Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Sneer

A sneer is a facial expression of scorn or contempt, characterized by a slight raising or curling of one corner of the upper lip, often accompanied by a subtle head tilt or raised eyebrow.^[1] This unilateral lip movement distinguishes it as a key indicator of disdain, and it can also manifest verbally as a scornful tone or in writing as derisive commentary.^[2] The term derives from Middle English "sneren," likely related to Low German "sneern" meaning to snort or mock, with roots traceable to the mid-1500s.^[3] In psychology, the sneer is recognized as the primary expression of the emotion of contempt, uniquely asymmetric among basic human emotions and universally identifiable across cultures.^[4] Pioneering research by Paul Ekman and Wallace V. Friesen in 1986 demonstrated its pan-cultural recognition through experiments showing agreement rates averaging 75% in identifying the expression from photographs among participants from diverse cultures.^[5] Charles Darwin, in his 1872 work The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, described the sneer as a half-playful or ferocious baring of teeth and lip curl, observing its homologous forms in animals like cats and dogs to suggest evolutionary continuity in contempt signaling.^[6] Although widely accepted as universal, the recognition of contempt has been subject to some debate regarding cross-cultural consistency.^[7] The sneer's social implications are profound, often conveying moral superiority or rejection, and it has been linked to interpersonal dynamics such as relationship dissolution, where frequent displays predict conflict escalation.^[8] In contemporary studies, micro-variations of the sneer, lasting fractions of a second, reveal suppressed contempt in high-stakes interactions like negotiations or deception detection.^[9]

Definition and Etymology

Definition

A sneer is a facial expression conveying scorn or contempt, characterized by the raising of one corner of the upper lip, often referred to as a lip curl.^[1]^[10] This unilateral elevation exposes the upper teeth slightly and typically occurs asymmetrically to emphasize disdain toward a person, idea, or situation.^[4] The expression originates from instinctive responses observed across cultures, as documented in early studies of human emotions.^[11] As a verb, to sneer means to express derision, mockery, or contempt through spoken words, written statements, or vocal tone, frequently paired with the accompanying facial gesture to heighten the insult.^[1] For instance, one might sneer at an opponent's argument by delivering it with a jeering inflection. As a noun, a sneer denotes either the facial expression itself or the scornful remark uttered in such a manner.^[1] The sneer differs from related expressions like the grimace, which involves broader facial distortion signaling pain, disapproval, or intense disgust across the entire face, and the smirk, which indicates self-satisfied amusement or superiority without the visceral element of revulsion.^[12]^[13] In contrast, the sneer's distinctive lip elevation specifically signals moral or social disdain, setting it apart as a targeted indicator of contempt.^[14]^[15]

Etymology and Historical Usage

The word "sneer" derives from the Middle English verb "sneren," meaning to mock or scoff, which is an alteration of the Old English "fnǣran," signifying to snort or breathe heavily in derision.^[3] This root traces back to Proto-Germanic origins associated with imitative sounds of snorting or snarling, akin to Middle High German "snerren" (to chatter or gossip) and Danish "snærre" (to grin like a dog).^[1] Cognates in related languages include North Frisian "sneere" (contempt or scorn) and Low Dutch forms, suggesting a shared Germanic heritage emphasizing derisive auditory expressions.^[16] The earliest recorded use of "sneer" as a verb appears in 1553, in Gavin Douglas's Middle Scots translation of Virgil's Aeneid, where it denotes a mocking or scoffing action.^[17] Initially focused on verbal or auditory contempt, such as snorting in disdain, the term's usage as a noun emerged in the early 1700s, with the first evidence dated to 1706 in J. B. Morvan de Bellegarde's Reflexions upon Ridicule.^[18] By 1707, the noun form specifically referred to a derisive facial expression or statement of contempt.^[3] Over time, "sneer" evolved from its auditory connotations—evoking snorts or growls of scorn in the 16th century—to a predominantly visual emphasis on facial gestures by the 18th and 19th centuries.^[3] This shift is evident in 1670s usages describing a "contemptuous grin" and by 1775, explicitly "curling the upper lip in scorn."^[3] Related terms persist in modern Dutch, where "sneer" denotes a snide or contemptuous remark, reflecting ongoing linguistic ties to expressions of disdain.^[19]

