The 10 Best Phrases Of Paul Ekman
Paul Ekman, a North American psychologist (Washington, 1934), is an expert in the study of emotions and related facial expression. The more than 14 books and about 200 articles published by him endorse his path. To let you know better, today we present the 10 best phrases of Paul Ekman!
A lecturer at the University of California for more than 30 years, he is currently considered one of the most prestigious psychologists of the 21st 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, and has also held seminars and certified courses online, with the aim of training people in matters of emotional conscience.
Paul Ekman, of Darwinian ideas
Paul Ekman’s initial thought was that emotions were determined by culture. However, as he proceeded with his research, he completely changed his 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 Ekman’s, holds that emotions are universal and considers their biological rather than cultural origin .
Ekman has also contributed significantly to researching the social aspects that determine lies or the reasons why they occur, which is why he is currently considered an expert in the recognition of lies.
10 phrases from 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 the difference, below we present what are considered the 10 best phrases of Paul Ekman. 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:
It must be considered that lying is a central characteristic in people. It plays an essential role in our lives and understanding it as completely 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 issues.
Ekman is considered one of the discoverers of facial “microexpressions” which, as he demonstrated together with Wallace V. Friesen, 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:
Ekman argues that emotions are innate. In this way, any person laughs when they are or appears to be happy or opens their eyes a little when they are surprised or pretend to be.
Ekman, therefore, attributes to culture the role connected to the dissimulation, exaggeration, concealment or suppression of gestures and emotions.
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 up to 17. Later, he developed the Facial Action Coding System (abbreviated to FACS, from the English Facial Action Coding System) to categorize all human expressions that, in some way, can be exhibited by the our face.
This method classifies them by studying the movements of the muscles of the face. Catalog what a person wants to express when they lower their eyebrows, wrinkle their nose, blink, raise or lower their head, direction and tilt of the head. Everything matters.
As we have seen, the traits and moods of the human being are the basis of Paul Ekman’s research. His scientific contributions have allowed him to receive the Scientific Research Award of the National Institute of Mental Health three times.
Currently, the results of his 40 years and more of highly valuable discoveries apply to a multitude of fields, from schizophrenia research to the detection of lies. A professional to be followed more than closely, right?
