Ch. 3 How to read facial language

Question 1

Answer 1

A wrinkled forehead:
- can indicate someone’s displeasure at seeing you.
- That expression is similar to when a person is in pain, worried, or concerned about something.

These wrinkles can appear as vertical lines in the middle of the forehead, above the nasal bridge.

Question 2

Answer 2

• When a person is lying or distressed, the forehead tends to show moisture or sweat before any other place in the body.
• A sudden shine will appear on the forehead as the autonomic nervous system kicks in and the body releases stress in a physical way.

Question 3

Answer 3

• If someone really likes you, she tends to look at you for longer periods than she would otherwise.
• Moreover, her pupils may enlarge as she looks at you steadily, without breaking her gaze.

Question 4

Answer 4

• When someone is surprised or astonished, her eyes will open wide, and you’ll see the sclera, which is the whites of her eyes, above the iris, which is the colored part of her eyes.
• Anticipating this surprise response will help you easily spot it after confronting a person in a lie.
• The expression of surprise often accompanies a raised eyebrow and forehead and a slack jaw or open mouth.

Question 5

Answer 5

A person who is afraid will:
- have a wide-eyed appearance, but the main difference to surprise is that all of the sclera tends to be visible.
- The jaw, instead of dropping in surprise, will tense and usually pull back in a horizontal position.

Question 6

Answer 6

angry at you:
- when he doesn’t smile,
- has a tense facial expression,
- and stares at you without breaking his gaze.
- It also means that his aim is to intimidate, dominate, or threaten you.
- The forehead also may have a vertical line or wrinkle of distress in the middle.

Question 7

Answer 7

Someone doubts or disbelieves what you are saying:
- he will narrow his eyes,
- furrow his eyebrows,
- wrinkle his forehead vertically,
- and slightly squint one eye.
- Usually there is an accompanying lip movement in which one of the sides of the lips is pulled back tightly.
- The lip pull, which means someone is feeling discomfort or thinking about how to manufacture a story, is usually in sync with the same eye that is squinted.

Question 8

Answer 8

People who are shy, embarrassed, or ashamed will have a hard time looking at you and maintaining eye contact because of their low self-esteem and discomfort with any attention given to them. You will often see them looking down or gazing around the room.

Question 9

Answer 9

When someone really likes you, it shows in her smile.
With a heartfelt smile:
- the eyes crinkle, especially around the outside corners.
- The corners of the lips turn upward,
- and the lips part, showing the teeth.
- The apples of the cheeks are raised and resemble puffy balls.
A person whose smile is genuine radiates happiness, prompting those around her to smile in return because her smile is open and indicates safety and comfort.

Question 10

Answer 10

Fake smile:
- eyes are not crinkling,
- his cheeks are not raised,
- or he doesn’t show his teeth.

Question 11

Answer 11

Fake smile:
- When people show their teeth in a fake smile, the teeth and jaws are clenched together, unlike a real smile where more of the teeth are showing and the jaw is open.
- You often see this type of grin in photos of little kids who are forced by their parents to smile for pictures.

Question 12

Answer 12

Tense, tight-lipped smile:
- People under stress.
- It is their subconscious way of trying to make things more pleasant by trying to eliminate and mask their tension.
- But they do not succeed because the tension is evident in their lips and jaw.

Question 13

Answer 13

Angry:
- A tight-lipped,
- frowning expression means that a person is angry and that nothing can get the information out of him.
- He is not only holding back information but also trying to stifle his emotions.

Question 14

Answer 14

Lip Swing:
- When someone is speaking but trying to manufacture a story, she pulls her lip to one side of her face as she ponders what lie to make up next.
- You may also see this expression when people are confused
- or trying to determine what to do next.

Question 15

Answer 15

Lip biting, fiddling, and blowing:
- are other indications that people may be lying, especially when crucial information is presented to them.

Question 16

Answer 16

Lip licking:
- can be a signal of deception.
- When people are under stress or lying, the saliva in their mouth tends to dry up, giving them “cotton mouth.” This causes the inside of their lips or mucosa to feel dry and uncomfortable and their teeth to stick to the inside of their lips. You will then see them lick their lips or teeth to create more saliva and alleviate their oral discomfort.

Question 17

Answer 17

Clenched jaw with muscles on the sides of the jaw pulsate:
- the person is very angry.
- If he clenches his jaw and pulls it to the side, as you see here, he is extremely angry. He is basically doing what children and animals do naturally when they become angry—they bite. But because grown-ups are more mature and civilized and they understand the consequences of biting someone, the biting response instead occurs inside the person’s mouth.

Question 18

Answer 18

Chin jut (aggresive chin stick out):
- the person is angry;
- The further the chin juts forth, the angrier the person and the greater the chance for a physical altercation.

We see this chin jut with young children when they become defiant or assert their independence. And we see this facial gesture carried into adulthood when we have been wronged or are about to tell someone off.

Question 19

Answer 19

Chin tucked, jaw recessed (man in the picture):
- afraid;
- jaw is “backing off”;

The chin retracts much like a turtle retracts into its shell. So when you see someone recoil, pulling the head back and placing the chin on the neck, he is expressing fear.

Question 20

Answer 20

Rubbing their chin:
- displaying confusion
- or thinking about something and trying to come up with an idea, make a decision,
- or find a solution by calming themselves through self-soothing chin strokes.
- You often see chin stroking by those who are being critical of you, disapprove of what you have done, or simply don’t trust you or what you are saying.
- They are processing what you told or didn’t tell them, sitting in judgment of you, and not believing what you have said.

Question 21

Answer 21

Touching / pulling on his/her nose:
- one of the most common signs of deception.

Question 22

Answer 22

The sides of his nose slightly flare out (as he speaks to you):
- if you see it, when the person is speaking to you -> they are attracted to you.

Called the “nasal alar flare,” it is nature’s way of allowing him to absorb you not only visually but through the sense of smell. We emit pheromones, which others breathe in to determine whether they want to take the interaction further. If your pheromones are harmonious with another’s and you begin a relationship, you will see this nasal flare, especially as he falls in love with you and the relationship progresses.

Question 23

Answer 23

Scratching the ear:
- may indicate that someone is lying.
- It is not uncommon to see someone scratching, tugging, or pulling at his ear when confronted over his deception.