Managing Pressure and Maintaining Balance

The Seven Human Emotions and Reading Facial Expressions Leading researchers agree that there are seven emotional expressions that are universal across every human culture. Being able to recognise these emotions in others — and understand your own — is a cornerstone of emotional intelligence. The Seven Emotions **Sadness:** Eyebrows draw upward in the middle and curve downward at the ends, creating what is called Darwin's grief muscle. The corners of the mouth point downward. **Anger:** Lips press together tightly, the upper eyelids widen, lower eyelids contract, and the inner eyebrows pull downward, often creating a furrowed brow. **Fear:** Eyebrows rise horizontally, creating forehead wrinkles. The upper eyelid opens widely, exposing more of the whites of the eye, and the corners of the mouth pull into a horizontal line. **Happiness:** Cheeks rise and the muscles around the eyes tighten, creating the "smile lines" associated with an authentic Duchenne smile. A forced smile lacks these eye wrinkles. **Surprise:** Upper eyelids raise, the jaw may drop open, and more of the whites of the eyes are visible. **Contempt:** Characterised by an asymmetric pull at the left corner of the lips and often accompanied by rolling of the eyes. **Disgust:** The nose wrinkles, the upper lip may rise, and wrinkles form at the bridge of the nose. Why This Matters Recognising emotions in others