Face reading

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I took this test online the other day, don't remember what it was called, I just went through a link posted here somewhere, and through another link and found it. It's the test where they show you a pictures of eyes and you pick the emotion you think they are expressing.

I was dumbfounded because almost every picture gave me the impression of an emotion that wasn't listed in the options for that face. And only a few times did any of those 4 options make any sense whatsoever.

I scored a 19, out of what total I don't remember (50?) which was below average. Well no wonder, I was just guessing on most of them because the option I wanted to pick wasn't even there.

Well I have lived 33 years now thinking I could read faces just fine, maybe even a little better than the average person so I don't know what to think about this. But the more I think about it this would explain a lot of the misunderstandings I've had with people over the years.

And likewise, other people often misread what is in my eyes.

So what I am wondering is, do NT's, and/or the people who make up these tests, really have the official standard for what human eyes are supposed to look like when they express emotions?

Or do NT's just have a different form of eye language? And mine is equally valid as theirs, it is just different.

It would help if you could find the link (maybe go through past posts in your profile?) so that I could put into context what you are saying but I doubt many NTs could get a high score, while the eyes may "say it all" people still need some context and just showing an eye is not enough.

Is it this one? (link)Mind in the Eyes
I scored really low which I was surprised about and I also couldn't see a connection between most of the pictures and the options available. It looks to me like the people in the pictures are acting and their real emotions aren't showing.

I find those tests are not much like real life.

1 Firstly, the pictures are still pictures. In real life things are fast moving. You cannot ask people to 'Please freeze and hold that expression' whilst you sit and work out what that expression might be telling you.

2 It gives you a multiple choice of answers, which means you can sit and logically work your way through them to find the most likely. Again in life, you do not have multiple choice answer lists in front of you, one of which gives you the correct answer.

A I think the images should be moving and you shouldn't be able to replay it. B you should have to type in what the person is feeling without having any multiple lists of options to choose from.

That would test things a bit more accurately.

When I did that test I got an average score. If it wasn't multiple choice and I had to think of my own answers and write them I would have done very badly. On some of them I just guess because none of the choices seemed any better than the others.

I'm pretty good at matching facial expressions to emotions... just not in real time.

There is one that is impossible to read, and would actually be better if it was simply a black screen so we wouldn't get our hopes up about maybe getting one correct...


(Yes, I did get that one correct lol)

I don't suppose I did too badly though, I think the trick is to notice which way the face is pointing too, and I am somewhat of a self taught expert on body language having been watching it for the last 20 years.

Your score: 28
A typical score is in the range 22-30. If you scored over 30,
you are very accurate at decoding a person's facial expressions
around their eyes. A score under 22 indicates you find this quite difficult.
The correct answers for the ones you missed are:

In Real Life I've noticed my 14 year old gets 3 facial expressions from NT folks. It goes like this: He says something to another kid:

1. Stare of disbelief--not knowing where he is coming from by the NT peer.
2. Quiet accepting smile from parent who intuitively has a clue.
3. Phony condescending smiling friendliness on the pre-school level from socially adept parent trying to be kind.

I want to "test" neurotypicals so they can find out which of these three faces they offer ASD folks. Then ASD folks can begin [b]educating NT folks[ on how to communicate in a neurodiverse world.

Those tests are BS. I'm far better than most people at sizing up the emotions and personalities of people I meet, but I fail those tests. Not badly, I get average. But I don't think in words. I'm not sure I think in pictures either, but emotions have feelings, not words. I think in feelings.

I just know in my heart ASD folks are as sensitive or more sensitive to others' emotions than NTs.

So what is going on with this test? If they are acting, is your score low because you are detecting the phoniness and the test assumes you will treating acting and sincerity the same?

I got like a 23, a good number of the answers I more or less randomly picked.

Oh I hate doing those sorts of tests, because I always seem to fail - even though in real life I can read facial expressions really easily.