Contempt is one of the seven basic emotions commonly studied in facial expression research. It is often associated with feelings of superiority, disrespect, or looking down on another person. Unlike many other emotional expressions, the characteristic facial expression of contempt is asymmetrical: it typically involves movement on just one side of the mouth.
Understanding contempt can help us better recognize facial expressions and appreciate the complexity of human emotion. But as with any nonverbal behavior, context matters. A facial expression alone cannot tell us everything a person is thinking or feeling.
What Is Contempt?
Contempt is an emotion involving a negative evaluation of another person, group, or behavior, often accompanied by a sense of superiority. Someone experiencing contempt may perceive another person as beneath them in status, values, competence, or moral standing.
For example, contempt may arise when someone believes another person has acted dishonorably, violated an important standard, or behaved in a way they consider unacceptable.
Contempt is related to anger and disgust, but these emotions are not identical. Anger often involves a response to an obstacle, offense, or perceived injustice. Disgust frequently involves rejection or aversion. Contempt is especially associated with looking down on someone.
What Does Contempt Look Like?
One of the most recognizable characteristics of the contempt facial expression is its unilateral movement, meaning that it occurs primarily on one side of the face.
The characteristic expression may include:
- One corner of the mouth raising slightly.
- Tightening or dimpling at one lip corner.
- An asymmetrical appearance that may resemble a small smirk.
In the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), expressions used in contempt research have included unilateral lip corner tightening (Action Unit 14) or unilateral lip corner pulling (Action Unit 12).
The expression can occur on either side of the face. Research has not established that contempt displayed on the left side has a different emotional meaning from contempt displayed on the right.
What Is the Difference Between Contempt, Anger, and Disgust?
Although contempt, anger, and disgust can occur in similar situations, each has distinct characteristics.
Contempt
Contempt often involves a sense of superiority or disdain toward another person. Its characteristic facial expression is asymmetrical, with tightening or raising at one corner of the mouth.
Anger
Anger may arise when someone feels threatened, blocked, mistreated, or treated unfairly. Facial movements associated with anger can include lowered brows, tightened eyelids, and tension around the mouth.
Disgust
Disgust is associated with aversion or rejection. Its characteristic facial movements can include wrinkling the nose or raising the upper lip.
These emotions can overlap, and people may experience more than one at a time. Learning their characteristic expressions can improve observation, but interpreting someone’s emotional state still requires attention to context.
To learn more, read our article on the seven basic emotions and their facial expressions.
How Contempt Contributes to Hostility and Aggression: The ANCODI Hypothesis
Contempt is more than a facial expression. Research suggests it may also play an important role in how individuals perceive and respond to people they consider opponents, particularly during conflicts between groups.
In a 2017 study published in Aggressive Behavior, Dr. David Matsumoto, Dr. Hyisung C. Hwang, and Dr. Mark G. Frank examined the relationship between three emotions: anger, contempt, and disgust. Together, these emotions form what the researchers call the ANCODI hypothesis.
What Is the ANCODI Hypothesis?
The ANCODI hypothesis proposes that anger, contempt, and disgust can work together to contribute to hostility and aggression toward opposing groups. Although these emotions are related, each may serve a different psychological function:
- Anger: Often arises in response to perceived injustice, obstruction, or wrongdoing and may motivate confrontation or efforts to change another person’s behavior.
- Contempt: Involves viewing another person or group as inferior, unworthy, or morally beneath oneself. It may contribute to rejection, derogation, and social exclusion.
- Disgust: Can contribute to feelings of aversion, rejection, or a desire to distance oneself from another person or group.
According to the hypothesis, these emotions may become particularly consequential when they occur together. Anger can motivate confrontation, contempt can reinforce beliefs of superiority, and disgust can contribute to rejection of an opposing group.
What Did the Research Find?
The researchers conducted two experimental studies involving participants who belonged to ideologically motivated groups with identified opposing groups.
In the first study, participants exposed to stimuli intended to elicit anger, contempt, and disgust demonstrated more aggressive thoughts concerning an opposing group than a neutral group. This pattern was not observed in the comparison condition involving fear and sadness.
