Recognize positive and negative human
emotions. There are 6 universal human emotions:
happiness, surprise, anger, fear, sadness, and disgust. These falls into two
categories: positive (happiness, surprise) and negative (anger, fear, sadness,
disgust) emotions. To identify these in others, you need to know what kinds of
actions and behaviors they are associated with. These include:
- Positive emotions reduce stress, improve mood, and increase our memory and awareness. For example: happiness, surprise, sympathy, kindness, love, courage, confidence, inspiration, relief, etc.
- Negative emotions increase stress, allow us to recognize threats, and deal with challenging situations. Examples are: sadness, fear, anger, contempt, disgust, etc.
- The two most important regions of the brain for expressing and understanding emotion are the amygdala complex and the prefrontal cortex. Damage to either of these areas can impair someone's ability to read emotion.
Focus on the eyes and mouth. In general, people express emotion through the eyes and/or
mouth. The region of the face in which a person displays emotion is influenced
by culture. For example, people focus on the eyes in Japan, while people in the
United States interpret emotion in the mouth. When reading emotion, look at her
entire face and not just the eyes.
- Stand far enough away so you can see her face, but have a normal conversation. About 1 1/2 to 4 feet is a good distance to keep between yourself and the other person.
Listen to the tone of voice. Next to facial expressions, tone of voice is the second
most important way people express emotion. People use their voice to both show
and control their emotions. However, some emotions are not conveyed through
voice. For example, people can easily identify relaxed, stressed, boredom,
contentment, and confidence from tone of voice. Emotions weakly expressed
through tone of voice include fear, friendliness, happiness, and sadness.
- Similar tones of voice can express different emotions. For example, a tense/harsh voice is associated with anger and hostility as well as confidence and interest.
- A whispery or soft tone of voice can be associated with a range of emotions. These include relaxation, contentment, intimacy, friendship, sadness, and boredom.
- A soft, breathy voice (where the person takes loud breathes while they talk) is associated with fear, shyness, and nervousness.
Observe and note the general behavior
and demeanor. When you look her
does she portray a friendly atmosphere, or is she more reserved? Emotion can be
experienced unconsciously – without you being aware of it. Using your best
judgment and going with your gut feeling can sometime be the best way to read
emotion.
- Recognize emotion in others by noting your reaction. Often, we mirror the emotions of others in our facial expression, tone of voice, and behavior.
- Emotions are contagious. We’re affected by emotion in other people. Our mood and behavior changes depending on how someone else is feeling. This is why if someone smiles at you, you are likely to smile back!
Assess the other person’s physical
well-being. Emotions can
influence health in both positive and negative ways. If a friend or family
member is sick or feels tired all the time, she might be stressed-out or
depressed.
- Physical symptoms of mental illness and depression include: headaches or migraines, low energy, stomach problems, back pain, changes in eating habits, and alcohol or drug use.
- Mental and emotional symptoms of mental illness and depression include: confusion, sudden and extreme mood changes, isolation from friends, unable to cope with everyday problems, and increased anger or violence.
Develop and improve your emotional
intelligence. Teach yourself to
recognize emotions in others by becoming more aware of them in you. The four
branches of emotion intelligence are: (1) be able to perceive emotions in
yourself and others; (2) use emotions to promote thinking; (3) understand the
significance of emotions; and (4) manage emotions. Strategies to improve
emotional intelligence include:
- Put down your phone and step away from your computer. Improve your social skills and ability to read nonverbal cues by engaging in face-to-face communication on a daily basis.
- Don’t back away from uncomfortable or negative feelings in yourself or others. These are important and necessary. If you feel sad or angry, step back and think about why you are feeling this way. Then, try to counteract the negative emotion with three positive ones.
- Listen to your body – a knot in your stomach may be stress, or a fluttering heart may be attraction or excitement.
- Keep a journal or record of your thoughts and feelings. Several times a week, stop and write down what you are doing and how you are feeling. You can include other information such as how much sleep you had the night before, or what you had for breakfast.
- Ask a close friend or family member – someone you know and trust – to read your emotions. Sometimes other people know us better than ourselves. Their answers can be surprising and insightful.
