Module 32. Expressing and Experiencing Emotion

Expressive behavior implies emotion. Dolphins, with smiles seemingly plastered on their faces, appear happy. To decipher people’s emotions we read their bodies, listen to their voice tones, and study their faces. Does nonverbal language vary with culture—or is it universal? And do our expressions influence our experienced emotions?

“Your face, my thane, is a book where men may read strange matters.”

Lady Macbeth to her husband, in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth