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<\/a>Cue<\/strong>: Sadness Facial Expression.<\/p>\nSynonym(s)<\/strong>: Grief.<\/p>\n Description<\/strong>: A raise of the inner eyelids into an inverted \u201cV\u201d accompanied by a lift of the lower eyelids. Often accompanied by lines across the forehead with the mouth pulled downward and a droop in the eyelids.<\/p>\n In One Sentence<\/strong>: The sadness facial expression is a demonstration of emotional grief.<\/p>\n How To Use it<\/strong>: Use the sadness expression to gain sympathy from others. Children use it best, as do women. Men can also elicit caring through sadness, but must display it to a compassionate audience which is not as readily available to them. When women use it, men and women will most certainly react, whereas for men, men and women will take great care not to overstep social boundaries and add extra insult to a man\u2019s painful emotional condition.<\/p>\n If one wishes to appear dominant and in control, then displaying sadness should be used only in very narrow situations such as the loss of a loved one. In this case, the sadness is outbound and displays not a loss for the self, but compassion for others. This is usually read as a more permissible use of sadness. Using sadness to improve treatment is perceived as a selfish use of the condition and attributed to those whom are physically and emotionally weak.<\/p>\n Context<\/strong>: General.<\/p>\n Verbal Translation<\/strong>: \u201cI\u2019m sad. Muscles in my face are contracting resulting in a face that is contorted proving my emotional turmoil.\u201d<\/p>\n Variant<\/strong>: See Hang-Dog Expression<\/a>, Eyebrows Knit or Oblique Eyebrows Of Grief<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cue In Action<\/strong>: He learned that a close family member had passed away after a long struggle with cancer. His expression told of his grief.<\/p>\n Meaning and\/or Motivation<\/strong>: Sadness is one of the six universal facial expressions (sadness, anger, disgust, surprise and fear). Sadness is a deep pain and emotional discomfort that comes from hearing or experiencing negative stimuli.<\/p>\n Cue Cluster<\/strong>: Sadness also sees an overall depletion of energy, enthusiasm, limp body, shoulders slumped, as well as trembling, lips quivering, moist eyes or crying.<\/p>\n Body Language Category<\/strong>: Arousal, Automatic gesture, Closed facial gestures, Dislike (nonverbal), Emotional body language, Universal facial expressions.<\/p>\n Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n Bard, K. A. (2003). Development of emotional expressions in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). In P. Ekman, J. Campos, R. J. Davidson & F. B. M. De Waal (Eds.), Emotions inside out: 130 years after Darwin\u2019s The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (Vol. 1000, pp. 88-90). New York: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.<\/p>\n Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173-1882.<\/p>\n Biehl, M., Matsumoto, D., Ekman, P., Hearn, V., Heider, K., Kudoh, T., et al. (1997). Matsumoto and Ekman\u2019s Japanese and Caucasian Facial Expressions of Emotion (JACFEE): Reliability Data and Cross-National Differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 21, 3-21.<\/p>\n Carroll E. 1994. Innate and universal facial expressions: Evidence from developmental and cross-cultural research Izard, Psychological Bulletin. 115(2): 288-299.<\/p>\n Daniel H. Lee, Reza Mirza, John G. Flanagan and Adam K. Anderson. Optical Origins of Opposing Facial Expression Actions. Psychological Science published online 24 January 2014 DOI: 10.1177\/0956797613514451<\/p>\n