LearnMicroexpressions

Facial expression guide

Anger

Look for inward and downward movement.

Neutral face for comparison
Neutral
Anger facial expression example
Anger

What to look for

  1. 1The brows lower and draw toward each other.
  2. 2The eyelids tighten.
  3. 3The lips may press together or tense.

Compare the distance and angle between the brows with the neutral face. The brow line lowers and draws inward, while the eyelids may become tighter. Lip pressure can add to the pattern, but an open or closed mouth alone is not the deciding feature.

Try this observation exercise

Find the brow movement first. Next, compare the eyelids and mouth. To separate this example from disgust, ask whether the strongest change is around the brows and eyes or around the nose and upper lip.

Compare with disgust

Compare with disgust: anger emphasizes lowered brows and tense eyelids; disgust emphasizes the nose and upper lip.

See the disgust lesson
Practice angerAll expression lessons

Further reading: Paul Ekman Group’s anger guide. Our learning approach.