Body Language of Eyebrows Knit or Oblique Eyebrows Of Grief
Cue: Eyebrows Knit or Oblique Eyebrows Of Grief
Synonym(s): Grief Muscle Flex, Worry Facial Expression, Eyebrow Scrunch, Oblique Eyebrows Of Grief.
Description: The eyebrows are raised simultaneously and drawn inward toward each other producing both horizontal creases in the forehead and vertical creases between the eyebrows. In the oblique eyebrows of grief cue, the eyebrows are pulled upward more so than the other ends.
In One Sentence: Knitting the eyebrows together signals grief or physical pain.
How To Use it: Knit the eyebrows by flexing the muscles between the brows. This is most effective when upset or angry and you want someone else to know it. Parents can use this on children, or partners on each other, to show that they disapprove.
Research has shown that children are able to read the facial expressions of adults, and that the messages they carry are more salient to them, than are verbal expressions. In other words, an angry voice is less detectable to children than an angry face so the latter is more effective than the former.
Avoid knitting the eyebrows in airports near security as officers are specially trained to catch grief in high risk situations.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “I’m in deep pain due to emotional or physical pain and I’m showing you this by pulling my eyebrows together.”
Variant: See Eyebrow Cock, Eyebrow Hold, Eyebrow Lowering, Eyebrow Flash, Eyebrow Raise.
Cue In Action: At the boarder crossing, he was asked if he carried any drugs with him. He said no, but his eyebrows immediately came together. Spotting his grief, he was detained and questioned. His micro-expression showed that he was probably lying.
Meaning and/or Motivation: When the eyebrows pinch together it is a universal signal of pain, even if it flashes for a split second. Personnel who analyze high-risk events such as boarder crossings, airport security, police officers and detectives are trained to spot momentary expresses of grief. The muscle between the brows can flex at anytime when negative thoughts are held.
The French call the area between the eyebrows, the “grief muscle.” It is active when expressing both pain, as well as when you wish to inflict it. The fearful face carries a momentary raise in the upper eyelids and a grimace comes across the mouth. Anger appears with a lowering of the eyebrows, flaring of the eyes and a tightening of the mouth or jaw.
Fear, grief and surprise in addition to other facial expressions can quickly flash across the face in the form of micro expressions.
Cue Cluster: Eyebrows of grief are combined with other close facial expressions such as lip pursing, squinted eyes, grimacing, as well as nervous cues such as touching the face or ears, scratching the neck, smoothing and adjusting clothing, eye avoidance and even tears in extreme cases.
Body Language Category: Amplifier, Anger, Closed facial gestures, Emotional body language, Negative body language, Stressful body language, Suppressed facial expression.
Resources:
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