Anatomy and Physiology

Facial Muscles Involved

The sneer expression is primarily produced by the contraction of the levator labii superioris muscle, which elevates the upper lip on one side, forming the distinctive unilateral curl characteristic of this facial movement.^[20] This muscle, originating from the infraorbital margin of the maxilla and inserting into the upper lip, enables the precise elevation needed for the sneer without involving lower lip depression.^[21] Unilateral activation of the levator labii superioris is key to the asymmetrical nature of most sneers, often occurring on the left side in right-handed individuals due to greater emotional expressivity controlled by the right cerebral hemisphere.^[22] Supporting muscles enhance the expression's subtlety and intensity. The levator labii superioris alaeque nasi assists by raising the upper lip while flaring the nostril, contributing to a flared nostril appearance on the affected side. Additionally, the zygomaticus minor muscle provides subtle cheek elevation and furrowing, adding to the asymmetrical contour without broad smiling involvement.^[23] Bilateral activation of these muscles is uncommon in sneers and more typically linked to intense disgust expressions, where symmetric upper lip raising occurs across both sides.^[24] Observable features of the sneer include deepening of the nasolabial fold from lip elevation and nostril involvement, accompanied by slight eye crinkling on the affected side due to cheek tension, while notably avoiding teeth exposure that characterizes smiles.^[25] This configuration results in a tight, curled lip appearance that conveys disdain without the openness of positive expressions.^[26]

Neurological and Evolutionary Basis

The sneer is primarily controlled by the facial nerve, cranial nerve VII, which innervates the muscles responsible for elevating the upper lip on one side of the face.^[27] Motor signals for this expression originate in the primary motor cortex, specifically the face area of the precentral gyrus, and are modulated by emotional inputs from the limbic system, including the amygdala, which processes affective triggers and relays them via amygdalo-motor pathways to the brainstem facial nucleus.^[28] These pathways ensure that the sneer can be voluntarily initiated through cortical control or involuntarily elicited by emotional stimuli, integrating sensory and motivational aspects of expression.^[29] Evolutionarily, the sneer likely derives from primate displays signaling dominance or aggression to deter rivals without physical contact, such as lip curls that expose canines in species like geladas.^[30]^[31] Charles Darwin, in his 1872 work The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, proposed that the human sneer represents a universal expression of contempt, evolving from the instinctive disgust response to foul odors, where the nose is wrinkled and the upper lip raised to exclude unpleasant stimuli; this gesture later generalized to metaphorical disdain for inferior social entities.^[32] These displays underscore the sneer's roots in ancestral communicative adaptations for social hierarchy maintenance. The sneer exhibits notable asymmetry, with greater intensity typically on the left side of the face due to right-hemisphere dominance in emotional processing, which contralateralizes motor output to the left hemiface.^[33] This lateralization aligns with broader patterns in emotional expressions, where the right brain's role in negative affect leads to stronger left-sided activation, as evidenced in both human posed and spontaneous sneers.^[34] Impairments in sneer production occur in neurological disorders affecting the facial nerve or its central control. In Bell's palsy, acute inflammation of cranial nerve VII causes unilateral facial paralysis, rendering the sneer impossible on the affected side due to weakness in the levator labii superioris and associated muscles.^[35] Similarly, Moebius syndrome, a congenital condition involving hypoplasia of the sixth and seventh cranial nerves, results in bilateral facial weakness from birth, abolishing the ability to produce any dynamic expressions like the sneer and leading to a mask-like facies.^[36]