In the second study, participants exposed to the ANCODI combination demonstrated more competitive decision-making toward an opposing group than a neutral group. The same pattern was not observed in the comparison condition involving disgust alone.
These findings provided initial experimental evidence supporting the idea that the combination of anger, contempt, and disgust can contribute to hostile thinking and competitive behavior in intergroup conflicts.
Why Is This Research Important?
The findings highlight why contempt deserves attention beyond its characteristic facial expression. When contempt involves viewing others as fundamentally inferior, it may contribute to patterns of hostility and rejection.
However, the studies examined aggressive thoughts and competitive decisions in experimental settings. They did not establish that experiencing contempt inevitably leads to violence or that observing a contempt expression can predict aggressive behavior.
Understanding the relationship between emotions and behavior requires considering the broader social situation, including group identity, conflict, and context.
Read the original research:
Emotion and Aggressive Intergroup Cognitions: The ANCODI Hypothesis (Matsumoto, Hwang & Frank, 2017).
Is Contempt a Universal Facial Expression?
Contempt has been studied extensively in cross-cultural facial expression research.
Research by Paul Ekman, David Matsumoto, and colleagues has examined whether people from different cultural backgrounds recognize the characteristic unilateral contempt expression.
In a study involving observers from ten cultures, approximately 75% of participants identified a unilateral lip corner raise and tightening as contempt in a forced-choice recognition task.
These findings provide evidence that the expression can communicate contempt across cultures. However, researchers continue to examine how facial movements, social context, culture, and emotional experience relate to one another.
Importantly, recognizing a facial configuration associated with contempt is not the same as proving that a particular individual is experiencing contempt in a real-world interaction.
Is Contempt the Same as a Smirk?
Not necessarily. A smirk is often described as an asymmetrical smile, but not every smirk communicates contempt.
People may smile asymmetrically because of habit, individual facial differences, deliberate posing, or other circumstances.
A still photograph may not provide enough information to distinguish a contempt expression from a posed or social smile. Observing how an expression develops and disappears can provide useful additional context.
For more information about interpreting smiles, explore our article on different types of smiles and their meanings.
Can Contempt Indicate That Someone Is Lying?
Contempt is not, by itself, a reliable indicator of deception.
Although facial expressions may provide information about emotional reactions, a person can experience contempt while telling the truth. Likewise, someone who is lying may not display contempt at all.
Interpreting nonverbal behavior requires considering the situation, the person’s typical behavior, and other available information. No single facial expression should be treated as proof of dishonesty.
How Can You Learn to Recognize Contempt?
Recognizing contempt begins with understanding its characteristic facial movements and learning to distinguish them from similar expressions.
When observing facial expressions, consider these practical principles:
- Look for asymmetry: Notice whether one lip corner tightens or raises independently of the other.
- Consider the full expression: Other facial movements may change how an expression appears.
- Pay attention to timing: How an expression appears and disappears can provide additional information.
- Consider context: Avoid making assumptions about a person’s feelings or intentions based on one facial movement.
- Practice recognition: Structured training can help you become more familiar with different facial expressions of emotion.
Some emotional expressions may appear very briefly. These are often called microexpressions. Learning about microexpressions can help you understand how facial expressions vary in duration and intensity.
Frequently Asked Questions About Contempt
What does contempt mean?
Contempt is an emotion associated with disdain, disrespect, or a feeling of superiority toward another person or group.
What is the facial expression for contempt?
The characteristic contempt expression involves an asymmetrical movement of the mouth, often with one lip corner tightening or raising.
Can contempt appear on either side of the face?
Yes. The characteristic movement may occur on either side, and research has not established a different meaning based on which side is involved.
Does a smirk always mean contempt?
No. An asymmetrical smile can occur for several reasons. Facial movement, timing, and context are important when interpreting expressions.
Is contempt one of the seven basic emotions?
Yes. In the seven-basic-emotions framework used in Humintell’s training, contempt is included alongside anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.
Can You Recognize Contempt and Other Facial Expressions?
Test your facial expression recognition skills and explore Humintell’s science-based online training programs.