On the Expression of Emotion
November 9, 2011 7:09 AM   Subscribe

One of Charles Darwin's lesser-known experiments, on the expression of emotion, is being re-run as an exercise in online crowdsourcing - and anyone can take part. The BBC reports.
posted by beshtya (16 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
A number of them looked the same to me, but French. So, I think I said 1 was "bewilderment," but 2 was "French bewilderment"; similarly, I thought 3 was "horror" but 5 was "French horror."

8 looks like "Cornish guilt" to me. 7 is a good lech.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:36 AM on November 9, 2011


Those "terror" and "agony" ones look more like "concerned Sybil will be getting home from market before card game is over" and "realizing that Manuel has completely botched the order from the vegetarian war-hero."
posted by griphus at 7:43 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


A number of them looked the same to me, but French

What French Hell is this?
posted by uncleozzy at 7:52 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


What French Hell is this?

Well, I mistook "deep grief" for "ironic ennui," so I guess it's that kind of French hell....

Which just goes to show that hell is pictures of other (possibly sometimes French) people.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:31 AM on November 9, 2011


To me, most of them look like "why the hell is this guy poking my face with wires?".
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:57 AM on November 9, 2011 [6 favorites]


This was tough, because in each photo the subject's eyes looked uncertain or afraid. The amused/laughing face looked frightened to me, despite the semi-grin he was sporting, thus messing up the entire expression. Interesting to read Darwin's thoughts.
posted by but no cigar at 9:20 AM on November 9, 2011


I had to quit. "Twisted rictus" wasn't an option.
posted by cmoj at 9:21 AM on November 9, 2011


Got most of them wrong. I tend to be bad at reading people though - no surprise.
posted by YAMWAK at 9:34 AM on November 9, 2011


Cornish guilt

Simultaneously the world's worst and most baffling venereal disease.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 9:49 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


I thought "Horror verging on madness" was a joke entry until I got to that picture. I hope they paid that guy well.
posted by DU at 9:56 AM on November 9, 2011


I had to quit. "Twisted rictus" wasn't an option.
posted by cmoj at 5:21 PM on November 9


No, but it's a hell of a band name.
posted by Decani at 10:07 AM on November 9, 2011


An improvement would be to get people to give a rating for how convincing they find each expression. It would be interesting to see if there were a greater degree of agreement between descriptions of those expressions regarded as more convinging.
posted by howfar at 10:11 AM on November 9, 2011


1) Frankenstein impression
2) That's not who I wanted voted off the show
3) Victorian corpse impression
4) Disappointed in the consolation the guy behind me is giving me
5) Jack Nicholson impression
6) Don't know if want
7) Clint Eastwood impression
8) Distressed by my smock's neckline
9) Impression of Christopher Walken as The Continental
10) Victorian corpse impression (coda)
11) Bored
posted by penduluum at 10:47 AM on November 9, 2011


The BBC has lots of these tests littered around, some more scientific than others.

This one is a good one (as a tangent about emotion - because if you cannot judge falsity, how can you know if your emotional reaction is correct?)

I scored 18/20 - I'm ashamed to say race played a part in my missing some... oh... and that evil granny.
posted by Cheradine Zakalwe at 11:52 AM on November 9, 2011


Metafilter: "Cornish guilt."
posted by exphysicist345 at 12:20 PM on November 9, 2011


I wanted to say "pirate" for number 6 (on preview, maybe that's what Cornish guilt is all about), but restrained myself because I didn't think it was an emotion.

I felt cheated when I discovered at the end that Darwin seemed to think "laughter" was an emotion, and his friend Pertz believed that "measuring a distance" was one too.
posted by lollusc at 7:03 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


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