Nonverbal Dictionary | Page 7

in\

unbroken succession from the air-breathing fishes of pre-Devonian times"\
(Gregory 1927:20-21). 2.
Facial expressions evolved from movements originally designed a. for protection of vulnerable areas, b.
for vigorous breathing, and c. for grooming (Andrew 1963). 3. Facial expressions for primary affects
(i.e., happiness, anger, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust/contempt, and\
interest) may be common to
humankind (Ekman and Friesen 1971). 4. "In mammals the primitive neck muscles gave rise to two
muscle layers: a superficial longitudinal layer, the platysma, and a deeper transverse layer, the sphincter
colli profundis, which have come to extend well into the facial region" (Chevalier-Sko\
lnikoff 1973:59).
E-Commentary: "Thanks for your e-mail with your kind permission, and for your wishes\
, because we need luck in our
work on prosopognosis [prosopognosia: 'face blindness,' a cortical dysfunction making it difficult or imposs\
ible to
recognize a face]. I will keep you updated on our progress. I am pleased\
to know that 'prosopognosis' is an area of great
concern for you, as well. Kindly note my thesis, that: 'Many people, bet\
ween us, acting or reacting with violence, are some
kind prosopagnostics, they have some degree of face blindness. Therefore\
they can't receive, they don't have the ability to
feel at all, the very emotions, expressed through the face of the victim\
.'" --Panos Axiomakaros, Olympian University,
Athens, Greece (3/27/00 12:36:07 PM Pacific Standard Time)
See also BLANK FACE, FACIAL BEAUTY, FACIAL RECOGNITION.
Copyright© 1998 - 2001(David B. Givens/Center for Nonverbal Studies)
Detail of 1928 photo by Edward Steichen of Greta Garbo. Disliking her cu\
rly hairdo, Garbo hides it from view.
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browrais
EYEBROW-RAISE
. . . the vast corrugated brow overhanging the proud eyes . . . . --Joseph Conrad (Lord Jim)
Facial expression. 1. To lift the arch of short hairs above the eye, as in uncertainty, disbelief, surprise,
or exasperation. 2. To elevate the eyebrow by contracting the occipitofrontalis muscle.
Usage I: Raising the eyebrows adds intensity to a facial expression. Brow-raisi\
ng can strengthen a
dominant stare, exaggerate a submissive
pout, or boost the energy of a smile. The involved muscle
(occipitofrontalis) elevates the eyebrows to form prominent, horizonta\
l furrows in the forehead, making
almost any gesture look and feel stronger.
Usage II: In tandem with head-tilt-back, raising one or both eyebrows suggests a\
supercilious air of
disdain, haughtiness, or pride. (N.B.: "Supercilious" comes from the Latin word for "eyebrow,"
supercilium.) We may unconsciously lift our eyebrows as we give orders, argue impo\
rtant speaking
points, or make demands.
Anatomy. Our
face evolved as a signboard to display emotions welling from the mammalian brain.
Facial messages are controlled by the facial nerve (cranial VII). Its nucleus has both an upper and a
lower component; the former lifts and depresses our eyebrows. When we fe\
el
happy, e.g., our limbic
brain stimulates cranial VII, which innervates the forehead muscles to raise \
our brows.
Media. 1. "[Phil] Donahue has a characteristic way of raising his eyebrows which \
draws attention to his
eyes which are directed to the [TV] viewers" (Raffler-Engel 1984:12). \
2. To convey authority and show
strong emotion, televangelists raise their eyebrows and project their fo\
reheads' horizontal lines onto the
video screen for added dramatic effect.
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browrais
RESEARCH REPORTS: 1. Eyebrow-raise is a threat sign in baboons, mandrills, and cebus monkeys\

(Andrew 1965; van Hooff 1967). 2. The eyebrow-flash of recognition is a worldwide friendly greeting
(Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1989; Morris 1994). 3. One eyebrow raised (as in the eyebrow cock) is a widespread sign
of scepticism (Morris 1994).
Neuro-notes. Brow-raising is mediated by the top part of cranial VII's motor nucleu\
s, which contains
cells to innervate the contraction of muscles in the upper part of our f\
ace. The top part receives bilateral
input from both sides of the cerebral neocortex, rather than unilaterall\
y (as in the bottom part of the
nucleus, which controls the muscles of the lower half of our face).
See also
EYEBROW-LOWER.
Copyright 1999, 2000 (David B. Givens/Center for Nonverbal Studies)
Detail of photo copyright by Linda McCartney.
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facialx
FACIAL EXPRESSION
I will often fly great distances to meet someone face to face . . . . --Mark H. McCormack (What They Don't Teach You at
Harvard Business School, 1984:9)
Sign. The act of communicating a mood, attitude, opinion, feeling, or other \
message by contracting the
muscles of the
face.
Usage: The combined expressive force of our mobile chin, lip, cheek, eye, and\
brow muscles is without
peer in the animal kingdom. Better than any body parts, our faces reveal\

emotions, opinions, and moods.
While we learn to manipulate some expressions (see, e.g.,
SMILE), many unconscious facial expressions
(see, e.g.,
LIP-POUT, TENSE-MOUTH, and TONGUE-SHOW) reflect our true feelings and hidden
attitudes. Many facial expressions are universal, though most may be sha\
ped by cultural usages and rules
(see below, Culture).
Summary of facial expressions. 1. Nose: nostril flare (arousal). 2. Lips: grin (happiness, affiliation,
contentment); grimace (fear); lip-compression (anger, emotion, frustration);