--Original published at JD's Blog

I was surprised at my score. I did not think I would be able to get the score I did. I ended up with a score of 15/20. The test said that this score showed I was better than the average person when it comes to reading another person’s face. It is very interesting to me how people can channel so much emotion and communicate so well with just their facial expressions alone. There are so many different details one must pay attention to in order to get a reading. I think the test was credible. It was created at the science center located at UC Berkley. I think they did a great job discussing what parts f the face indicate each mood. They would have an arrow pointing to the part highlighting its role in the emotion. I also enjoyed how they placed a small description of the emotion and what it entailed at the bottom of each question. For me it was very easy to tell apart basic emotions such as sadness or happiness. As it went along it got harder for the most part. Some of the faces seemed to fit the description of several different choices which were presented with the picture. Some of the harder ones for me were embarrassment and love. I feel that this skill would be helpful in my daily life. By being able to read someone’s emotions it could help in your approach to them. It could also help if you are talking to someone and see their face change. I really enjoyed this video and am super excited to talk  about it in class.

--Original published at *Psych 105*

Emotions are a slippery slope to navigate, especially if you are one that does not openly express emotions in words. However, emotions can be determined not only by the words you speak but also in the body language and facial expressions you exhibit. In a quiz provided by The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkley, I was able to test just how proficient I was in determining which emotion a person was expressing based completely on the facial expression. The quiz was made up of 20 images, each with 4 choices as to what emotion could be exhibited. The models in the images were of varied races, genders, and ages, clad in black turtlenecks and were only pictured from the shoulder up. Upon finishing the quiz, I received a 15/20. In the description, my score was deemed above average; which I would agree with. While I did not get the correct answer every time, I did get the majority of them correct. I believe this is pretty accurate in regard my ability to interpret emotions, as I am usually able to read people well. The emotions I had the most trouble discerning were the negative emotions; namely emotions like shame and sadness. While the explanations of the correct answers made sense, I also feel that the negative emotions are so similar in their facial expression that it can be difficult to determine on the face alone. Which leads me to the credibility of the test. I do believe that this test is a beneficial tool in recognizing the slight differences between the different emotions. The quiz also diversified the models, allowing for a new interpretation to be made with every question. No two persons look exactly alike, so incorporating a variety of individuals to examine creates a more realistic experience in analyzing real-life people, instead of a cookie cutter. However, it should not be an end all be all. Emotion affects more than just the face. This quiz completely eliminates the input of body language, which can be a strong indicator of the type of emotion an individual is exhibiting. The test only pictured people from bust level up, focusing on the faces only. Yet, in the real world, emotions will be interpreted by taking in the entire person: face and body language.  The information extracted from this test can allow people to be more aware of just how much their face tells the rest of the world what is going on, and how one can become more aware of others’ expressions as well. Continued practice in noticing the subtle facial cues between the different emotions will also lead to increased proficiency in the future.

--Original published at Brittany's Thoughts

I chose option 2 for this week’s first impression. I took a test to see how well I could identify facial expressions. Going into the test, I figured I would be able to identify faces well since I always thought I was good at figuring out how people felt based on their facial expressions. When I took the quiz, I got a 19/20 on it, which suggests that I really do know how to identify facial expressions. I thought this test was pretty credible since they included key elements of each facial expression, some which I could easily identify that I knew. The test is on the website for a science magazine called Greater Good Magazine, which I have never heard of before. The magazine is published by Berkeley University of California, which is a highly accredited school.

Some of the expressions were fairly easy to identify. Fear, happiness, pride, anger, surprise, disgust, flirtatiousness, pain, amusement, interest, sadness, desire, shame, politeness, and love were all decently easy for me to identify. Identifying them all took some sort of rationale to get there, whether it is from my own experience of observing other’s facial expressions, or from thinking about my own facial expressions. For example, your eyes crinkle when you are genuinely happy, but not when you are only being polite. In fear and surprise, the eyes widen, but the mouth becomes tense and elongated with fear, but the mouth drops open with surprise. I have found that I can read those subtle differences, even if I never really thought of how I could before.

Some of the expressions were pretty hard to identify and took a lot more thought. Embarrassment, contempt, and compassion were the hardest to figure out. Embarrassment drops the head to the side with a slight smile, giving this feeling of awkwardness off. Contempt has a sassier look with only half of the mouth tightened at the corner with a side glance. I got compassion wrong by mixing it up with sadness because the eyebrows indicate sadness by how they are dropped, but the lip do not curl downward with sadness.

Facial expression recognition is very important for my future career. I am going to be a music therapist, and not all of my clients will or will be able to verbally tell me how they are feeling or how the music is affecting them. By knowing how to read expressions, I will be able to determine how my clients are really feeling and whether or not the music is helping them or exacerbating their feelings and issues. In my daily life alone, it will allow me to understand how my friends and family are feeling as well, even when they are not verbally being honest with me about their feelings.

