Facial Expression & Body Language

 

Humans can express a vast wealth of emotions made capable via an intricate system of facial muscles. “Paul Ekman” is a famous Psychologist known for his work on human emotions and how these are reflected using facial expressions. Ekman classified a basic list of known human emotions which he concluded were biologically present in all humans rather than culture specific as discovered during a study involving tribesmen in Papua New Guinea. ^[1]

 

Basic Emotions:-

• Anger
• Disgust
• Fear
• Happiness
• Sadness
• Surprise

Example Facial Muscle Movement

Anger	Happy / Smile
(Click Here for Full-Size)	(Click Here for Full-Size)

 

In addition to facial muscles, several other features of the human face such as the eyes and mouth are key indicators which further help to portray specific moods. For example wide open eyes may signify surprised or scared emotions and a smiling mouth would indicate happiness. Facial expressions as a whole are a form of non-verbal communication which allow people to convey a particular mood without the need to speak. Whilst the type of facial expressions are limited their intended meanings can differ hugely according to the beliefs of various cultures. This is especially true regarding eye contact for example in Japan direct eye contact for more than a few seconds is considered rude and is actively avoided depending on social rank i.e. between a worker and their superior. ^[2]

 

 

 

Human Body Language is another form of non-verbal communication which expands from Facial Expressions combining body poses, gestures and specific eye movements. Unlike Facial Expressions, Body Language is heavily influenced by cultural differences especially regarding the way in which people greet one another. The study of body language is known as “Kinesics” which can be described as non-verbal actions displayed using body movements. Ray Birdwhistell was an Anthropologist (Studier of Humanity) who first established the term Kinesics, he concluded that human gestures can be interpreted differently according  to the context in which they are used.^[3] A clear example is the simple “head nod”, by shaking your head from left to right would indicate the gesture “No” and moving your head up and down signifies “Yes”. However in Bulgaria the opposite it is true, shaking your head means “Yes” whereas nodding means “No”.^[4] This is just one example of how the same gesture can portray different meanings relevant to geographical locations & cultural differences.

 

Gesture Examples

 

Non-Verbal Behaviour	Meaning
Brisk, erect walk	Confidence
Standing with hands on hips	Readiness, aggression
Sitting with legs crossed, foot kicking slightly	Boredom
Sitting, legs apart	Open, relaxed
Arms crossed on chest	Defensiveness
Walking with hands in pockets, shoulders hunched	Dejection
Hand to cheek	Evaluation, thinking
Touching, slightly rubbing nose	Rejection, doubt, lying
Rubbing the eye	Doubt, disbelief
Hands clasped behind back	Anger, frustration, apprehension
Locked ankles	Apprehension
Head resting in hand, eyes downcast	Boredom
Rubbing hands	Anticipation
Sitting with hands clasped behind head, legs crossed	Confidence, superiority
Open palm	Sincerity, openness, innocence
Pinching bridge of nose, eyes closed	Negative evaluation
Tapping or drumming fingers	Impatience
Steepling fingers	Authoritative
Patting/fondling hair	Lack of self-confidence; insecurity
Tilted head	Interest
Stroking chin	Trying to make a decision
Looking down, face turned away	Disbelief
Biting nails	Insecurity, nervousness
Pulling or tugging at ear	Indecision

^ Sourced  from SPARC (http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/body.php)

 

 

Body Language Examples

Frustration
	Confidence
(Click Here for Full-Size)	(Click Here for Full-Size)

         

        

Figure Ice Skating Behaviours

Based on this research of human behaviours, it was then considered what attributes are typical of a Figure Ice Skating performance. Having closely analysed the earlier researched video of “Maria Butyrskaya” Ice Skating at the 1999 Worlds in Helsinki it can been seen that she shows moments of intense concentration and emotive facial expressions during the performance. At the end of the performance she looks happy with herself and shows elements of relief. These characteristics will therefore be attempted to be implemented in the final animation to breathe life into the character and enhance the level of realism reminiscent of actual human behaviours.

 

References

1. Ekman, P. & Friesen, W. V (1969). The repertoire of nonverbal behavior: Categories, origins, usage, and coding. Semiotica, 1, 49–98.

(Obtained via Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ekman)

 

2. Nixon, J. C. & West, J. F. (1995). Intercultural preparation for managers going to Japan.

(Obtained via https://ritdml.rit.edu/bitstream/handle/1850/11600/LBohannonThesis2-19-2010.pdf?sequence=1)

 

3. Barfield, T (1997). The dictionary of anthropology. Illinois: Blackwell Publishing.

(Obtained via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Birdwhistell)

 

4. Davis, J.W. and Vaks, S., 2001. A Perceptual User Interface for Recognizing Head Gesture Acknowledgements – Pg 4. http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/~jwdavis/Publications/PUI2001-Davis.pdf edn. Orlando, Florida: ACM.