Among voters watching tonight’s highly anticipated debate Kamala Harris And Donald Trump Both of their faces show signs of emotional mishmash, a leading expert in the science of microexpressions tells The Daily Beast.
Microexpressions are “the universal facial expressions of our species,” explains expert Annie Sarnblad, meaning they are universal to humans despite cultural and regional differences. That’s what makes them hard to hide, she said, adding that “they’re at the forefront of the thought process.”
“They are involuntary, and they only last a fraction of a second.”
SarnbladeWHO Previously analyzed Harris’ CNN interviewHas a master’s degree in cultural anthropology and is also certified in it A facial action coding system (FACS). Tonight, Särnblad will exclusively analyze what microexpressions she sees on the faces of candidates for The Daily Beast.
A televised debate is “a really high-stakes situation,” Sarnblad said. “So we’re looking to see if facial expressions match words because microexpressions precede thought processes.”
“Remember, [microexpressions] Tell you what they feel. It’s not what they think,” said Sarnblade. “For example if I say, ‘I hate broccoli’ and I’m expressing disgust, it makes sense because I’m talking about something really negative.”
However, there can often be a noticeable disconnect when someone tries to hide their feelings by using positive words but showing negative microexpressions.
She added, “When I myself have worked with my clients to prepare them for public debates or high-stakes negotiations, I try to focus on answering the questions they are asked. Rather than answering honestly what you want. We all know the trick to deflect the question and answer, but I think the public is smart enough to see that.
Särnblad said she will also look to see what candidates do to calm themselves under pressure.
“One of the universal things about body language is that we humans touch our skin when we’re nervous,” Sarnblad said. “One of the really interesting things about politicians is that they will use the self-soothing technique of stippling, which is actually a way of soothing yourself by touching your skin.”
“It sounds like a powerful position but it’s actually used to calm your nervous system,” she added.
Leading up to the debate, Harris Camp reported Requested that the mics be left on When the opposing candidate answers a question.
In turn, the 6-foot-3 Trump has requested that no boxes or lifts will be allowed during the event, making it Harris (Reportedly 5-foot-2) if they are allowed to walk around the stage, as Trump famously did during his 2016 debate against Hillary Clinton.
Annie Sarnblad is the author of three books: “Diary of a Human Lie Detector: Facial Expressions in Love, Lust and Lies”; “The Facial Expressions Glossary: Business Version”; and the recently released “Annie and the Secret Language of Faces”.
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