一项新的研究显示，人们以为他们可以从人的脸上正确地解读强烈的情绪，但实际情况是，他们所捕捉到的是来自身体的背景性的线索。
这些发现揭示了在强烈的及可能是危险的情形中社会性的交流是如何进行的。Hillel Aviezer及其同事设计了一组试验来测试参与者的判断现实世界情感的能力。第一个试验显示，当人们只看着刚刚赢了或输了重要一分的网球选手的面孔时，他们无法分辨赢家和输家。（文章的作者用了互联网上找到的1百多张照片）。
然而，如果当试验的参与者看到了网球选手的面孔和身体时他们能够正确地作出猜测。文章的作者用更多的在一个更广范围的处境中人们经历情绪变化的照片来复制了这些发现。为了证实参与者对脸部的觉察实际上会依赖于身体而改变，文章的作者用图像处理软件photoshop将打出制胜球的选手的面孔接到打出失败之球的选手的身体之上或进行相反的做法。然而，这些参与者并不是对脸孔进行评定而是被要求作出姿势及模仿他们在照片中所看到的脸部表情。
这些姿势受到了选手的身体而非他们脸孔的影响。这些结果显示，人类似乎通过高度依赖身体所传达的信息来判断强烈的情绪。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi: 10.1126/science.1224313
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Body cues, not facial expressions, discriminate between intense positive and negative emotions
Aviezer H, Trope Y, Todorov A.
The distinction between positive and negative emotions is fundamental in emotion models. Intriguingly, neurobiological work suggests shared mechanisms across positive and negative emotions. We tested whether similar overlap occurs in real-life facial expressions. During peak intensities of emotion, positive and negative situations were successfully discriminated from isolated bodies but not faces. Nevertheless, viewers perceived illusory positivity or negativity in the nondiagnostic faces when seen with bodies. To reveal the underlying mechanisms, we created compounds of intense negative faces combined with positive bodies, and vice versa. Perceived affect and mimicry of the faces shifted systematically as a function of their contextual body emotion. These findings challenge standard models of emotion expression and highlight the role of the body in expressing and perceiving emotions
