Dr. Paul Ekman, the world’s expert in emotions and deception detection, created online training tools to help people read and respond to micro expressions.
What are micro expressions?
Micro expressions are facial expressions that occur within a fraction of a second. This involuntary emotional leakage exposes a person's true emotions.
Macro Expressions vs Micro Expressions
Macro Expressions
- Obvious or "normal" facial expressions
- Last between 1/2 a second to 4 seconds
- Match the content and tone of what is said
Micro Expressions
- Often missed or misinterpreted
- Last between 1/15 to 1/25 of a second
- Display a concealed emotion
Why are micro expressions important?
- Micro expressions occur in everyone, often without their knowledge.
- There is no way to prevent them from occurring.
- Learning to detect this leakage is critical for emotional intelligence and deception detection.
Learn from the Expert
Benefits of Micro Expressions Training
Increase Emotional Awareness
- Unlike verbal communication or gestures, facial expressions are a universal system of signals which reflect the moment-to-moment fluctuations in a person's emotional state.
- The face offers us the best window into the emotional lives of others. Regardless of culture, language, or personal background, we all share this common form of nonverbal communication.
- With our training tools, you can become more skilled at noticing when an emotion is just beginning, when an emotion is being concealed, and when a person is unaware of what they are actually feeling.
Detect Deception
- When someone tries to conceal his or her emotions, leakage of that emotion will often be evident in that person's face.
- The leakage may be limited to one region of the face (a mini or subtle expression), or may be a quick expression flashed across the whole face - known as a micro expression.
- At 1/25th of a second, micro expressions can be difficult to recognize and detect these important clues. Yet with training you can learn to spot them as they occur in real time.
