Facial Expressions

Body language, a subcategory of nonverbal communication, actually has many subcategories itself such as facial expressions. Body language is the study of and manner in which humans use their body to convey messages to one another. The study of facial expressions as body language, then, is all about how we manipulate the components of our faces to communicate.

Oftentimes, facial expressions are specifically chosen by the communicator to convey a message to the person with whom they are communicating. However, because we, as human beings, are often at the mercy of our strong emotions, facial expressions are not always chosen and, instead, escape by their own whim! Think about your own poker face. How well can you control your facial expressions to convey the message you intend to send versus the message that manages to escape?

One of the most common types of facially expressed body language messages comes from that little thing known as the smile. This is a tricky one because an individual can purposefully choose to smile in order to convey politeness, happiness or a liking for someone or something. However, smiles also naturally flow from our lips even when we are not consciously trying to communicate anything. Even within the genre of the communicative smile there are many variations. An obviously manufactured smile accompanying a verbal thank you versus a free flowing smile erupting after a humorous joke are completely separate examples within the body language category of facial expressions.
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