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THE EVIDENCE BEHIND THE EXPERIENCE
Curiosity, meet research. A traceable starting point. Supportive findings, conflicting results, and clear limits.
32 scientific sources. This is a targeted scoping review, not an exhaustive systematic review. Records distinguish full-text from abstract review. Evidence ratings are editorial appraisals, not formal GRADE ratings. Last reviewed October 31, 2026.
All research topics Deception & credibility Learning & training Culture & context Facial movement Neurodiversity 32 sources S012019
integrative review strong
Emotional Expressions Reconsidered: Challenges to Inferring Emotion From Human Facial Movements Facial movements carry social information, but the same movement can accompany different emotions and nonemotional states. Evidence does not support treating six familiar facial configurations as universal, diagnostic readouts of a person’s internal state.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S022006
meta analysis strong
Accuracy of deception judgments Across 206 documents and 24,483 judges, average unaided lie–truth judgment accuracy was 54%; judges identified 47% of lies and 61% of truths correctly. Audible information outperformed visual information.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S032003
meta analysis strong
Cues to deception The synthesis covered 1,338 estimates of 158 possible deception cues. Many behaviors showed weak or no discernible associations with deceit; effects depended on motivation and the type of lie.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S042019
review strong
Reading Lies: Nonverbal Communication and Deception The review concludes that known nonverbal deception cues are faint and unreliable, and behavioral lie judgments perform poorly. Popular beliefs persist despite contrary evidence.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S052008
laboratory experiment moderate
Reading Between the Lies: Identifying Concealed and Falsified Emotions in Universal Facial Expressions In this instructed expression study, brief microexpressions occurred in 2% of expressions and in 21.95% of participants. Inconsistent emotional displays often lasted longer than the study’s 1/25–1/5-second microexpression definition.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S062019
randomized experiment moderate
A test of the micro-expressions training tool: Does it improve lie detection? Ninety participants were assigned to microexpression training, bogus training, or no training. The microexpression group did not outperform controls on video veracity judgments; overall accuracy was slightly below chance.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S072011
two training studies moderate
Evidence for training the ability to read microexpressions of emotion Training improved brief-expression labeling compared with comparison groups, with retention after two to three weeks. One study also reported better third-party ratings of workplace communication.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S082012
experimental studies moderate
Body cues, not facial expressions, discriminate between intense positive and negative emotions At peak emotional intensity, isolated body information distinguished positive from negative situations better than isolated faces. Pairing faces with different bodies changed perceived facial affect.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S092012
cross cultural experiment moderate
Facial expressions of emotion are not culturally universal Computer-generated facial animations revealed cultural differences in the facial patterns observers expected to represent emotion categories.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S102016
cross cultural field studies moderate
The fear gasping face as a threat display in a Melanesian society Trobriand participants often interpreted a wide-eyed gasping face as anger or threat, while Spanish participants more often selected a scowling face as threatening.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S112002
meta analysis strong
On the universality and cultural specificity of emotion recognition: a meta-analysis Recognition exceeded chance across cultures, with an advantage when perceiver and expresser shared a national, ethnic, or regional group. Greater mutual cultural exposure was associated with a smaller in-group advantage.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S122022
observer judgment experiment moderate
Autistic Adults May Be Erroneously Perceived as Deceptive and Lacking Credibility Truthful autistic adults were rated as more deceptive and less credible than nonautistic adults in this interview-video study. The measured target behaviors did not individually explain the group difference.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S132019
review strong
Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal communication involves face, voice, body, touch, and interpersonal distance. Interpretation depends on the sender, perceiver, context, and level of analysis; measurement quality matters.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S14REF
official reference strong
Facial Action Coding System — official reference FACS describes visible facial movement in anatomically based action units. The official page identifies the revised 2002 manual and a separate proficiency test.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S152021
large scale observational computational study moderate
Sixteen facial expressions occur in similar contexts worldwide Analysis of six million videos from 144 countries found associations between 16 expression categories and contexts that were partly shared across world regions.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S162025
dataset review moderate
A Review of 25 Spontaneous and Dynamic Facial Expression Databases of Basic Emotions Reviews 25 dynamic, spontaneous-expression databases, including elicitation, demographics, frame rate, access, and ethics. Many datasets restrict use to academic research, with additional consent needed for commercial use.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S172025
