Face

Unless you’ve mastered the poker face, your emotions tend to be etched on your face, so let’s start with that. According to experts, there are actually a couple of ways to analyze body language through facial expressions.

For instance, when you see deep frown lines, it might suggest the person is overthinking or worried. But a person who’s really laughing will display crow’s feet, AKA the smile lines of happiness.

Another thing to watch out for is pursed lips which can signify contempt, anger, or bitterness. Also, teeth grinding or a clenched jaw are signs of stress. Susan Krauss Whitbourne, who has a Ph.D. in Psychology, describes a classification of smiles:

Affiliative smile: A sign of friendship and liking. This would look like someone pressing their lips together while also making little dimples appear at the side of their mouth.

Reward smile: This expresses positive feedback. The lips are pulled directly upwards, dimples appear at the sides of the mouth, and the person’s eyebrows lift.

Dominance smile: This is when a person’s upper lip is raised, their cheeks get pushed upwards, and their nose gets wrinkled. An indentation between their nose and mouth also deepens, and they’ll have raised upper lids.