Facial expressions arise from brain networks that encode slow, context-rich meaning and fast muscle control on different time scales, keeping smiles and threats socially precise.

You prepared thoroughly for a presentation at work, and now you’re dropping wisdom to a packed room. Much as you expected, your colleagues appear wowed and ...

Understanding facial expressions is key to decoding human emotions and intentions, especially when identifying untrustworthy individuals. Facial cues often reveal underlying feelings not expressed ...

Facial expressions play a fundamental role in social communication. While it is well established that others’ expressions influence our behavior—such as approaching a smiling person or avoiding an ...

New work demonstrates how neural circuits in the brain and muscles of the face work together to respond physically to social cues When a baby smiles at you, it’s almost impossible not to smile back.

Photo-Illustration by Chloe Dowling for TIME (Source Images: Klaus Vedfelt—Getty Images, Tim Robberts—Getty Images, Kelvin Murray—Getty Images, Robert Recker—Getty Images, Howard Kingsnorth—Getty ...