How to Read Emotions

A furrowed brow indicates anger.

Learning to read emotions can help you get ahead in both your personal and professional life. The problem is that most people do not overtly express the emotion that they are feeling. In fact, a person may say he feels one way and actually feel an entirely different emotion. If you learn to read emotions accurately, interpersonal relations will be much easier as you base your actions on the emotions felt by the other person. This helps you communicate more effectively with loved ones and improve your on the job performance.

Instructions

1. Look at the position of the person's body that you are attempting to read. A body that is turned away from you, even subtly, can indicate a person who is bored or uninterested in what you are saying. Someone facing you and leaning towards you is very interested in what you are saying. If a person closes off, such as by slumping his shoulders, dropping his head or crossing his arms, he is indicating defensiveness. He may be angry, scared or feeling attacked.

2. Pay attention to the eyes of the other person. Emotion is often revealed in the eyes. Eyes turned slightly up at the outer corners or in a neutral position may indicate happiness, especially if combined with a smile. Wide eyes indicate surprise. The corners of the eyes turned down may indicate sadness.

3. Note the position of the mouth. Like the body and the eyes, certain cues indicate a likelihood that a given emotion is present. A curled upper lip indicates disgust. If only one side of the upper lip curls or distorts, it usually means the person feels contempt for you.

4. Listen to the person's tone of voice. Combine this with what you observe visually to piece together what emotions he might be feeling. Someone who is unsure may have a quaver in his voice, or may turn normal statements into questions by raising up in pitch at the end of the sentence. A lower tone than normal may indicate aggression or anger, while a higher tone may indicate panic.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, a person only might exhibit any of these characteristics when feeling a certain emotion. People express emotions in different ways, especially when making a conscious effort to hide them. Observe a person carefully and note what he does when it becomes clear that a specific emotion was present. This helps you build an observational code for the emotions of that particular person. This is very similar to the way that poker players learn how to read opponents based on "tells."

References

• Mind Tools: Body Language
• University of Colorado at Boulder; Is There a "Language of the Eyes" Evidence from Normal Adults, and Adults with Autism or Asperger Syndrome; Simon Baron-Cohen et al.; 1997
• The Science of People: How to Read Faces: Emotion Detection 101

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Changing Minds: Using Body Language