Psychological Aspects

Associated Emotions

The sneer is most closely associated with the emotion of contempt, a universal basic emotion characterized by a feeling of moral superiority or disdain toward others, often manifesting as a unilateral raising of one corner of the upper lip.^[4] In psychological models building on Paul Ekman's framework, contempt is conceptualized as a blend of anger and disgust, distinguishing it from pure instances of those emotions by its emphasis on perceived inferiority in the target.^[37] This expression conveys a cold dismissal, signaling the sneer's role in asserting dominance without direct confrontation. Secondary emotions linked to the sneer include disgust, which shares an evolutionary basis in rejecting potential threats or moral violations, often overlapping with contempt in social contexts.^[38] Scorn, a form of intellectual or aesthetic dismissal, frequently employs the sneer to express derision toward ideas or behaviors deemed unworthy.^[39] Individuals who frequently display sneers often exhibit psychological profiles marked by narcissistic traits, such as hubristic pride, and reduced empathy, correlating with insecure attachment styles that prioritize status defense over relational warmth.^[40] These patterns suggest a facade of superiority masking fragile self-esteem, as dispositional contempt predicts higher envy and anger while linking to lower overall self-worth.^[39] The sneer is recognized as a microexpression in lie detection, typically lasting less than 0.5 seconds and revealing concealed contempt during deception. Ekman's cross-cultural studies confirm its recognition as signaling contempt across diverse populations, though some research indicates variability influenced by cultural norms.^[41]^[42] The sneer functions as a nonverbal cue that signals social hierarchy by conveying a sense of moral or personal superiority over others, often used to assert dominance or belittle an interlocutor during conflicts such as arguments or bullying scenarios.^[4] In interpersonal dynamics, this expression, characterized by a unilateral lip curl, communicates disdain and exclusion, positioning the sneerer as superior while dismissing the target as inferior or unworthy.^[4] Research in relationship psychology identifies sneering as a key manifestation of contempt, one of the "Four Horsemen" predicting relational dissolution with high accuracy, as it erodes trust and escalates power imbalances.^[8] As a nonverbal amplifier, the sneer intensifies verbal sarcasm by adding a layer of overt disdain, making ironic or mocking statements more cutting and emotionally charged, often on a subconscious level that bypasses deliberate intent.^[43] This automatic expression can lead to miscommunications, particularly in cross-cultural interactions, where the subtlety or intensity of such cues may be interpreted differently based on varying norms for emotional display, potentially escalating tensions or obscuring true intent.^[42] Although contempt via sneering is recognized to some degree across cultures, cultural differences in nonverbal decoding can result in unintended offense or misunderstanding during global exchanges.^[44] Gender differences influence the deployment of sneers in social contexts, with men more likely to employ overt sneering as a dominance display to establish hierarchy and women tending to use subtler variants of similar expressions to navigate confrontations indirectly, aligning with broader patterns where females prioritize relational harmony over direct power assertions in nonverbal communication.^[45] In modern settings like politics and media, sneers serve to undermine opponents' credibility by subtly mocking ideas or statements, often through dismissive facial cues that signal intellectual superiority and erode public trust in the targeted party.^[46] This tactic, akin to written "sneer quotes," amplifies rhetorical dismissal without explicit verbal attack.^[47]

