What is this boy’s emotion? Can you identify it?

beach, person, people, girl, photography, play, boy, male, portrait, spring, child, dirty, blue, facial expression, smile, close up, face, infant, toddler, eye, head, skin, organ, emotion, a bird's eye view, portrait photography, human positions

If this little boy were standing beside you, looking up at you and not saying a word, would you know how to respond to him?

Can you tell by his expression what he feels?

You 100% can if you understand the universal expressions of emotion. If you don’t know the science behind it, you can read more about it here in this Science Brief from the American Psychological Association.

Believe it or not, but when you “fake” an emotion, you do not use the same muscles in your face that you would if you genuinely feel an emotion. Isn’t that fascinating?

Check back to the comment sections in the coming days for the answer to what this facial expression is! While we can tell what expression a person is feeling, do know, we can’t always determine why!



20 replies
  1. ewen
    ewen says:

    He’s expressing disgust here. The crinkled nose is the key. I would ask him what he finds disgusting,

    • Syn
      Syn says:

      I’d say it’s anger. The facial expression is too symmetrical to be disgust. Narrow eyes, small lips, eye brows pointing down.

      • ewen
        ewen says:

        I see your point, so I did the same expression as the boy, and I heard myself saying “no” in my mind and feeling disgust, not anger. Also, my mouth closed automatically in order to give it emphasis.

  2. clownfish
    clownfish says:

    disgust (crinkled nose) or…alternatively… “a huh what did you say?” expression
    I know one culture where they crinkle their nose to denote confusion, need clarification.

    • ewen
      ewen says:

      I tried that, and it brought my eyebrows down and very little wrinkling of the nose. The disgust expression brought my cheeks up to make the crinkling in my nose. It’s interesting.

    • Eyes for Lies
      Eyes for Lies says:

      The wrinkled nose alone doesn’t involve the same facial muscles. I know the expression you are talking about and it looks nothing like this. I wish I could describe it. I can see it but I can’t describe it. There are no negative emotions as seen here.

      • ewen
        ewen says:

        Is the other expression that “clownfish” described a “questioning” expression? I know that’s not on the universal list of expressions, but it’s recognizable in this culture. The eyebrows come together and downwards to show confusion or questioning.

          • clownfish
            clownfish says:

            Hmmm. It is kind of hard to describe differences. I tried to think about it. Perhaps in the confusion nose crinkle there is more squinting and effective shading of vision as if to show “can’t make out what you said”?? The nose part is quicker to signal question mark. I feel like the disgust expression doesnt require as much eyes shading and has a more pronounced and long lasting nose signal??

          • clownfish
            clownfish says:

            Hmmm. It is kind of hard to describe differences. I tried to think about it. Perhaps in the confusion nose crinkle there is more squinting and effective shading of vision as if to show “can’t make out what you said”?? The nose part is quicker to signal question mark. I feel like the disgust expression doesnt require as much eyes shading and has a more pronounced and long lasting nose signal??

  3. Paul Flanagan
    Paul Flanagan says:

    I also think the lack of a raised upper lip makes it subtle disgust. And his glaring, which is typically a sign of anger I believe (with eyebrows in and down, I think). Do you see any subtle anger here, or no? Wait, just saw you answered it with “no negative emotions.”

    • Eyes for Lies
      Eyes for Lies says:

      They are actually distinct emotions. People see them as closely related because they can be displayed in close sequence in certain instances. You can be angry and disgusted at someone, but you can alternately just be disgusted or angry.

  4. rapidfiregeek
    rapidfiregeek says:

    I see the brink of an emotional outpouring. I dont know why but I dont see the disgust, I see sadness in the lower lip and anger in the middle of the face. My gut reaction is a desire to take a knee to his level. If he didn’t move away I would pick him up and hold him tight.

  5. Grumpy Curmudgeon
    Grumpy Curmudgeon says:

    “…would you know how to respond to him? Can you tell by his expression what he feels?

    He is adorable. I’d give him big squeezy cuddles, and spend some time with him.

    He wants to do something that an adult has said no to. He doesn’t understand why, he thinks it is unfair and feels hurt. He doesn’t think that the explanation is truthful. He knows it is a solid “no.” He is accepting of it, so his mouth is closed (no teeth). So all he can do with his feeling is stare daggers at the person who made the decision. He respects the person who said no, which is why he is conflicted/hurt.

    He is hurt, but his face is still open, free to show his feelings. He has a good emotional health.

    Only my thoughts.

Comments are closed.