Surprise (emotion) - Body Language

Body Language

Surprise is expressed in the face by the following features:

• Eyebrows that are raised so they become curved and high.
• Horizontal wrinkles across the forehead.
• Open eyelids: the upper lid is raised and the lower lid is drawn down, often exposing the white sclera above and below the iris.
• Dropped jaw so that the lips and teeth are parted, with no tension around the mouth.

Spontaneous, involuntary surprise is often expressed for only a fraction of a second. It may be followed immediately by the emotion of fear, joy or confusion. The intensity of the surprise is associated with how much the jaw drops, but the mouth may not open at all in some cases. The raising of the eyebrows, at least momentarily, is the most distinctive and predictable sign of surprise.

Despite facial feedback hypothesis (facial display is necessary in the experience of emotion or a major determinant of feelings); in the case of surprise, research has shown a strong dissociation between the facial display of surprise and the actual emotional experience of surprise. This suggests that there are variations in the expression of surprise.