Body Language of Hang- Dog Expression
Cue: Hang-Dog Expression
Synonym(s): N/A
Description: An unfortunate sad, somber looking face which droops and sags naturally.
In One Sentence: The hang-dog expression is an indication of old age, but in younger people, if persistent, indicates a negative disposition or depression.
How To Use it: N/A.
Context: General
Verbal Translation: “Unfortunately, my skin sags around my eyes and cheeks and there is nothing I can do about it, I’m not sad, it’s just how my skin has reacted to age.”
Variant: Men sometimes have a prominent brow ridge that makes them appear highly dominant. Women may have a low cut eyebrow that causes their eyes to appear sinister as in the “witch’s brow.” See Sadness Facial Expression.
Cue In Action: She showed her age from early on as her skin was loose around her eyes and cheeks. People often asked her if she was feeling okay, but being a positive person, she always was, it just didn’t appear so on the exterior, even when she smiled.
Meaning and/or Motivation: Some people are just born with eyes that curve downward and who’s cheeks sag without any underlying emotion. Other people wrongfully perceive these people as unfriendly.
Many elderly people have skin that is loose and sags making their emotions quite difficult to read. Looking beyond the expressions to voice pitch and tonality give us better clues to their disposition.
To accurately read a person who is hang-dog, watch the muscle action around the eyes. If they are taught and the eyes engaged, then you can be sure they are happy.
Cue Cluster: N/A.
Body Language Category: N/A.
Resources:
Little, Anthony; Benedict Jones; David Feinberg and David Perrett. Men’s strategic preferences for femininity in female faces’. British Journal of Psychology, 21 June 2013
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/wife-material-written-face/?preview=true
Olivola, Christopher Y Friederike Funk, Alexander Todorov. Social attributions from faces bias human choices. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, October 2014 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2014.09.007
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/bitchy-resting-face-explained-science/
Pflügera, Lena S.; Elisabeth Oberzauchera; Stanislav Katina; Iris J. Holzleitnera and Karl Grammer. Cues to Fertility: Perceived Attractiveness and Facial Shape Predict Reproductive Success. Evolution and Human Behavior 33. 2012. 708-714.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-physical-attractiveness-women-marker-reproductive-success/
Pease, Barbara and Allan Pease. 2006. The Definitive Book of Body Language Hardcover. Bantam.
Rezlescu C, Duchaine B, Olivola CY, Chater N. Unfakeable Facial Configurations Affect Strategic Choices in Trust Games with or without Information about Past Behavior. 2012. PLoS ONE 7(3): e34293. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0034293
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/science-describes-trustworthy-face/
Zhang, Yan; Fanchang Kong; Yanli Zhong and Hui Kou. Personality manipulations: Do they modulate facial attractiveness ratings? Personality and Individual Differences. 2014. 70: 80-84.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/better-personality-can-fix-ugly-face-study/