Last update: 29 November 2017
Paul Ekman, a North American psychologist (Washington, 1934), is an expert in the study of emotions and related facial expression. The over 14 books and about 200 articles published by him endorse its path. To let you know better, today we present the 10 best phrases of Paul Ekman!
Lecturer at the University of California for more than 30 years now he is considered one of the most prestigious psychologists of the XNUMXst century. In 2009 he was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by the Times.
He has also been a consultant to the United States Department of Defense and the FBI, has also held seminars and certified courses online, with the aim of training people in matters of emotional conscience.
Paul Ekman, at idee darwiniane
Paul Ekman's initial thought was that emotions were determined by culture. However, as she searched for him, he completely changed her way of thinking.
This is how his discoveries led him to adopt an evolutionary perspective, close to that of the distinguished English naturalist Charles Darwin. This perspective, and specifically that of Ekman, argues that emotions are universal and considers their biological rather than cultural origin.
Ekman has also contributed significantly to the research of the social aspects that determine the lies or the reasons why they occur, which is why he is currently considered an expert in the recognition of lies.
10 phrases by Paul Ekman to summarize his ideas
Some of his most emblematic titles are Down the Mask. How to recognize emotions from the expression of the face (1972), The faces of the lie. The clues of deception in interpersonal relationships (1985), The lies of the boys. Tales, cheats, bluster: why do our children resort to lies? (1989) or Emotions Revealed (2003).
Many of his discoveries were the inspiration for the hit television series Lie to Me and led him to contribute to the production of the documentary The Human Face for the US television network BBC.
Although there are many quotes from this great psychologist that have made a difference, below we present what are considered the 10 best phrases of Paul Eckman. Even today they certainly invite us to a profound reflection. Let's see them together!
On the lie ...
Some of Paul Ekman's most interesting quotes about lying are:
"Most lies triumph because nobody bothers to discover the truth."
"The liar is perfected by practicing".
It must be considered that lying is a central characteristic in people. It plays an essential role in our lives and understanding it as fully as possible (how it disguises itself, why it is said, how it manifests itself and how it turns out) is relevant to almost all human affairs.
“When does a politician lie? When he moves his lips! ”.
"A broken promise is not a lie."
Ekman he is considered one of the discoverers of Facial "microexpressions" which, as he and Wallace V. Friesen demonstrated, can be used to detect lies with a fair degree of reliability.
On emotions ...
Some of Paul Ekman's most emblematic phrases about emotions are:
"People smile even when they are sick".
“Surprise is the most fleeting emotion, because we are only surprised until we find out why we are. It is always something unexpected ”.
Ekman argues that emotions are innate. In this way, any person laughs when she is or appears to be cheerful or opens her eyes a little when she is surprised or pretends to be.
Ekman, therefore, attributes to culture the role connected to the dissimulation, exaggeration, concealment or suppression of gestures and emotions.
“Smiles are probably the most underrated facial expressions, far more complex than most people think. There are dozens of smiles, each one different from the other, in appearance and in the message it expresses ”.
"No important relationship can survive when trust fails."
"People misunderstand events, especially the meaning of other people's actions and the reasons that lead them to behave in one way or another."
"Emotions change the way we see the world and how we interpret the actions of others."
The face: an open book
At first, Ekman thought that there were 6 universal gestures, corresponding to 6 universal emotions (fear, anger, happiness, sadness, sorrow and surprise); later, however, he expanded them to 17. Later, developed the Facial Expression Coding System (abbreviated to FACS, from English Facial Action Coding System) to categorize all human expressions which, in some way, can be exhibited by our face.
This method classifies them by studying the movements of the muscles of the face. Catalog what a person wants to express when he lowers his eyebrows, wrinkles his nose, blinks, raises or lowers his head, direction and tilt of the head. Everything matters.
As we have seen, at the base researches of Paul Ekman there are the traits and moods of the human being. His scientific contributions have allowed him to receive the Prize for Scientific Research of the National Institute of Mental Health three times.
Currently, the results of the his 40 years and over of discoveries of great value apply to a great multitude of fields, from research on schizophrenia to detection of lies. A professional to be followed more than closely, right?
