What faces in paintings can tell us about how we perceive emotion

By Zoe Thurtle, PhD Student in Cognitive Psychology, Sheffield Hallam University

Look closely at a face in a painting and you might think you know what emotion the person is experiencing. A smile suggests happiness. A furrowed brow might signal anger. Widened eyes could mean fear or surprise. But what happens when you ask lots of people the same question? Do they see the same emotion, or something more complicated?

In our recent research, we tested how consistently people interpret faces and their emotions depicted in paintings.

Emotions are central to how we experience and navigate…

Read complete article

~	What is idiopathic transverse myelitis, the neurological condition Helen Haines’ alleged attacker has?

~	Governor-general appeals to Australians to ‘exercise our muscle of decency’; Haines’ husband reveals MP has lost second leg

~	Hot days linked to fewer births, two new studies find

~	Jackdaw approval: what a new North Sea gasfield means for UK energy security, bills and tax

~	Wild fish are a precious resource – here’s how aquaculture can bolster food security

~	Parthenon marbles loan to Greece is not a simple solution – who gets control over objects?

~	Egypt: End judicial harassment of Mada Masr editor-in-chief Lina Atallah

~	View from The Hill: Mathias Cormann offers blunt advice on countering populism and reforming the economy

~	Vietnam: Independent Trade Unions Suppressed

~	US inequality is getting worse in ways you might not expect