Body Language of Surprised Facial Expression
Cue: Surprised Facial Expression.
Synonym(s): N/A
Description: The eyebrows curve upwards, wrinkles form in the forehead and the whites of the eyes become visible through eye widening. The jaw becomes slack and opens.
In One Sentence: The surprised facial expression is one of the six main universal facial expressions.
How To Use it: Use the surprised facial expression to show others that they have taken you by surprise. This may be in a shared joke, to show your amazement for their accomplishments or other good or novel news. Facial expressions are a way that we can bond with other people either in positive or negative ways. Suiting our expression with our underlying attitude or conversely feigning an attitude can help create desired relationships and outcomes.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “I’m surprised so my face is shooting open and everything is widening.”
Variant: See Anger Facial Expression, Happiness and Joy, Sadness Facial Expression, Fearful Facial Expression, Disgust Facial Expression.
Cue In Action: The prank team set up shop in a street garbage pail while the camera was hidden around the corner. As the man sprung up, the action was captured on film. Faces shot open, mouth agape, eyebrows up – surprise!
Meaning and/or Motivation: Surprise is one of the six main facial expressions that are found throughout the world. They are happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, anger and disgust.
Each expression involves three independent parts of the face, the forehead and eyebrows, the eyes, eyelids and upper part of the nose called the “root” and the lower part of the face including the lower part of the nose, cheeks, chin and mouth.
Surprise is motivated by a fear response. Surprise implies that one is not expecting something to occur. Thus, the body and limbic system reach overdrive to open the face up to prepare it for action.
Cue Cluster: Arms usually shoot up or out, an audible squeal, scream, or “ahhh”, or gasp, is heard and the person might jump, step back, duck and head cover. Sometimes the head drops as does the jaw especially if coupled with disbelief.
Body Language Category: Arousal, Automatic gesture, Emotional body language, Excited body language, Inborn behaviours, Leaked or involuntary body language, Surprised body language, Universal facial expressions.
Resources:
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