People express themselves not only with words, but also with gestures and facial expressions. It is impossible to imagine conversations without facial expressions. It conveys feelings and nonverbally emphasizes words and gestures.
What are facial expressions?
Facial expressions are an essential part of body language. It is also known as facial expression or facial expressions and makes use of a variety of facial muscles. Facial expressions are an essential part of body language. It is also referred to as facial expressions or facial expressions and makes use of a variety of facial muscles. Their interaction and the contraction of the facial muscles is responsible for the facial expression of a person. In order to form an overall image – a facial expression – various individual muscle parts are used. The mouth and eyes are the most expressive and are emphasized by the contraction of the muscles. But the eyebrows and forehead also play a decisive role. The necessary movements for an overall expression take place within fractions of a second and convey a certain image to the counterpart. Together with posture and gestures, facial expressions are among the most important components of nonverbal communication. The related words “mime” and “miming” are used in the theatrical field and are used colloquially for an acting exaggerated performance. In addition, there are nonverbal plays in which the actors must convey the story solely through their body language. This shows the communicative importance of facial expressions. In everyday life, facial expressions can underline or refute what is said and thus trigger different feelings in the interlocutor.
Function and task
Everyday facial expressions perform various functions and tasks. First of all, it is jointly responsible for the expression of feelings. It expresses emotionality, shows sadness, anger, confusion, skepticism or cheerfulness and is thus indispensable in conversations. It helps the conversation partner to better assess situations or to understand the current emotional state of the other person. A lack of facial expressions on the part of the other person quickly triggers confusion and makes people feel insecure, since the words are not additionally underlined. Hereby an important aspect is missing, which indicates, how the said is to be taken up, whereby also the partial limitation of language becomes clear. In addition, facial expressions have a teaching function and thus belong to one of the first interaction factors between parent and child. Thus, facial expressions have an appeal and communication function and can be used even when the child does not yet understand words sufficiently. In combination with the voice tone, the facial expression thus takes on an important role with babies and toddlers. It is similar in everyday communication with people who do not speak the same language. Through gestures and facial expressions, interaction is nevertheless possible. Nevertheless, it is often not easy to interpret the facial expression of a conversation partner. This is due to a certain momentum that every person has. Peculiarities and specific movements of the facial muscles can become certain typical characteristics of a person. Because of this, misinterpretations in facial expressions are not uncommon. Often, even small changes in expression can express an opposite emotion. The interpretation of facial expressions is subjective. Different people perceive different facial expressions differently and interpret them differently. Many interpretations are instinctive, and often small things are misinterpreted by interlocutors. For example, misunderstandings occur that require verbal clarification. However, facial expressions can also conceal actual feelings and cover up emotions. Thus, it is not a reliable indication of what is really going on in the other person. Depending on the situation in life, facial expressions used correctly can offer decisive advantages. For example, a suitable facial expression that is not put on can have a positive effect during speeches, presentations or job interviews.
Illnesses and complaints
In the context of various diseases, facial expressions are disturbed. These include, for example, various paralysis symptoms that restrict or even completely block the movements of the facial muscles. Such paralyses can result, for example, from accidents that have caused nerve damage. In addition, muscle aches or cramps can also occur in the face, which cause discomfort for some time, but usually subside quickly.People suffering from Parkinson’s disease often have to deal with a restriction of facial expressions in the course of their disease. Depending on the severity, this can lead to a mask face. The facial expression becomes rigid. Apraxia is a disorder of voluntary movements. Therefore, the facial expressions are not infrequently affected. Strokes are frequent triggers here. But dementia, tumors, multiple sclerosis or alcoholism can also be the reason for apraxia. In addition, mental illnesses can also affect facial expressions. For example, schizophrenia patients may experience a disturbance in facial expressions and gestures. It is not uncommon for the facial expression that is put on to not match the mood of the sufferer. Similar forms can also be observed in people with autism, who tend to avoid contact with other people, depending on the degree of severity. To the area of the perception of facial expressions belongs the so-called prosopagnosia. The term comes from the Greek and refers to a disorder in which the perception of the visual field is disturbed. It is a face blindness in which known persons cannot be identified by their facial expressions. Reasons for this can be strokes or accidents that cause damage to the brain. However, some forms of the disease are also hereditary. The reasons for this are not yet known.