Cultural and Historical Significance

Scientific Studies and Observations

Scientific inquiry into the sneer as a facial expression began with Charles Darwin's seminal work, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), where he identified the sneer as a key marker of contempt, characterized by the unilateral raising of the upper lip and corner of the mouth, often accompanied by a slight elongation of the face.^[48] Darwin illustrated this expression using photographs, such as that in Plate IV, Fig. 1, photographed by Oscar Gustav Rejlander, to demonstrate its role in conveying disdain or scorn toward others.^[48] He argued that such expressions served adaptive social functions, drawing parallels to animal behaviors observed in natural history.^[48] In the mid-20th century, psychologist Paul Ekman advanced this research through cross-cultural studies in the 1970s, confirming the sneer as a component of contempt, one of seven universal emotions recognized across diverse populations, including isolated tribes in Papua New Guinea.^[49] Ekman's Facial Action Coding System (FACS), developed with Wallace Friesen, codes the sneer primarily as Action Unit 10 (AU10: upper lip raiser), often combined with AU12 (lip corner puller) for unilateral contempt displays, distinguishing it from bilateral expressions like disgust.^[38] These findings underscored the sneer's innateness, with high recognition rates (over 90% in some studies) for contempt in global samples, supporting Darwin's evolutionary framework.^[4] Neuroimaging research in the 2000s further elucidated the neural basis of the sneer, with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies revealing preferential activation in the insula during perception of contemptuous facial expressions, linking it to disgust processing and moral judgment.^[50] For instance, a 2006 fMRI experiment showed heightened insula and amygdala responses to sneering faces expressing contempt compared to neutral stimuli, suggesting involvement in evaluating social threats.^[50] Comparative observations in animals parallel these findings; in primates such as chimpanzees exhibit unilateral lip raises during dominance displays or social rejection, and felines like domestic cats show similar expressions in hissing or threat displays, aiding group hierarchy maintenance.^[51]^[52] Despite these advances, significant gaps persist in understanding the sneer. Limited empirical data exist on cultural variations in its suppression, with East Asian populations showing higher habitual inhibition of negative expressions like contempt compared to Western groups, potentially altering recognition accuracy in intercultural contexts.^[53] Ongoing research in the 2020s focuses on AI-based emotion detection systems, which struggle with sneers due to subtle unilateral cues and cultural biases, achieving only 70-80% accuracy for contempt in diverse datasets, prompting calls for more inclusive training models. Recent 2024-2025 studies have explored the sneer's detection in video calls and social media, highlighting its role in online trolling and virtual interpersonal dynamics, with accuracy improving to 85% in updated AI models trained on diverse datasets.^[54]^[55]

Depictions in Art and Literature

In the visual arts, sneers have been depicted as markers of contempt and social critique, particularly in Renaissance sketches where exaggerated facial expressions conveyed emotional depth. Leonardo da Vinci's studies of grotesque heads, such as "Grotesque Head of an Old Woman" (c. 1503–1507), feature downturned lips and furrowed brows evoking disdain, part of his exploration of "visi monstruosi" or monstrous faces to capture human vice and irregularity.^[56] These works influenced later caricature by emphasizing distorted features to symbolize moral flaws.^[57] By the 19th century, French artist Honoré Daumier amplified sneers in his lithographic caricatures to satirize bourgeois hypocrisy and political corruption. In series like those published in La Caricature (1830s–1840s), Daumier's exaggerated facial contortions, including curled lips denoting scorn, critiqued social pretensions among the Parisian elite.^[58] His style transformed sneers into tools of sharp commentary, portraying them on figures of authority to highlight ethical decay.^[59] In literature, sneers often symbolize malice and class antagonism, appearing in early modern drama to underscore villainy. William Shakespeare's Othello (1603) employs the sneer to depict Iago's manipulative disdain, as when he mockingly refers to Cassio as an "arithmetician," sneering at his bookish inexperience in warfare.^[60] This expression reinforces Iago's role as a scheming antagonist, embodying scornful duplicity. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813) uses sneers to convey subtle class disdain in Regency social interactions. Miss Bingley turns away "with a sneer" upon Elizabeth Bennet's defense of her family, highlighting aristocratic condescension toward the gentry.^[61] Such depictions critique hypocrisy, positioning the sneer as a veiled weapon in interpersonal rivalries.^[62] Victorian novels further linked sneers to moral decay, portraying them on characters embodying societal ills. Charles Dickens frequently invoked sneers to illustrate habitual cynicism, as in his observation that those who "sneer habitually at human nature" reveal their own flawed judgments.^[63] In works like Bleak House (1853), sneering figures such as Mr. Tulkinghorn symbolize institutional corruption and ethical erosion.^[64] The portrayal of sneers evolved from literal descriptions in 18th-century conduct books, which warned against such expressions as breaches of decorum, to metaphorical scorn in modernist poetry.^[65] T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land (1922) employs "sneer and snarl" to evoke desolate, hostile faces in a fragmented postwar landscape, representing broader cultural disillusionment.^[66] This shift underscores the sneer's transformation into a symbol of existential contempt.^[67]

