If you were to close your eyes and imagine 💭 someone feeling happy, what would their facial expression look like? Would the corners of the mouth be raised into a smile or their eyes squinted 😄? These facial movements make up the most common way of expressing happiness! Similarly, emotions such as sadness, anger, and fear all have common or typical ways of being expressed, a concept we refer to as prototypicality! Of course, it’s important to remember that most of the research these ideas are based on was done in Western parts of the world and the Global North. There are definitely some cultural differences in the use of facial expressions to communicate emotions!
If you are interested in learning more about prototypicality, swipe through these slides created by Directed Lab student Paige Stockley. At the end of the slides, think about what prototypical features you might see in a sad ☹️ or angry 😡 facial expression, and leave a comment below with your answer!
#prototypicality #emotions #psychology #research
