You know that face you inadvertently make when you just feel ‘UGH’? When you’ve just been copied in on the email chain from hell, been told that there’s an‘unexpected item in the bagging area’ when there quite clearly isn’t, or when you’ve received a passive aggressive Whatsapp from your housemate? Well, it turns out that it's a universal expression - and scientists are calling it the 'not face.'
According to research from cognitive scientists at Ohio State University, the ‘not face’ is used by native speakers of English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and sign language when making negative statements or responding in disagreement. In contrast to that common twenty-first century affliction Bitchy Resting Face (a default expression that looks unintentionally bored, judgey and ever so slightly bitchy), this is the face we pull when we’re actively expressing annoyance – whether we know it or not.
The study, which was published in the journal Cognition, identifies a furrowed brow (expressing 'anger'), pressed lips (for 'contempt') and a raised chin ('disgust') as the main features of the ‘not face.’ It also explains that the face is one we make instinctively – so you’ve probably been channelling Cher Horowitz’s ‘AS IF!’ expression without even realising it.
‘Most expressions don't stand out as much as the not face,’ said Aleix Martinez, a co-author of the study, explaining why although the terminology might be new, you’ll probably immediately recognise this particular facial expression.
As part of the study, researchers tagged images of 158 students as they had a casual conversation in their native language, identifying which facial muscles moved and in which direction.
Be right back, off to practice our most devastating 'not faces'...
READ MORE: 17 Things That Happen When You Have Bitchy Resting Face