Representations in Popular Culture

In Film, Television, and Animation

In visual media, the sneer serves as a potent visual cue for contempt and superiority, often amplifying character motivations in narrative arcs. One iconic example is Cyril Sneer, the pink aardvark antagonist in the Canadian animated series The Raccoons (1985–1991), who embodies greedy contempt through his scheming expressions and disdainful demeanor as he plots against the forest's inhabitants. Voiced by Michael Magee, Sneer's character arc frequently highlights his lip-curling sneer as a signature of his ruthless business tactics.^[68] In film, sneers enhance psychological menace, particularly among villainous archetypes. Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Jack Torrance in The Shining (1980) utilizes intense facial contortions to convey descending madness and predatory intent during key confrontations.^[69] Similarly, Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) employs subtle facial expressions in close-up shots to project intellectual dominance and chilling superiority over interlocutors.^[70] Television representations often leverage sneers for satirical effect, especially in animated formats. In The Simpsons (1989–present), Mr. Burns' recurring lip curl sneer underscores his aristocratic disdain and manipulative greed, as seen in episodes like "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" where it punctuates his schemes against Springfield's residents. Reality TV amplifies interpersonal contempt through unscripted sneers, such as host Anne Robinson's pointed sneer at contestants on The Weakest Link (2000–2012), which intensified the show's cutthroat atmosphere and drew criticism for its belittling tone.^[71] Animation techniques for sneers have evolved from exaggerated hand-drawn styles to nuanced CGI, allowing for precise microexpressions that convey betrayal and emotion. In Disney's The Lion King (1994), Scar's sneer is hand-drawn with deliberate asymmetry to heighten his treacherous envy toward Mufasa, using bold line work for dramatic impact. Modern CGI, as in remakes like The Lion King (2019), refines these through digital modeling of subtle muscle twitches, enabling realistic rendering of contempt's fleeting nuances based on facial action coding systems.^[72]

In Literature and Music

In Janusz A. Zajdel's dystopian novel Limes Inferior (1982), the protagonist Adi Cherryson, known as Sneer, operates as a "lifter" in the underworld of the totalitarian society of Argoland, artificially inflating IQ scores to subvert the regime's intelligence-based class system and exposing its propagandistic absurdities.^[73] This character embodies societal scorn through his cunning and unsubmissive rejection of sociostasis, ultimately uncovering hidden external rulers and symbolizing rebellion against oppressive control.^[73] In punk literature, the sneer motif similarly conveys defiance, as seen in the broader ethos of works influenced by the punk movement, where contemptuous attitudes challenge establishment norms and cultural conformity.^[74] In music, the sneer appears in song titles and lyrics that evoke contempt and rebellion, such as the track "Sneer" by the experimental duo Rival Cinema on their 2017 album of the same name, which blends post-hardcore elements to critique societal structures.^[75] Rock bands like The Clash incorporated contemptuous tones in their 1979 album London Calling, where Joe Strummer snarls with menace and spits disdain at impending crises like nuclear error and social collapse, reflecting punk's urgent anti-authoritarian edge.^[76] Metaphorically, sneers in poetry denote intellectual critique, as in Alexander Pope's 18th-century satire Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot (1735), where lines like "And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer" mock hypocritical critics who subtly undermine others through veiled scorn.^[77] In hip-hop battle rap, verbal sneers manifest as diss tracks laden with derision, such as Nas's "Ether" (2001), which delivers scathing, contemptuous attacks on Jay-Z's persona and career to assert dominance in lyrical confrontations.^[78] The sneer motif carries cultural impact by representing anti-establishment attitudes in 20th-century counterculture novels, where it underscores rejection of materialism and authority, and in protest songs that channel scorn against oppression, amplifying themes of resistance across literary and musical expressions.