--Original published at Madison's Blog

I chose to do option number 2 this week, about taking the facial expressions test to see how well I can read non-verbal cues. I scored a 15/20 on the quiz, which is in the field of where I expected it to be. I knew I wouldn’t get a perfect score, since I don’t know all facial cues down to a science. I thought the quiz would have been easier, since I expected just a few emotions, like happy, sad, angry, fearful. In reality, the emotions were very broad and ranged from angry to love, embarrassment, flirty, and politeness. It made knowing what exact facial expression was being showed very difficult. The multiple choice answers made it difficult as the quiz went on, because the face could be showing “politeness” but the choices of answers are between “happy, politeness, fear, and embarrassment.” The quick response would be to say the face is happy, since it isn’t fearful or embarrassed, but the correct answer is politeness because of a slight shift in eyebrow movement or mouth muscle tightness. Usually I am pretty good at reading people’s facial cues, but this quiz made me really think and examine different aspects of the facial expression.

The quiz seemed to be credible, since it is sponsored by the University of California, Berkeley. The quiz had multiple participants who made faces for the quiz, so it had an aspect of variability. You couldn’t use the process of elimination method, since the faces were slightly different for multiple people. The quiz gave options for the answer, so it allowed the quiz taker to think slightly before submitting the answer. After submitting the chosen answer, the correct answer came up, along with an explanation of why that answer was correct based on facial muscles and expressions. So having the answer be backed up with data and an explanation made it more credible.

The easiest emotions to tell apart were the “fear, disgust, anger” emotions, since they are usually easily shown in a facial expression. The challenge was between the “positive” emotions like, “happy, content, polite, pride, and excitement.” These made you think extra because the difference was only a very slight muscle movement in some aspect of the face. I had trouble differentiating them in different people’s faces. I could use this new found knowledge in my daily life by understanding the slight differences between cues. I now know about the eyebrow movements and smile changes between happy emotions. I think I knew the angry emotions well before this, but I now have more of a solid foundation  of them and the differences. This exercise helped me distinguish between the emotions, and gave me information about each emotion individually.

--Original published at Emily's Blog

For this week’s First Impression Post I chose the second option. The second option involved taking an emotional intelligence test. The test was twenty questions in which we were shown a picture of someone making a certain facial expression. We had four options and were asked to determine which facial expression matched with what emotion. After answering each question, the quiz gave the correct answer and explained why. I received a 15/20 on this test which is apparently better than average, but I felt I should have done better. I believed I should be good at this because I find myself being very good at helping my friends. I find it easy to realize their emotional state. I do not think this test is very accurate as it only tests one area of emotional intelligence. I think the test was misnamed as an emotional intelligence test and it should have been named something like a facial expressions test. I also believe the emotions expressed were very forced and unnatural. I found it easiest to tell when a person was happy, in love, being flirtatious, or proud. I found it most difficult to understand when the facial expression expressed was sad, shameful, contempt, or upset. I could use this in my daily life when one of my friends are feeling ashamed of something they have said or done. Instead of overlooking it or acknowledging it, I could easily say things to make them feel more confident in who they are. I could also use these techniques when empathizing with others.

--Original published at Emily Garvin's Psych Blog

A large portion of communication is non-verbal, including a lot of clues about people’s emotional states. Effective communication involves being able to read others’ emotions and take them into consideration. People express a lot of emotions through their faces. How well do are you able to read these emotional expressions? Take this test to find out.  Discuss whether or not your score reflects how well you thought you would do, how credible you find the test, which emotions were the easiest and hardest to tell apart, and how you could use this information in your daily life…….

Everyone has emotions and most emotions are expressed in common ways amongst people. Some people have difficulty expressing or reading other’s emotions. I always thought that I was good at reading emotions and picking up on social ques. After taking a test from “Greater Good Magazine”, I confirmed my suspicions. The magazine seems to be a credible source since it originated from the University of California Berkeley. This means specialists have input on what quizzes, articles, and images are placed in the magazine for the general public. I received a score of 15/20. According to the science-based magazine I am better than average at reading emotions of my peers. The magazine also gave suggestions on how I could improve my score and become better at reading faces. One included practicing emotion recognition on friends and family.

While taking the test I found it difficult to differentiate faces showing compassion and love. They have very similar cues facial cues, like the position of lips, eyes, and cheeks. It was also hard for me to differentiate faces displaying embarrassment. I wasn’t always sure that the person was embarrassed because they had a slight smile on their face. However, it was very easy for me to tell when someone was happy, sad, or surprised. The facial cues that accompany these emotions are obvious. For example, a big smile for happiness, a frowning mouth for sadness, and an open mouth and tilted eyebrows for surprised. I can apply what I have learned from this quiz in my daily life. Now, I am more aware of my surroundings and I can better tell what type of mood my friends are in, which allows me to act appropriately to them. I also can apply what I have learned to my future occupation. I plan to be an occupational therapist, which means I interact with clients with many different emotions every day. Taking this quiz has taught me to be more aware of other people’s emotions and sensitive to their feelings.

