The Mandatory Guide to Facial Expressions Now That Mask Mandates Are (Finally) Ending (For Now)

Though the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over (2,000-plus people die daily in the U.S. from coronavirus), mask mandates are being rolled back all over the country. On the one hand, we’re all eager to breathe free again and say goodbye to maskne. On the other hand, if we weren’t germaphobes before the pandemic, we definitely are now, and we’d prefer people keep their respiratory droplets to themselves.

Regardless of where you stand on masking (though if you’re anti, you’re dumb, let’s face it), the fact of the matter is that we’re all likely going to be seeing more of each other’s faces soon. And that means learning to re-read facial expressions. To that end, we’re going to help you remember how to recognize the seven universal emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, contempt and surprise) as declared back in the late 1800s by Charles Darwin in addition to a few we’re throwing in just for good measure.

It’s time to be a social human again, whether you like it or not. With this guide, you should be able to interpret others’ feelings accurately. As for how your interactions work out, we make no promises.

Cover Photo: Flashpop