This paper aims to explore the essence of facial expressions in nonverbal communication in enhancing the day-to-day interactions among people in a specific setup. The paper also outlines the theories used in assessing nonverbal communication and how it applies when using facial expressions. The terminologies used in nonverbal communication have also been blended to encompass the idea of facial expressions in a nonverbal communication arrangement. The facial expression has been analyzed to give an insight into interactions among family and siblings. The key details about exploiting facial expressions to ease communication have also been discussed with emphasis and examples based on siblings. The downsides have also been highlighted to indicate a gap in using facial expressions to convey important information.
Nonverbal communication is an important aspect in enhancing communication effectiveness and generally the relationship of the individuals in the communication line. Facial expressions as an example of nonverbal communication have been very important to cement the relationship between families, especially among siblings, who develop a code of understanding. Moreover, the general understanding of facial expressions that are not universal has improved over the years, and people can communicate without uttering any words. In this way, it supplements verbal communication and acts as the only form of communication among the dumb. This paper seeks to discuss facial expression in family interactions while highlighting its importance as an element of nonverbal communication.
Facial expression facilitates the understanding of emotions and general feelings in a sibling relationship. In times of happiness, it is easy to analyze the facial expression and decode the intent and emotional condition of the sibling in question. For instance, when a person grins, it may be interpreted that he is happy and is having feelings of enjoyment or pleasure. However, in some situations, grins may be used to express discomfort, shyness, surprise, and grief. These varying phenomena can be explained using the Kinesics theory, which entails the interpretation of body movements that people portray in their normal interactions. The theory further highlights that every other expression has a meaning and significance in communication and that it is the role of the receiver of the communication to interpret that particular message (Straple-Sovers, 2021). Therefore the ability to understand these expressions is crucial in everyday understanding among people.
Understanding facial communication among increases how fast information is conveyed. In situations where a decision is needed on whether to do something, a simple smile will show agreement. In contrast, facial discomfort will show a lack of understanding or disagreement. The key concept is that people close to each other can exchange glances without necessarily talking (Xu et al., 2017). The case of siblings provides a good casing point for this particular important process. Just exchanging glances is enough to indicate a sibling’s particular inclination on a particular topic. The essence of this is to be able to make faster decisions while not frustrating and downplaying the opinions of another person in a way that might interfere with their feelings. Lawyers in a court of law employ this tactic to see their client’s inclination and also that of the opponent to make rational and informed decisions on how to proceed with the matter at hand.
Facial expressions can be key in understanding siblings’ emotions and personal intent and using the understanding of each other to encrypt certain information. There are globally accepted facial expressions that people subconsciously understand without giving much thought. Still, some are created by a group of people as a result of knowing each other more from experiences. This type of development is fundamental in understanding each other in a crowd where the information conveyed is supposed to be confidential. Siblings can develop this kind of relationship and can therefore guess each other’s intent and emotions without thinking much about it. For example, some people tend not to frown when things are not going as planned when they are actually expected to be sad at these times. An outsider will not comprehend the real nature of the situation without paying close attention. The Kinesics theory argues that different groups having different facial expressions with others is the manifestation of the sibling kind of relationship (Straple-Sovers, 2021). Facial expressions, therefore, have been instrumental in keeping confidential information.
Facial expressions can be used to display a certain level of proxemics, which is how people try to utilize their social and personal space. The underlying concept of this theory lies in the fact that one can gauge a person’s view on the invasion of their personal space by just looking at their facial expressions (Bowman, 2020). Facial expression is very important in inviting people to feel comfortable in a rather personal space and likewise in showing them that privacy is needed at some point. In the case of siblings, it is considered an invasion of privacy to go into another sibling’s room without permission or to read another’s diaries. In the limited times that another sibling invades personal space, it will be followed by an expression of disgust without even talking, and the perpetrator is made aware of the message the victim is trying to pass. Siblings also tend to display facial expressions of discomfort when someone overrides their speech or shows interest in a personal conversation. The disgust shows the discomfort when a person invades a personal territory and the desire to reclaim a certain control over their conversations.
The argument that there exist six definite facial expressions that may show situations such as anger and happiness has faced much backlash from certain scientists. The main argument against this is that within the universally accepted six exists several other expressions that do not necessarily mean the same as the six. The major question is on what distinguishes facial expressions such as that of surprise and mild happiness. The continued argument is that some people may display facial expressions to manipulate another person into thinking that they mean something while, in reality, they mean another thing altogether. In context, younger siblings generally perfect the art of portraying sadness to get special treatment (Xu et al., 2017). The scientists also argue that mild facial deformities may make people look like they are showing a type of reaction when they are not. The communication may be broken in such cases and the idea intended will not have been reached.
Facial expression comes with its limitations, especially in the interpretation of the message, since different people have different ways of reacting to situations. For instance, in the case of siblings using a different expression from the ones universally known may confuse a person who is not familiar with them. The misunderstanding may arise when the intention of the sibling was for instance to display sadness, but the other person encodes happiness and reacts to the issue accordingly (Xu et al., 2017). This forms a barrier to communication and misunderstandings when using facial expression as a mode of communication hence may lead to wrong information.
To summarize, it goes without saying that the importance of facial expressions in everyday life cannot be downplayed in any way as it is an integral part of communication. The world has relied on facial expressions for years, which is evident by recognizing certain expressions such as anger, disgust, and surprise. The disadvantages are also evident as people may confuse expressions sometimes, but the advancement in the study of psychology provides a solution for a better understanding of facial expressions.
References
Bowman, J. M. (2020). Nonverbal Communication: An Applied Approach (1st ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.
Xu, Q., Yang, Y., Tan, Q., & Zhang, L. (2017). Facial Expressions in Context: Electrophysiological Correlates of the Emotional Congruency of Facial Expressions and Background Scenes. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. Web.
Straple-Sovers, R. (2021). Kinesics analysis: A theoretical approach to reading bodily movement in literature. In The Cursed Carolers in Context (pp. 21-38). Routledge.