References

[1]
SNEER Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
1. to smile or laugh with facial contortions that express scorn or contempt 2. to speak or write in a scornfully jeering manner
[2]
SNEER | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
an unkind expression on your face that shows you do not respect or approve of someone or something: "How much did you say you earned last year?
[3]
Sneer - Etymology, Origin & Meaning
Originating in the 1550s from North Frisian sneere and Old English fnæran, "sneer" means to snort or show derisive contempt.
[4]
Feeling Contempt | Paul Ekman Group
Contempt is the only emotion with a unilateral facial expression, meaning that the expression is not symmetrical. The expression of contempt can occur with or ...Missing: sneer | Show results with:sneer
[5]
Charles Darwin: The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
Feb 22, 2010 · The expression of a half-playful sneer graduates into one of great ferocity when, together with a heavily frowning brow and fierce eye, the ...
[6]
Challenges to Inferring Emotion From Human Facial Movements
It is commonly assumed that a person's emotional state can be readily inferred from the person's facial movements, typically called “emotional expressions” ...
[7]
Darwin, C. R. 1872. The expression of the emotions in man and ...
Nov 20, 2023 · Darwin's book explores the expression of emotions in man and animals, including general principles, and special expressions of animals and ...
[8]
Continuities in Emotion Lateralization in Human and Non ... - NIH
Aug 8, 2013 · Darwin (1872) first reported that for expressions such as “sneering defiance,” the upper lip is “raised on one side alone in sneering at or ...
[9]
GRIMACE Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words
Synonyms for GRIMACE: scowl, frown, stare, sneer, smirk, mouth, glare, make a face; Antonyms of GRIMACE: smile, beam, grin, laugh.
[10]
https://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?viewtype=text&itemID=F1142&pageseq=1
[11]
The contemptuous separation: Facial expressions of emotion and ...
Compared to both anger and contempt, disgust is primarily defined as the sense of revulsion in relation to the sight, smell, or touch of an offensive object ( ...
[12]
(PDF) Contempt and disgust: The emotions of disrespect
Contempt and disgust share a number of features which distinguish them from other hostile emotions: they both present two distinct facets—a nonmoral facet ...
[13]
SNEER definition in American English - Collins Dictionary
sneeringly (ˈsneeringly). adverb. Word origin. C16: perhaps from Low Dutch; compare North Frisian sneere contempt. Examples of 'sneer' in a sentence. sneer.<|control11|><|separator|>
[14]
sneer, v. meanings, etymology and more - Oxford English Dictionary
The earliest known use of the verb sneer is in the mid 1500s. OED's earliest evidence for sneer is from 1553, in a translation by Gavin Douglas, ...
[15]
sneer, n. meanings, etymology and more - Oxford English Dictionary
There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun sneer. See 'Meaning & use' for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. Entry status. OED is ...
[16]
SNEER | translate English to Dutch - Cambridge Dictionary
a scornful expression, words etc that express contempt. minachtende blik/opmerking. He had an arrogant sneer on his face. (Translation of sneer from the ...
[17]
The repertoire of infant facial expressions: an ontogenetic perspective
AU 10 (levator labii superioris), which raises the middle portion of the upper lip in a sneer-like action and causes an angular bend in the upper lip and ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[18]
Anatomy, Head and Neck: Levator Labii Superioris Muscle - NCBI
Apr 20, 2024 · The levator labii superioris (LLS) muscle, also known as the quadratus labii, contributes to facial expression and mouth and upper lip movement.Missing: sneer | Show results with:sneer
[19]
Lateralization of the expression of facial emotion in humans
