Micro-Expressions and the Mediator

Nonverbal behavior is a major component of communication. The ability to understand

and use nonverbal communication is a powerful tool that will help mediators connect with

clients, gain trust, navigate challenging situations, and build better relationships. As humans, we

continuously give and receive wordless signals. These gestures, the way we sit, how fast or how

loud we talk, how close we stand, how much eye contact we make, can all provide insight to a

situation verbal, alone, cannot provide.

Facial expressions of emotion are the most complex to understand, therefore requiring

more extensive training than other forms of nonverbal communication. One type of emotional

facial expressions are micro-expressions. A micro-expression is a brief, involuntary facial

expressions shown on the face of humans when one is trying to conceal or repress an emotion. 1

Micro-expressions generally occur in high-stakes situations where people have something to lose

or gain, like mediation. Micro-expressions are involuntary facial expressions that last only

tenths of a second, or a “flash.” Because micro-expressions occur so quickly, they are very

difficult to fake, making them an effective lie detection tool. Micro-expressions consist of and

completely resemble the seven culturally universal emotions: anger, fear, sadness, disgust,

contempt, surprise, and happiness. The following is a list of the facial movements related to each

emotion:2

1. Happiness: In true happiness, you will see the corners of the lips turn up and the cheeks

will raise slightly. But the tell tale sign of true happiness are the crow's-feet that appear at the

corners of the eyes. If you don't see movement from the muscles around the eyes or crows-feet,

the smile is a fake.

1 P. Ekman, “Facial Expressions of Emotion: an Old Controversy and New Findings,” 1992.
2 P. Ekman, “Facial Expressions of Emotion: an Old Controversy and New Findings,” 1992.

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2. Sadness: In sadness, the upper eyelids and outer edges of eyebrows will droop. The

subject will appear to have very little focus in their eyes. Also, the corners of the lips will be

pulled slightly down.

3. Anger: In anger, you will see lips being narrowed and pressed together tightly. You will

also see the eyebrows slanted down and towards the nose. And perhaps the most revealing

characteristic of anger; glaring. The subjects eyes will glare intensely.

4. Contempt: In contempt, you will see the raising of one side of the lips. It can be very

subtle and even look like just a twitch. Occasionally the lip raise is paired with the head tilting

back slightly so that the subject can look down slightly at the focus of their contempt. it's the

easiest to spot. Interestingly, it is the only micro-expression that is unilateral, that is, the only one

that is biased to one side of the face. All other micro-expressions are equally distributed across

the face about a vertical center-line.

5. Disgust: In Disgust, you will see the upper lip being raised generally exposing the teeth.

This will be coupled with a wrinkling of the nose.

6. Fear: In fear, you will see the lips stretched horizontally towards the ears. The lower eyelids

will be tensed and the upper eyelids will be raised. You will also notice the eyebrows being

raised and pushed together.

7. Surprise: In true surprise, you will see widened eyes and raised eyebrows. Also the mouth

will open a little bit. Note that in a true expression of surprise the eyebrows will be raised for

less than a second. So if someone is acting surprised, but leaves their eyebrows lifted for more

than a second, they are lying, no questions asked.

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 Human beings are in a state of perpetual emotions. We continually experience states such

as anger, happiness, revulsion, excitement, or anxiety. In many situations, our bodies respond

before our minds even become aware of the emotion.3 A micro-expression suggests what

someone may be trying to conceal with their words or actions. Correct recognition of the micro-

expression tells you what that emotion is and gives insight on the true thought process of that

person. Although, the emotion may or may not be related to a lie, this recognition could give a

mediator an opportunity to dig deeper into the feeling related to the micro-expression.4

The most common time a micro-expression is revealed is at a hot spot. A hot spot occurs

when there is a subconscious occurrence of negative emotion or strained thinking. 5 Such

occurrences put a lot of pressure on one's brain, making it difficult to control facial expressions.

Imperfect control results in emotional leakage. A person who is trained to detect micro-

expressions can spot leakage as it happens and recognize that micro-expressions will provide

insight into the true feelings of a person. In mediation, a mediator could use this knowledge to

get to the root of the issue at hand, which could result in a quicker, more satisfactory result for all

parties involved.

Works Cited

1. P. Ekman, “Facial Expressions of Emotion: an Old Controversy and New Findings,”

1992.

2. K. Elliot, “Emotions at the Mediation Table.”

3. C. Freshman, “After Basic Mindfulness Meditation: External Mindfulness, Emotional

Truthfulness, and Lie Detection in Dispute Resolution,” 2006.

3 K. Elliot, “Emotions at the Mediation Table.”

4 M. O’Sullivan, PhD, “When is a wink a blink do you think?” April 17, 2009.
5 C. Freshman, “After Basic Mindfulness Meditation: External Mindfulness, Emotional Truthfulness, and
Lie Detection in Dispute Resolution,” 2006.

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4. M. O’Sullivan, PhD, “When is a wink a blink do you think?” April 17, 2009.

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