{"id":831,"date":"2019-09-04T21:17:22","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T01:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=831"},"modified":"2022-03-04T16:41:22","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T20:41:22","slug":"how-to-read-minds-micro-expressions-facial-emotion-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-read-minds-micro-expressions-facial-emotion-recognition\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Read Minds: Using Micro Expressions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why do conversations so often result in misunderstandings? How can I really <\/em>know what’s going on in the other person’s head? How can I be a better mind-reader, and how will micro expressions help?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Micro expressions are expressions we make unconsciously. Learn how to read minds by recognizing micro expressions on people’s faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Theory of How to Read Minds<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We use others\u2019 facial expressions to predict their behavior and infer their personality. Facial emotion recognition is key to learning how to read minds.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Micro Expressions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The hardest expressions to catch, and therefore interpret, are micro expressions. They\u2019re almost <\/em>imperceptible, lasting a fraction of a second.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be good at controlling what expressions your face makes, but a keen observer may still catch involuntary expressions that betray your true thoughts and feelings<\/a>. This is how to read minds\u2014by catching these tiny expressions that betray what the person’s words are hiding.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, in 1955, British Intelligence agent Kim Philby wasn\u2019t yet exposed as a Soviet spy, but two of his colleagues were, and they defected to the Soviet Union. In a press conference, Philby denied that he\u2019d been the one to tip off his colleagues. He did it convincingly. It would be over a decade before Philby himself defected to the Soviet Union. Most people watching weren’t great at facial emotion recognition.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you slow down the video of the conference, you can see Philby press his lips together in an unmistakable expression of smugness. The expression lasts only a few milliseconds. Later in the conference, there\u2019s also a micro expression of distress.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people were suspicious of Philby, perhaps because their unconscious minds picked up on these micro expressions.<\/strong> But the conscious mind<\/a> didn\u2019t register them, so Philby got away with his espionage for years.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how we thin-slice<\/a> people\u2014our unconscious minds make note of subtle muscle movements in the face that are too fleeting for our conscious minds to detect. This is also how to read minds\u2014the conscious brain needs to pay attention to what the unconscious mind<\/a> is noticing.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autism as an Analogy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Our ability to read facial signals and body language<\/a> is enormously sophisticated. Most of the time, we\u2019re really good at reading people\u2019s minds by subconsciously picking up on subtle signals. We do this thin-slicing<\/a> every day. How to read minds is to pick up on micro expressions.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, mistakes happen all the time. We get into arguments and hurt others because we misinterpret what they\u2019re feeling or thinking.<\/strong>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People with autism have particular trouble reading nonverbal cues<\/a> like facial micro expressions. We can all be \u201ctemporarily autistic\u201d when our abilities to mind read desert us.<\/strong> Further below, we\u2019ll look at situations in which temporary autism is disastrous.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Causes of Temporary Autism and Failing to Notice Micro Expressions:<\/strong>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n