It was sometime in 2011, I think. I was reading an item about micro-expressions, and I became intrigued by the concept.
Years later, during the COVID Apocalypse, I posted something lamenting not being able to read the emotions of masked people at the grocery store. One of my thoughtful friends commented that there is much to read in another person’s eyes. I admit that I am not very good at it, but it is clearly true.
Living with cats or dogs teaches us about body language in a way that we often miss in interacting with our fellow humans. Our pets cannot speak to us, but they are still effective communicators. In fact, we often read our friends and family without them saying anything to us, I think.
These thoughts came to me while watching tonight’s presidential candidate debate. Trump’s micro-expressions were a mix of anger and contempt. VP Harris’ were about happiness.
The rest of the body language was less informative – Harris relaxed, reassured, and concerned. Trump’s congruent with his micro-expressions – anger, fury, frustration, and contempt.
Later, Rachel Maddow observed that one could have watched with debate with the sound muted and still understood what transpired. I agree.