humans have developed more complex facial expressions than any other species, helping us to form stronger bonds and better navigate the social world,” added Bridget Waller, co-author of the study.
