Ability to make a face to match an emotion

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Is this something others can do? If you were asked in a clinical setting to make a "sad" and then a "happy" and then an "angry" and then a "scared" face do you think you'd be able to do it? If you know, would others say the face you come up with is somewhat natural?


I was reading A Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome and it said this was something that NTs tended to be able to do at about 4, if they were to come up with accurate faces. Aspies on the other hand, even past that age, might only replicate part of the face or in other ways look very unnatural, past age 4 and sometimes into adulthood.

In my case I can not only not make accurate faces, I'm completely aware that I can't (always) make accurate faces. If I was asked to do this as part of a diagnosis (how it was being discussed), I would probably tried a little to manipulate my face, and then just given up and said "I can't make an angry face". Because when I try I can't even come up with something that feels like an angry face when I'm not looking in a mirror, not to mention one that looks accurate.

I'm also pretty sure my sad and scared faces would also be near identical - because they'd be associated with what I refer to as turtling (being like a turtle trying to hide in its shell).


This was just weird to me. I don't know how to control what my face looks like that at all.

I remember when I was seven, I tried to make an angry face, but my family was laughing at me because I looked funny.
D: <--I can't make that face

I can do it now, though.

Same. I would make the same face for both. I got it from a psychology book I read a while ago. It had a picture of a guy making different faces.
My surprised face is different though.

I suppose I could do it in an exaggerated way.

I have a very hard time matching my face to emotions.

If I'm looking into a mirror and can correct myself in real time, then yes. If not, then forget about it.

I have a problem with this too, and would love to hear how anyone learned how to make faces correctly.


The worst for me is pictures, I think Ive done an ok photo with a friend but then when I see the picture it is like, OH NO, what was going on with my face?? ahhh...

Recently I met a friend's new girlfriend, and my friend told me her friend said that I made "strange faces" right after we had met and spent a few hours together. It is true, it didnt offend me I was just surprised she noticed right away, it must be pretty obvious.

Then after a long day (socializing makes it a long day), I was very tired and staring into space, and I guess I was making some awful face because my dear friend had to tell me, "the face you're making is not a face you want to be making" and i was so happy she told me because I value honesty, and being to the point, and she wasn't being mean at all she was trying to help me.
However, I really dont know how I can prevent that face especially when I get tired!

I wish there were like a video of face-making exercises, like a yoga dvd, but for us!

How about an app that scores your ability to read and make expressions. Or a game that uses non-verbal communication to play it. With all the development of facial recognition software might not be far away.

i cannot do it, all of the emotion-faces i make on command appear to be some "i'm getting electrocuted" gringe.
i do display rudamentary happy, sad and anger faces, but only if i honestly am in that emotional state, and hiding them behind my normal face is very easy...

I can match my face to my emotions. Today when I got on the bus and there was no seats for me to sit down, I felt angry, and I showed it, which I wished I hadn't. I found a seat right at the back, and I frowned and glared as I went to sit right at the back, where I don't like sitting.
Then when my favourite bus-driver was on the bus, I was so happy after he spoke to me, and I sat down looking really happy, with a friendly smile on my face.

So yes, I do pull faces that match my emotions, and I did as a child too. I remember when I was 7 my mum brought me an outfit, and she said that when she showed it to me, my face really brightened up.

If asked like that in a clinical setting, I'll recall situations in which one is supposed to show these emotions and then move my face accordingly.

So rather than moving my face to display an what an emotion look like, I move my face to display an expression based on a generalisation of which facial muscles to move where from what many others show in variations in situations where they express forms of anger.

That's acting I guess, it sure looks genuine to most people by now. I have memorised tons such situations, the emotions and reasons involved in them and the generalised facial movements that are tied to specific feelings as well as a large number of slight, important variations of these feelings. Because you know, anger can look different depending on the situation.

I won't come up with a face in 2-5 seconds (after which people usually get awfully noisy and impatient for a reaction/answer!) that matches if I try to imagine I felt anger or if I tried to remember the face I make when I feel anger.

While the subtler facial expressions might be hard for me, the basic major ones seem fairly easy. Now, in real time, does my facial expression match my internal mood? Hehe, possibly, but I get the hint that either it doesn't or I have really poor insight into my 'mood'.