I Know Just How You Feel
Do you feel sad?Happy?Angry?You may think that the way you show these
emotions is unique. Well,think again.Even the expression of the most personal
feelings can be classified,according to Mind Reading,a DVD displaying every
possible human emotion.It demonstrates 412 distinct ways in which we feel:the
first visual dictionary of the human heart.
Attempts to
classify expressions began in the mid-1800s,when Darwin divided the emotions
into sixtypes-anger,fear,sadness,disgust,surprise and enjoyment.{{U}} (46)
{{/U}}Every other feeling was thought to derive from Darwin's small
group.More complex expressions of emotion were probably learn ed and therefore
more specific to each culture.But now it is believed that many more facial
expressions are shared worldwide.{{U}} (47) {{/U}}The Mind Reading DVD
is a systematic visual record of these expressions.
The project
was conceived by a Cambridge professor as an aid for people with autism(孤独症),who
have difficulty both reading and expressing emotions.But it quickly became
apparent that it had broader uses.Actors and teachers,for example,need to
understand a wide range of expressions.The professor and his research team first
had to define an“emotion”.{{U}} (48) {{/U}}Using this definition,1,512
emotion terms were identified and discussed.This list was eventually reduced to
412,from“afraid”to“wanting”.
Once these emotions were defined
and classified,a DVD seemed the clearest and most efficient way to display
them.In Mind Reading,each expression is acted out by six different actors in
three seconds. {{U}}(49) {{/U}}The explanation for this is simple:we may
find it difficult to describe emotions using words,but we instantly recognise
one when we see it on someone's face.“It was really clear when the actots had
got it right,”says Cathy Collis,who directed the DVD.“Although they were given
some direction,”says Ms Collis,“the actors were not told which facial muscles
they should move.{{U}} (50) {{/U}}” For example,when someone feels
contempt,you can't say for certain that their eyebrows always go down.
Someone who has tried to establish such rules is the
American,Professor Paul Ekman,who has built a database of how the face moves for
every emotion.The face can make 43 distinct muscle movements called“action
units”.These can be combined into more than 10,000 visible facial shapes.Ekman
has written out a pattern of facial muscular movements to represent each
emotion.
A.We thought of trying to describe each emotion,but it
would have been almost impossible to make clear rules for this.
B.These particular muscles are difficult to control,and few people can do
it.
C.Research has also been done to find out which areas of the
brain read emotional expressions.
D.They decided that it was a
mental state that could be preceded by“I feel”or“he looks”or“she
sounds”.
E.He said that the expression of these feelings was
universal and recognisable by anyone,from any culture.
F.Any
other method of showing all the 412 emotions,such as words,would have been far
less effective.