Social Engineering Blogs

An Aggregator for Blogs About Social Engineering and Related Fields

Empathy and Facial Expressions

Do you think you’re good at reading other people’s facial expressions? You might be surprised!

While facial expressions provide a key insight into the emotions of other individuals, empathy may be even more important for laypeople to understand the emotions of fellow humans.

In a new study, Dr. Haotian Zhou from Shanghai Tech University and Professor Nicholas Epley from the University of Chicago asked a series of participants, let’s call them Group A, to review a series of emotionally charged photographs. Some photographs displayed depressing images, while others were cheerful or idyllic.

These participants were then asked to write down their emotional reactions to each photograph, and their faces were recorded with a video camera. Then, additional groups of participants were brought in to review these records, attempting to properly identify Group A’s emotional reactions.

These subsequent participants were divided into three categories. The first practiced “theorization,” and sought to determine Group A’s emotional reactions based on facial observation. They watched the video camera footage but were not told what the Group A participants were viewing.

This “theorization” cohort was contrasted with a group of participants who tried to identify emotional reactions based on the photographs alone, without exposure to the recorded expressions. This required them to empathize with how other individuals would feel in that situation.

Interestingly, the “simulation” group’s efforts proved to more effectively identify Group A’s expressions. In fact, the advantages of the simulation model were so striking that additional participants with access to both the video footage and the photographs were no more accurate than those that just examined the photographs.

While it may seem obvious to some of you that empathy would be a powerful tool in understanding other people’s emotions, most participants seemed to underestimate this potential. When given a choice between approaches, only a minority of participants selected the “simulation” method.

The study also examined whether it would be advantageous for participants to compare images of their own facial expressions with members of Group A. Hypothetically, this could have allowed them to better understand Group A’s emotions from video camera footage by comparing their own expressions with emotions. That said, those participants were no more accurate than other groups.

While this study underscores the power that empathy can have in promoting interpersonal understanding, we do not always have the ability to simulate other people’s experiences, as stimuli vary wildly beyond simple reactions to photographs.

It is at those times where micro expression reading is critical, but this study shows how difficult that can be without proper training. While the participants in this study were untrained, it would be revealing to see how Humintell staff, or those trained by Humintell, could have performed.

For more information on developing this skill click here.

Reading Those Puppy Dog Eyes

While we have often discussed how universal emotional expressions are, emerging research is expanding this universality even beyond our own species!

A recent 2017 study from the University of Helsinki sought to better understand how humans recognize emotions and facial expressions in dogs. The study found that, not only can humans effectively read canine expressions, but many only had to rely on basic human empathy to do so.

While it seems intuitive that humans with long-term experience living with dogs can learn to read their facial expressions, this study went further, finding that previous experiences with dogs were only a secondary factor.

Instead, the ability to empathize in general proved to be an effect method for understanding canine facial expressions. That said, participants with previous experiences with dogs were better able to understand other aspects of body language, such as posture or tail movements.

This research built on previous work that explored our capacity to read canine expressions. In a 2013 study, researchers at the Walden University in Florida showed human participants images of a dog displaying various emotions, including happiness, fear, sadness, anger, and disgust. Long-term followers of this blog might notice a telling overlap with the seven basic emotions.

While participants often had trouble identifying sadness and disgust, almost half were able to recognize fear in the dog’s face. Surprisingly, 88 percent properly identified happiness, including those with little previous experience with dogs.

This study helped establish our ability to read canine emotions, and the more recent study from the University of Helsinki demonstrated that this ability is rooted in facial recognition, not unlike our ability to recognize emotions in fellow humans.

Perhaps more surprisingly, it isn’t just humans that can read dog emotions. Additional research has also found that they are quite good at reading ours!

For example, a 2016 study out of the University of Lincoln, exposed dogs to a series of images displaying human facial expressions. They juxtaposed these images with audio clips of humans expressing similar emotions through voice commands. Sometimes they matched the audio and visual cues to present the same emotion, while often they exposed the dog to conflicting emotions.

Their research found that dogs showed a marked increase in attentiveness and interest when the audio and visual cues displayed the same emotion. This suggested that they had the ability to recognize human emotions, from both our facial expressions and our voices.

Concurrent research, again at the University of Helsinki, came to a similar conclusion. A 2016 study tracked the eyes of dogs that sought to read human faces, finding that they focus primarily on our eyes and responded quickly to expressions of anger.

These methods of inquiry help bridge the gap between human and animal emotions. This does more than understand interspecies interactions. In fact, by comparing forms of facial or emotional recognition, we can better understand the nuances of our own, human capacities.

For more information on animal emotions, see our past posts here and here.

9 Ways Your Body Language Can Help You Land a Job

greeting-1296493_1280Eye contact is key.

An interview is something most of us will do several times throughout our careers. Whether it’s for a promotion within your current organization, or a new job in a different company, you need to nail every appearance you make. And while what you say is important, how you say it, and the body language you use is crucial. Here are some basic rules everyone should follow by Paul Michael for TIME Money.

