Body Language of The Grimace
Cue: Grimace
Synonym(s): N/A
Description: A facial expression that is contorted and uneven with many muscles of the face contracting to twist the face into an odd and painful looking orientation.
In One Sentence: A grimace is a nonverbal demonstration of pain.
How To Use it: Use the grimace to tell other people, in a nonverbal fashion, that you are suffering.
Sports athletes can use the grimace to show that they are strong enough to play through large amounts of emotional and physical pain. This serves to protect their dominance.
However, a persistent grimace can notify others that one is in need of emotional or medial help. Rather than suffering in silence, a grimace can show others that you are working hard to stifle the pain, but that you are struggling. This can often active other people to come to your assistance and offer aid.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “I’m in so much distress that my facial muscles are contracting in an odd and unusual ways.”
Variant: See Fear Facial Expression (The), Fear Smile.
Cue In Action: To see this face authentically, pay close attention while watching courtroom television shows. Usually the defendant who is under stress will seem to beam with light from their teeth. The judge will often see him or her as being defiant, and often requests for them to remove their smug look.
Meaning and/or Motivation: A grimace results from extreme shock or nervousness, disgust, disapproval, pain or fear. We see the fear facial expression under high stress situations.
The grimace happens in situations where one is forced to talk or debate under a stressful situation. You will find that this sly face appears almost universally even though no pleasure is felt. The grimace is a disarming gesture meant to appease others, but it usually comes off as insincere and smug.
Cue Cluster: A grimace will appear with other pain related body language such as head lowered, arms pulled inward, shoulders slumped, chest lowered to protect the abdomen and so forth.
Body Language Category: Automatic gesture, Emotional body language.
Resources:
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