Autism and Facial Expressions: What We Often Miss Facial expressions are the universal language of emotion. But for many autistic individuals, their emotional signals can be so subtle they go unnoticed. A recent study from Rutgers University shows that tiny facial micromovements—invisible to the naked eye—carry rich emotional meaning. This discovery reshapes how we understand…
Read MoreSmiling Boosts Mood- Even When it’s Forced
A recent study from the University of Essex entitled, “Smiling and Frowning Induced by Facial Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (fNMES) Modulate Felt Emotion and Physiology” explored whether electrically induced smiling could influence emotions. Participants had electrodes placed over their zygomaticus major muscles—those that lift the corners of the mouth. A gentle electrical current forced a…
Read MorePandemic Kids Struggle to Recognize Happy and Fearful Faces
A large Danish study called The effects of Covid-19 related policies on neurocognitive face processing in the first four years of life was recently published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. The study authored by Carlijn van den Boomen, Anna C. Praat, Caroline M.M. Junge, and Chantal Kemner investigated the effects of Covid-19 related measures on two…
Read MoreA Pocketbook Guide to the Basics of Emotion
We’re excited to announce the launch of The Humintell Emotion Primer – a pocketbook guide to the basics of emotion. It’s a little book that we put together that summarizes and describes some of the major points about emotions, especially about the basic emotions that we talk about in our work and that we’ve studied and…
Read More