1. Make a Confident Entrance

It has been said that the interviewer can tell within the first 30 seconds if you are going to be a good fit for the company. And most interviewers have already made up their minds between five and 15 minutes. So you need to walk into the room being very self-assured, without looking arrogant or cocky. Stand up straight, walk with purpose, and be both professional and welcoming. You are happy to be there, without being so enthusiastic that you’re as giddy as a puppy meeting its new owner. Offer your hand if they don’t immediately offer theirs, and you will be off to a great start. When it’s time to leave, apply the same rules.

2. Give a Firm Handshake

The key word here is firm. This is not a competition to see if you can crush the fingers of the person opposite you. Some men see the handshake as a test of manliness and strength, which it is definitely not. Think of the way you would grip a golf club before a swing — good enough to hold onto it, without trying to crush the steel. It should not last too long, one to three pumps is all you need to get this done and get onto the proceedings. If your handshake is flimsy or limp-wristed, you may be considered weak or insecure, and that is not a good first impression to give.

If your hands are clammy or sweaty, find a way to dry them off before you shake. This equates to nervousness or illness, and is not something you want the interviewer to be thinking of. And finally… it’s possible the person interviewing you will not shake hands for their own hygiene reasons. If you extend your hand and don’t get one in return, just quickly place your hand back by your side and move on.

For more on handshakes, view this past blog post on 8 handshakes that make unforgettably bad first impressions

3. Make Eye Contact

This is not the same as staring (which some interviewers have said is both unnerving and creepy), or refusing to look away from the interviewer during the entire interview. You simply want to maintain good periods of eye contact, around 10-15 seconds at a time, before breaking to look up into the air when pondering a question, or looking at items around the office while you keep the conversation going. It should feel like you’re talking to a friend.

If you have a hard time looking right into their eyes, look at their nose, or the space between their eyebrows. They won’t know the difference. If you are being interviewed by more than one person, do your best to make eye contact equally with each person, not only the person asking the questions. And remember to smile.

4. Maintain Great Posture

Your usual sitting position in the office is probably far from textbook. Most of us tend to slouch a little in our chairs, even with the advanced in lumbar support. But in an interview, you need to be on your best behavior, and that means sitting up straight without being so stiff that you look like you’re on parade. Your posture should look comfortable, but professional. Chest up, shoulders back, spine straight. Keep your hands on your knees or folded in your lap. If you sit back in your chair too much, you look sloppy, and the interviewer may think you’re not taking this seriously.

On the other hand, if you lean forward too much, you can be considered aggressive. However, doing it from time to time, particularly when the interviewer says something of great interest, is fine. It shows that you are listening more closely, and that is a nice way to express enthusiasm.

5. Mirror Some of the Interviewer’s Moves

A person doing a lot of interviews will usually be comfortable, and express positive body language movements. By mirroring (which is also a common way two people on a date will break down barriers and express interest), you are creating a subconscious bond between the two of you. However, it should be subtle, and used infrequently. If you get into a situation that becomes mimicry, you are going to offend or irritate the other person. They cross their hands, you cross your hands. They scratch their ear, you scratch yours. This is a surefire way to irk the interviewer, and you will not be called back.

6. Don’t Overdo the Arm Movements

We are creatures that communicate with more than just words. In fact, over 90% of communication is nonverbal, and that means you are going to make gestures with your face, your body, and your hands. But don’t get so excited that you’re a windmill. It’s okay to use your hands in a minimal way to help get a point across, but don’t overdo it.

7. Respect the Interviewer’s Personal Space

Most interviews are conducted over a table in an office or conference room, so you shouldn’t have to worry too much about boundaries. However, there are times when you may have to get closer to the interviewer, especially if you are showing work from a portfolio, or you are sat facing each other without a table. When this happens, remember personal boundaries and barriers. No one wants a complete stranger getting too close, and it can also expose them to things like strong cologne, body odor, or bad breath — though hopefully, none of these are an issue.

8. Don’t Fidget

Picking at your nails. Rubbing your head. Twirling your hair. Scratching your nose. Rapidly shaking one leg up and down. These are all annoying little movements that you may well be making unconsciously. A job interview can be nerve-wracking, and when you’re nervous, you might do these things without realizing it. You must get them under control. They will only be perceived negatively. The interviewer will see that you are genuinely nervous. They may also think you’re bored, hyperactive, or want to be anywhere but in that room with them. Practice with a friend or relative, and do everything you can to eliminate these fidgety moves.

9. Don’t Cross Your Arms

Let’s first address this myth that crossed arms mean you’re closed off, bored, defensive, or trying to hide something. This is untrue. For some, crossed arms are simply comfortable, or a way of controlling fidgety hands. And science suggests that when you cross your arms, you are actually using both sides of your brain, and are more likely to stay on task.

However, the myth has become more powerful than reality. Interviewers have been told to believe the pseudoscience, and when they see crossed arms, they think you’re closed off or possibly uptight. In this case, crossing your arms is going to play into the folklore that 90% of interviewers believe to be true, so don’t give them that signal.

For 3 more helpful tips on making a good first impression, view this past blog post!