Topic Guide
What Is Facial expressions?
Facial expressions is a subject covered in depth across 2 podcast episodes in our database. Below you'll find key concepts, expert insights, and the top episodes to listen to — all distilled from hours of conversation by leading experts.
Key Concepts in Facial expressions
Smising (authentic smile cues)
Smising refers to the phenomenon where a genuine smile involves not just the mouth, but also the eyes. This concept highlights that when a person is truly happy, their cheeks pop up and push against the skin under their eyes, creating 'smile bags,' a key indicator of emotional authenticity.
Small-to-vast perception shift in awe
This is a core mechanism of awe, where an individual's perception shifts from a focused, small-scale view to an expansive, large-scale view. Dr. Keltner emphasizes that this fundamental shift makes awe accessible and cultivable in everyday life, rather than being an elusive or purely spiritual experience [01:00, 27:36].
Embarrassment as a social signal
The motor pattern of embarrassment (blushing, averted gaze, hiding the face) acts as a non-verbal signal of commitment to group norms and an implicit apology for transgressions. Dr. Keltner's research demonstrates that this reframes embarrassment not as a weakness, but as a vital social glue that fosters trust and liking within groups [97:07, 98:07].
Temporal distancing (in awe)
A phenomenon where awe helps individuals transcend immediate self-concerns by embedding them within larger historical, evolutionary, or personal narratives, connecting present moments to vast time scales encompassing past and future. Dr. Keltner notes that this process fosters equanimity and a sense of being part of something vast [38:52, 41:55].
Collective effervescence
A term originally coined by Émile Durkheim, described in this episode as the shared emotional intensity and brain synchronization that occurs in groups during collective activities like music concerts, sports events, or rituals. Dr. Keltner and Huberman highlight it as a powerful pathway for deep human bonding and a significant source of awe [49:07].
What Experts Say About Facial expressions
- 1.A true smile, often called "smising," is characterized by engagement around the eyes, not just the mouth.
- 2.When genuinely happy, a person's cheeks pop up, pushing against the skin under the eyes and creating "smile bags."
- 3.The presence of "smile bags"—skin under the eyes being pushed up—is a strong indicator that a smile is authentic.
- 4.Fake smiles typically involve only the lower half of the face and lack the specific eye and cheek engagement seen in true happiness.
- 5.As identified by a four-year-old, a simple rule for spotting a real smile is to observe if the skin under the eyes appears "fat" or pushed up, signifying genuine joy.
- 6.Awe is a powerful emotion that can reduce inflammation, elevate vagal tone, and even alleviate long COVID symptoms, making it a valuable tool for physical and mental health [00:00, 33:45].