Online "Face Emotion" Test

Instructions: Almost all nonverbal communication has some degree of ambiguity to it. Even under the best of circumstances, it can be difficult to accurately determine what a person is thinking or feeling simply by observing them. However, there are six universal facial expressions that most people from most cultures can readily identify. Visit this facial recognition site and see for yourself: http://condor.depaul.edu/~lcamras/images/recogexp.htm.

How did you do? Were you able to accurately identify the six emotions (happiness, surprise, anger, disgust, sadness, and fear) displayed on this site?

In summary: Keep in mind that while most people can identify the seven universal face emotions (the text includes "contempt," which is not shown on the website), not everyone perceives the same degree or intensity of the emotions on display.

Also understand that there are different cultural "display rules" for how certain emotions should be conveyed. A look that might seem like mild annoyance to a member of one culture could look like an expression of rage to someone from another culture. There are significant differences in how, when, and to what degree emotions are shown. When it comes to facial expressions and nonverbal communication in general, remember that what you see is not necessarily what you get.