Decision Making- Logic or Emotion

Why can some people control their emotions so well and others seem to emotionally fall apart so quickly?   It’s often said “don’t make big decisions when you’re emotional”.  Many of us hold in high admiration the individuals that hold their emotions in check most of the time.  So is it really better to do…

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Judgments of Subtle Facial Expressions of Emotion

Drs. David Matsumoto, Humintell’s director, and Hyisung Hwang continue their research into facial expressions of emotion with their latest research on judgments of subtle facial expressions of emotion. Past Studies: Previous studies on judgments of facial expressions of emotion have primarily utilized prototypical, high-intensity expressions. These are expressions that involve full-face configurations with contractions of…

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National Geographic – Triumph, an Instinctive Expression

The moment of victory is a part of our inherent need for dominance. Humintell’s director, Dr. David Matsumoto, was interviewed by National Geographic for their weekend radio show about athletes and their expression of winning in competitive sports. “Chest thumping and celebrating over the conquered rival has become so ubiquitous in sports that psychologist and…

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Why Russians Aren’t Smiling in Sochi

According to Ed Leigh and The National Journal, Russians aren’t returning smiles that are so freely given by many American and Europeans during this exciting and joyous time of the Winter Olympics. Why are these smiles not reciprocated? Well, its not as spiteful as you might think.  When Leigh asked a native Russian why no one…

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