Personality is a term that refers to a consistent pattern in our behaviour, our thoughts and of our expectations and goals. Different individuals have different, but coherent emotional response patterns to the same stimuli, which are also consistent over a long time period. While personality is not directly related to the static features of the face, the study of facial expressions of emotion are relevant to personality psychologists.

Information on how a person is emotionally relating to the environment is exhibited in our emotional expressions, in the body and especially in the face. Facial expressions of emotions are universal. In social science research biases can occur when people self-report their inner states too positively, due to wanting to be socially desirable, or trying to hide or deny their real emotions. Yet the study of emotional markers in the face allows the inner state to be objectively measured.

The Zurich Interaction and Expression Lab, is a research team based in the Section of Personality and Assessment at the Department of Psychology, that investigates the expression of emotion in more detail, relating it to humour and humorous interactions using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS).

For more information please contact Lic. phil. Jennifer Hofmann (j.hofmann@psychologie.uzh.ch) or click here.