uncontrolled pilot limited
An open label pilot study of micro expression recognition training as an intervention for low mood Three weeks of video training improved microexpression-task scores. The study found no improvement in social functioning; mood findings were exploratory.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S182026
training tool validation limited
The establishment of dynamic microexpression training tool Dynamic microexpression training improved recognition on the authors’ dynamic expression tasks, including varied background expressions. Published January 29, 2026, despite 2025 appearing in the DOI.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S192025
two training experiments limited
Training Humans to Detect Children's Lies Through Their Facial Expressions Adults trained on a surprise cue in a specific child-interview paradigm achieved above-chance judgments, but a persistent bias toward calling reports lies remained.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S202025
systematic review meta analysis moderate
Facial Emotion Recognition Trainings for Children and Adolescents: A Transdiagnostic Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Controlled studies generally showed improved facial-emotion recognition in clinical youth samples. Long-term outcomes were less clear: only three of nine follow-up studies reported maintained effects.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S212014
cross cultural experiment moderate
Perceptions of emotion from facial expressions are not culturally universal: evidence from a remote culture Himba and U.S. participants sorted posed facial configurations differently. Supplying emotion concepts made sorting more similar, showing that task instructions shape apparent recognition.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S222019
methodological reanalysis simulation moderate
Lessons From Pinocchio: Cues to Deception May Be Highly Exaggerated Reanalysis and simulations show that published deception-cue effects may be inflated by publication bias, low power, and sparse estimates.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S232013
laboratory expression production study moderate
How Fast are the Leaked Facial Expressions: The Duration of Micro-Expressions Participants attempted to keep neutral faces while viewing emotional videos. Analysis of 109 selected fast expressions informed proposed thresholds of under 500 milliseconds total duration or under 260 milliseconds onset.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S242012
two perception experiments moderate
Effects of the duration of expressions on the recognition of microexpressions Recognition of briefly displayed basic-expression pictures improved as exposure increased from 20 to 300 milliseconds, leveling around 200 milliseconds. Practice improved performance.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S252018
exploratory mock crime experiment limited
Microexpressions Differentiate Truths From Lies About Future Malicious Intent Negative expressions at thresholds of 0.40 and 0.50 seconds differentiated groups in a mock security interview. Restrictively defined 0.04–0.20-second expressions were rare and did not distinguish the groups.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S262012
laboratory emotional deception study limited
Crocodile tears: facial, verbal and body language behaviours associated with genuine and fabricated remorse Recorded genuine and fabricated remorse accounts differed in expression range, transitions between expressions, and speech hesitation. The study examined temporal and multimodal behavior rather than a single still face.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S272016
meta analysis moderate
Does Training Improve the Detection of Deception? A Meta-Analysis Thirty controlled studies showed a small-to-medium overall training effect. Effects were larger for verbal-content training; nonverbal, paraverbal and multichannel cue training produced only small effects. Truth and lie accuracy responded differently.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S282021
randomized training experiment moderate
Training Emotion Recognition Accuracy: Results for Multimodal Expressions and Facial Micro Expressions Sixty-seven participants received multimodal training, microexpression training or an active control over three weeks. Each training improved its targeted task; neither showed superior transfer to a patient-emotion-cue test.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations S292019
systematic review moderate
Facial expression recognition training for adults: A systematic review The review included 35 studies from 2013–2018; most reported improved recognition. Training formats, sample sizes, duration and reported effects varied widely.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S302000
three multisensory perception experiments moderate
The perception of emotions by ear and by eye Simultaneous emotional voice information biased judgments of faces, including when viewers were instructed to judge only the face. Facial information also influenced judgments of vocal emotion.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S312021
controlled training negotiation study moderate
The Effects of Emotion Recognition Training on Interpersonal Effectiveness In 83 same-gender student dyads, audiovisual emotion-recognition training preceded a negotiation task. Trained dyads reached more equal economic outcomes and received some more favorable interpersonal ratings than controls.
Abstract reviewed Findings + limitations S322012
review strong
Faces in Context: A Review and Systematization of Contextual Influences on Affective Face Processing Facial-affect perception changes with body information, voice, verbal descriptions, surrounding scenes, prior knowledge and observer biases. Isolated posed faces omit much of ordinary social perception.
Full text reviewed Findings + limitations The database contains bibliographic metadata and original summaries. It does not redistribute research footage, proprietary tests or copyrighted full articles.