body-language
Micro-Expressions: The 7 Universal Emotions Your Face Reveals
Micro-expressions can last as little as 1/25th of a second. Learn the seven emotions in Paul Ekman's research and how to read them as clues, not verdicts.
Sean Johns
Imagine noticing a flicker of what someone feels before they've decided to show it. That is the idea behind micro-expressions: fleeting facial movements that can leak an emotion before conscious control kicks in. They tell you an emotion may be present, not why.
What Are Micro-Expressions?
Micro-expressions are involuntary facial expressions that occur in 1/25th to 1/5th of a second. Unlike the expressions we consciously control, these brief flashes can leak an emotional state before it has been masked.
Dr Paul Ekman, the pioneering psychologist who spent decades researching facial expressions, identified seven emotions whose facial expressions his cross-cultural studies found to be widely recognised. How far that universality holds is still debated by researchers.
The Seven Universal Emotions
1. Happiness
Key markers: Crow's feet wrinkles around eyes, raised cheeks, corners of mouth pulled back. Genuine happiness (called a Duchenne smile) involves the eyes. A smile without eye engagement may be polite or social rather than felt.
2. Sadness
Key markers: Inner corners of eyebrows raised and drawn together, corners of lips pulled down, lower lip may protrude. Often suppressed in professional settings — when you spot it, someone may need support they're not asking for.
3. Anger
Key markers: Lowered and drawn-together eyebrows, tense lower eyelids, lips pressed firmly together. Spotting anger early allows for de-escalation before things escalate.
4. Disgust
Key markers: Wrinkled nose, raised upper lip, lowered eyebrows. In business contexts, disgust can signal strong disagreement or objection to an idea.
5. Contempt
Key markers: One side of the mouth raised (asymmetrical expression). The only asymmetrical universal expression, contempt signals superiority or disrespect. It's a relationship killer in teams.
6. Fear
Key markers: Raised and drawn-together eyebrows, raised upper eyelids, lips slightly stretched horizontally. In professional settings, fear can indicate anxiety about consequences or uncertainty.
7. Surprise
Key markers: Raised eyebrows, wide open eyes, dropped jaw. Genuine surprise tends to be brief. If it lasts much longer, it may be performed, which is worth a question rather than a conclusion.
Why This Matters Professionally
In negotiations, when someone says "That price works" whilst flashing disgust, it is worth asking how they really feel about the terms before you close. In leadership, noticing what looks like fear in team members is a prompt to check in before problems become crises. In sales, surprise or fear during implementation discussions can point to unstated concerns worth exploring.
How to Develop Your Detection Skills
- Slow-motion training: Watch interview videos at 0.25x speed. Look specifically for the seven emotions.
- Baseline mapping: Study people's neutral expressions first. You can only spot a micro-expression when you know what their face looks like at rest.
- Focus on the upper face: Some brow and eye movements are harder to produce or suppress voluntarily, so they are worth watching closely.
- Context integration: Always consider what's being discussed when the expression flashes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Over-interpretation: A single micro-expression isn't a lie detector. It signals emotion, not deception.
- Ignoring context: Fear during a horror film discussion means something different than fear during a budget presentation.
- Jumping to conclusions: Use micro-expressions as conversation prompts, not evidence.
Ready to master the art of reading faces? Our body language courses include comprehensive micro-expression training based on Ekman's research.
Related reading
- Paul Ekman's FACS at 46
- Sales Micro-Expressions: 5 Signals That Hint at What Buyers Think
- Non-Verbal Communication Is Not Mind Reading
Bodylytics teaches this in depth through online micro-expression recognition courses, and emotion-reading training for professional teams.
Before training anyone else, it is worth knowing your own baseline — test how accurately you read body language. For structured practice rather than a single article, see every body language and non-verbal communication course.
