Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience
- Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Section I Theoretical Models of Emotion
- Section II Measuring Emotional Processes
- Section III Emotion Perception and Elicitation
- Chapter 9 The Perception of Facial Expressions of Emotion
- Chapter 10 Body of Knowledge
- Chapter 11 A Lifespan Perspective of Emotion in Voice Perception
- Chapter 12 Pain in the Brain
- Chapter 13 Olfaction and Emotion
- Chapter 14 Music, Emotion, and Reward
- Chapter 15 Language and Emotion Concepts in the Predictive Brain
- Section IV Emotional Learning and Memory
- Section V Cognition–Emotion Interactions
- Section VI Social Emotions
- Section VII Individual Differences
- Index
- References
Chapter 10 - Body of Knowledge
The Emerging Science of Emotional Body Expressions
from Section III - Emotion Perception and Elicitation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 September 2025
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience
- Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Section I Theoretical Models of Emotion
- Section II Measuring Emotional Processes
- Section III Emotion Perception and Elicitation
- Chapter 9 The Perception of Facial Expressions of Emotion
- Chapter 10 Body of Knowledge
- Chapter 11 A Lifespan Perspective of Emotion in Voice Perception
- Chapter 12 Pain in the Brain
- Chapter 13 Olfaction and Emotion
- Chapter 14 Music, Emotion, and Reward
- Chapter 15 Language and Emotion Concepts in the Predictive Brain
- Section IV Emotional Learning and Memory
- Section V Cognition–Emotion Interactions
- Section VI Social Emotions
- Section VII Individual Differences
- Index
- References
Summary
When thinking about emotional expressions, most would probably envision facial expressions (e.g., smiling, scowling) or vocalizations (e.g., crying, laughter). Here we focus on the emotional postures and movements of the body – an important, but fairly understudied, signal for emotion perception. During emotional episodes, humans often position and move their bodies in consistent ways that may (or may not) signal their underlying feelings and future actions. We briefly review the historical antecedents of this literature, as well as current knowledge on the neural processing, developmental trajectory, and cultural differences in the emotional perception of body language. We continue by examining the role of the body as a contextualizing agent for disambiguating facial expressions, as well as their inverse relationship – from faces to bodies. Future directions and speculations about how this emerging field may evolve are discussed.
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- Type
- Chapter
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- The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience , pp. 207 - 218Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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