Jennifer Aniston’s Emotions
This is a great video of emotional display by Jennifer Aniston. The reason I am posting it is a reader suggested that this clip is full of microexpressions. I get this comment a lot when people are expressive in their face. Microexpressions are quick bursts of an emotion–one of the seven universal emotions, and it is not just a movement of eyebrows, lips, etc.
This video has one strong and very pronounced microexpression, and one very, very subtle one. All the other moments are just facial movements, but not microexpressions.
I will list what microexpressions I see below in the comment section in the coming days.
What do you see?
Looking forward to your comments, Eyes. I have my two instances picked out, but don’t wanna say here, cause they’re probably way off anyway.
Take a stab at it before Eyes does. It’s the only way to learn and test yourself.
I see sadness right around when he asks if they still talk. And a little bit of anger/indignance at the beginning.
I think I see a little bit of surprise when he first asks about her ex. Mostly, I see an over-riding sadness, then I see an expression of contempt. The contempt seems to be about conversation with Brad. Her sadness may be over her loss of the dream she had for herself and Brad. The contempt may be what she thinks of Brad, today. I feel sad when I watch this video.
When I first watched it, I was like “There’s a whole bunch going on with her face in the first six seconds. I’m going to have to re-watch this.” I think there’s some sadness and surprise there. Anyway, fear and surprise always give me pause because I can sometimes mix them up, especially if part of the face isn’t involved. I think the micro you’re talking about is surprise at about 24 seconds in after she’s asked if they still talk. She also swallows here before answering this difficult question. There’s also, social smiles of course.
OTHER NOTES: When he asks:, “You’ve moved on?” She responds, “Well, everybody has.” (social smile) She didn’t answer the question (no direct answer), but lets us infer that she has. When asked about whether they talk, again, she didn’t answer the question directly, hesitates, but mentions that they’ve exchanged “good wishes”. She’s clearly uncomfortable, so much so that she defends herself by attackint the interviewer by parroting the question back at him, “Do you talk to your ex-wife?”
I may see subtle disgust at .32-.34 and possibly very subtle contempt (lip–her right, our left) at .35
I think I saw one at :31 before she says “It’s not a constant thing”.
I sense irritation. She is more that Brad Pitt’s jilted ex. It seems to me that she wishes everyone would drop her being betrayed 10 years ago. I can’t say I blame her.
This video makes me sad.
0:17 when she says “it’s more of a media driven topic” there’s a really subtle micro expression of sadness. And one obvious micro expression of disgust.
confused and irritated at the subject
That’s a mad video, she should just scream her head off and get it out, its practically pouring out of her face. The right side of her face was the most intetesting.
There are other expressions there, though, right? Just not micro?
I think that Jennifer probably feels for Brad what most women would feel for a lying, cheating husband 10 years later. Annoyance and disgust, as well as relief that’s over with. JA did an interview once where she said she believed in “moderation,” but she’d known “wake and bakers” who she thought were great people, but who just “couldn’t motivate” who sat on the couch all day doing nothing. Brad shot back a few years later with how he was so bored with his life with Jennifer. That at one point, he no longer wanted to be “that guy on the couch with a joint.” I think that was a point of irritation in her marriage and I think there has to be some degree of “So, you could get your butt up off the couch for Angie and become an Oscar winning producer, huh?” Yet, that bitterness is just part of having ex-husbands, or exes of any kind. I truly believe that Jennifer is past it, but never going to stop feeling indignant that she was betrayed and the whole entertainment industry embraced the Brangelina love story and insist Jennifer be fine with it. It hasn’t been fair to her. She was never allowed to grieve or be angry publicly without being accused of being “sad” or “bitter.”
Okay, giving it my best go here, and I’m no truth wizard 🙂 – in the beginning I thought I saw (pronounced) disgust, then after reviewing it a few more times I thought anger. A very very subtle one….towards the end I thought I saw contempt and I also thought I saw sadness. Looking forward to reading what you saw.
I’m sure I’m way off but I thought I detected a bit of sympathetic concern for the interviewer, just before she commented that it doesn’t “pain” her. But maybe that wasn’t micro at all but a macro expression.
Divorce is painful, and I don’t think many people get out of a marriage totally unscathed. Maybe, I am extra sensitive to hurt and sadness, but I see a mask of sadness on her face. What she is sad about, only she knows. She was dumped and drug thru this mess in front of the whole country, and people won’t leave her alone about it. That is enough to be sad about, but I think she was terribly hurt by what Brad did to her. That kind of betrayal is hard to get thru.
I see surprise, she seems taken aback that he is really asking this question. I also see a hint of disgust.
When I watch Jennifer Aniston, at first she makes what I would call an empathic face when the reporter says, “Its gotta be painful. I mean I don’t like it when people bring it up, but people still do, right?” I don’t see it as sad, but expressing empathy that its gotta be painful — she feels for the interview there! After which Jennifer gives a very notable microexpression of surprise. Her eyes get huge as golf balls. She can’t believe he is bringing up her divorce.
I believe Jennifer when she says, “I don’t find it painful.” I believe she is over Brad Pitt and has dealt with it. Jennifer then makes a blended subtle (very subtle) expression of disgust/contempt. Do you see it?
Jennifer doesn’t want to talk about Brad Pitt, isn’t in contact with him as she says outside of niceties and tries to stay above board and polite in simple terms. She is just uncomfortable having to answer the question which likely means that there has been some tension or negative feelings, and we get confirmation of that with her contempt/disgust blended expression.
Was the contempt/disgust blend when she sardonically said “Everybody moved on,” which I took as a dig at Brad for “moving on” while he was still married to Jennifer.
I think the contempt is later than that, near the end of the video.
I think the empathy was because she felt bad that the poor interviewer fella had to ask such a ridonkulous question to appease the masses who still eat up that whole storyline about her break up.
I see an expression of distain or disgust for the interviewer… And then I see her shaking her head no when she’s saying she’s wished Brad well
Head shakes are much more complex than people realize and are not that simplistic. This head shake is not an inconsistency.
I agree with what you are saying about head shakes. Some people have habits of shaking their head from side to side. I can’t put much stock into head shakes, either. I definitely agree with her expression of contempt. It is very clear to me.
She seems mega stunned the interviewer asks her these questions. Guess it surprises me that she would be so surprised, but it’s written on her face. Her face reminds me of George Bush Jr a tiny bit.