--Original published at Kate's College Blog

Option 2:

A large portion of communication is non-verbal, including a lot of clues about people’s emotional states. Effective communication involves being able to read others’ emotions and take them into consideration. People express a lot of emotions through their faces. How well do are you able to read these emotional expressions? Take this test to find out.  Discuss whether or not your score reflects how well you thought you would do, how credible you find the test, which emotions were the easiest and hardest to tell apart, and how you could use this information in your daily life.

For this first impression post, I chose option 2 where you take a test to see how well you can read another persons emotional expressions. On the test, I scored a 16/20. The results said I was “naturally well-attuned to others’ emotions”. Before taking the test, I thought I would score pretty well, around a 15/20 because most of the time I can tell when many of my friends are in distress vs when they are happy based on their facial expressions and body language. I find the test to be pretty credible, because it shows pictures mostly the same people and gives reasons to why they are making the face they are making based on muscles, position of their head, shape of their eyes, and shape of their lips. The emotions that I found the easiest were: anger, disgust, surprise, happiness, and flirtatiousness. The harder emotions for me were: embarrassment, contempt, love, and compassion. I could use this information in my daily life to see when someone is in need based on if they have facial emotions of pain, anger, or sadness. That way, you can try to help them and talk to them to see what is going on. It also helps to notice facial emotions and expressions to see if you hurt someones feelings based on if their reaction is embarrassment, sadness, or anger. You also know when to joke around with someone because they are in a happy mood and laughing and smiling with you. Knowing peoples facial emotions will help you in your daily life with your personal interactions with others.

--Original published at Hope's PSY105 Blog

Option 2:

A large portion of communication is non-verbal, including a lot of clues about people’s emotional states. Effective communication involves being able to read others’ emotions and take them into consideration. People express a lot of emotions through their faces. How well do are you able to read these emotional expressions? Take this test to find out.  Discuss whether or not your score reflects how well you thought you would do, how credible you find the test, which emotions were the easiest and hardest to tell apart, and how you could use this information in your daily life.

I thought that I was pretty good at reading emotion before taking this test, but evidently I was wrong considering I got an 11/20.  Some I knew but changed the answer because I thought I was wrong, but if I had stuck with my gut I would have done much better.  I’m not sure how credible I find this test.  I also found it difficult to tell between a few of the emotions.  Sadness, shame, embarrassment, and contempt all had very similar expressions and I believed it was difficult to tell them apart.  Things like happiness, interest, and politeness were a little hard to distinguish between, but not as much as those that are closer.  Things like surprise, pride, disgust, and amusement were all very easy to choose.

I could use this information in every day life now, and when I’m older.  If I start to use this information, it helps increase the likelihood of identifying emotions in the future.  This will also help me in the classroom to better understand how my students are feeling and what I may need to do for them in that moment.  I can identify how a student feels and try to identify what put them in that state of mind.

--Original published at Pisacane Perspectives

(Don’t Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult is a classic song that’s recognized by almost everyone. It’s played frequently on the radio and has been covered by a number of other bands, but what people don’t realize how dark the song really is. It might be hard to tell on the surface, with it’s flowing chorus and beautiful imagery, but this song is actually about trying to persuade your lover to commit double suicide.

The first two verses of the song are basically the singer listing all the other people and things that  aren’t afraid of death and why that means he and his lover shouldn’t be either. In the second verse, the lyrics are “Are together in eternity, Romeo and Juliet/ 40, 000 men and women everyday, Like Romeo and Juliet/ 40, 000 men and women everyday, Redefine happiness/ Another 40, 000 coming everyday, We can be like they are.” This is what made me realize the message of the song in the first place, as we all know what happened to Romeo and Juliet.

The last verse of the song uses a lot of imagery to describe the lover’s response to all this. Some of the lyrics are “Came the last night of sadness/ And it was clear she couldn’t go on… The candles blew then disappeared/ The curtains flew then he appeared, saying don’t be afraid.” The ‘he’ which is mentioned here can be interpreted as either the singer or the grim reaper. “And she ran to him, then they started to fly/ They looked backward and said goodbye, she had become like they are/ She had taken his hand, she had become like they are”

So as you can see, not only does this song have a dark story, it also has a dark ending as the lover decides to listen to the singer and not “fear the reaper”.

--Original published at CurtisCollegeBlog

Prior to taking the test, I thought my emotion reading was going to be pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a 15/20 on it. So, I would say I am probably better than the average person at reading facial impressions. I thought I would do a lot worse considering I started out 3/6 on it. Some of the questions, I would get wrong because I answered too fast. For instance, number seven I got wrong, I put shame, but the answer was contempt. I read contempt as content and I just knew it wasn’t that. So, I don’t think the test is flawless reflecting how good you are at reading emotions. Although it did give scores around what I thought I would get. I thought the emotions that were similar were harder to pick between. The one choice was between happiness and excitement, and honestly, I thought it could go either way, I ended up choosing happiness which was right. I liked the way it gave descriptions after every answer to show you which was the proper emotion and why. It allows you to have the chance to learn from your mistakes, or even expand your knowledge on why you got a question right. I see minimal use for this in day-to-day life. Sure, it would be nice to read how people are feeling based from their facial expressions, but how much better would it make your life. I assume not much better because most people have some way of knowing a little of expression recognition.