The Seven Base Emotions

As promised in the last article, today we’re going to dive deeper into the base emotions and how they can be seen in our body language. For each of these emotions there is of course a spectrum and nuances to how exactly they are being expressed in each individual. The following distinction is based on Paul Ekman.

The seven base emotions are the following:

1. Joy
Defining characteristics in one’s body language are: The corners of the mouth are pulled up, the cheeks lifted, smile lines appear and the face generally radiates happiness and positivity.
The feelings that can accompany it are cheerfulness, contentment, bliss and enthusiasm.

2. Surprise
Defining characteristics in one’s body language are: The eyebrows are pulled up, the eyelids and/or the eyes are wide open and sometimes the mouth opens.
The feelings that can accompany it are amazement, astonishment, incomprehension and speechlessness.

3. Fear
Defining characteristics in one’s body language are: The eyebrows are raised, eyelids appear bigger, mouth opens, lips are firm/tight, eyes are fixed on the danger and the whites of the eyes are often very visible.
The feelings that can accompany it are tension, fright, panic.

4. Anger
Defining characteristics in one’s body language are: Eyebrows are pulled inwards, towards the eyes or nose, frown lines appear, lips are tight and smaller, the gaze is fixed.
The feelings that can accompany it are frustration, annoyance, outrage.

5. Disgust
Defining characteristics in one’s body language are: The nose appears to have more wrinkles, the cheeks are lifted, and the upper lip is raised or curled.
The feelings that can accompany it are dislike, reluctance, a feeling of rejection.

6. Sadness
Defining characteristics in one’s body language are: The inner ends of the eyebrows are raised, the upper eyelids and corners of the mouth droop, and the cheeks are sagging.
The feelings that can accompany it are unhappiness, dismay, despair, disappointment, discouragement, desperation, or despondency.

7. Contempt
Defining characteristics in one’s body language are: The corners of the mouth are pulled up on one side or sucked in and a brief, asymmetrical reaction occurs on the face.
The feelings that can accompany it are disregard, disrespect, ridicule, condescension, or disdain.

In the next article we will go into more detail on the communication of emotions. Make sure to click on „Subscribe“ below so that you will always be informed whenever a new blog article is available. (You are free to unsubscribe at any time.)