New research shows facial expressions are planned by the brain before movement, not automatic emotional reactions.

Researchers found that autistic and non-autistic people move their faces differently when expressing emotions like anger, happiness, and sadness. Autistic participants tended to rely on different ...

Facial expression control starts in a very old part of the nervous system. In the brain stem sits the facial nucleus, which ...

Every time we show facial gestures, it feels effortless, but the brain is quietly coordinating an intricate performance.

You prepared thoroughly for a presentation at work, and now you’re dropping wisdom to a packed room. Much as you expected, your colleagues appear wowed and ...

The human face is a trusty map when navigating the landscape of everyday affairs. Mostly, we are very skilled at using it. We can detect someone’s joy. We can sense another’s disenchantment. We can ...

Whether at a birthday party in Brazil, a funeral in Kenya or protests in Hong Kong, humans all use variations of the same facial expressions in similar social contexts, such as smiles, frowns, ...

Credit - Photo-Illustration by Chloe Dowling for TIME (Source Images: Klaus Vedfelt—Getty Images, Tim Robberts—Getty Images, Kelvin Murray—Getty Images, Robert Recker—Getty Images, Howard ...