Thus whether smiling or sneering, humans show stronger emotion on the left side of the face. This chapter reviews research examining asymmetries in the ...Missing: psychology | Show results with:psychology
[20]
Facial Muscles: What They Are, Types, Anatomy & Function
A human face has about 20 main facial muscles which are essential to chewing and making facial expressions.
[21]
Lip Service: Disgust, Contempt & Facial Expression Science
Jul 25, 2013 · The reliable muscle for disgust is the raised upper lip (AU10 for the FACS coders). Even when the rest of the facial movements are missing, ...Missing: raiser | Show results with:raiser
[22]
A Wearable High-Resolution Facial Electromyography for Long ...
Feb 1, 2018 · One such masked smile is a sneer expression, representing contempt or ... levator labii superioris muscles in face-to-face interactions.
[23]
Facial Muscles and Human Emotions - ABMP
The levator labii is the “something smells bad” muscle; it expresses disgust, disdain, and contempt. It raises and curls the corner of the upper lip in a ...
[24]
Facial Nerve (CN VII): What It Is, Function & Anatomy
Your facial nerve (cranial nerve 7 or CN VII) is a nerve in your head that sends signals from your brain to parts of your face. It has many functions.Missing: sneer amygdala<|separator|>
[25]
The amygdalo-motor pathways and the control of facial expressions
Neurons in the amygdala and in the midcingulate face areas respond to the production of facial expressions by monitoring the expressions of self. Activity in ...
[26]
Spontaneous Facial Expressions and Micro-expressions Coding
Specifically, we show the cortical network system of facial muscle movement, introduce the neural pathways of the facial nucleus that control facial muscles, ...Missing: sneer amygdala
[27]
Muscles of facial expression in the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
Although chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have an elaborate repertoire of facial signals, little is known about the facial expression (i.e. mimetic) musculature ...
[28]
Darwin, C. R. 1872. The expression of the emotions in man and ...
Nov 20, 2023 · —DISDAIN—CONTEMPT—DISGUST—GUILT—PRIDE, ETC.—HELPLESSNESS—PATIENCE ... sneer graduates into one of great ferocity when, together with a ...
[29]
Gelada Monkey Portrait, threat display by curling upper lip - YouTube
Aug 27, 2018 · ... curling-upper-lip Gelada Monkey Portrait, threat display by curling upper lip. ... Vine or branch in hand, gorillas and chimps are emboldened to ...
[30]
Lateralization of the expression of facial emotion in humans - PubMed
Jul 2, 2018 · Thus whether smiling or sneering, humans show stronger emotion on the left side of the face. This chapter reviews research examining asymmetries ...
[31]
Asymmetrical facial expressions in portraits and hemispheric laterality
Oct 12, 2009 · Abstract. Studies of facial asymmetry have revealed that the left and the right sides of the face differ in emotional attributes.
[32]
Bell Palsy - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf
Oct 6, 2024 · Bell palsy is the most common paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve, with an onset that is typically rapid and hemifacial.
[33]
Moebius Syndrome | Johns Hopkins Medicine
Moebius syndrome is a rare condition that results from underdevelopment of the facial nerves that control some eye movements and facial expressions.
[34]
What Are Basic Emotions? | Psychology Today
Jun 24, 2024 · In the 20th century, Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions ... For instance, contempt might amount to a blend of anger and disgust.
[35]
Disgust and Contempt - Paul Ekman Group
Disgust vs. Contempt: Confused by these two emotions? This guide explores their key differences, physical reactions, and how to identify them.Missing: sneer | Show results with:sneer
[36]
What Is a Contemptuous Personality? - Psychology Today
Dec 27, 2018 · Contempt differs from other hostile emotions in combining disgust with disrespect. The disgust component is not the kind of disgust that most ...
[37]
Differentiation of joy and schadenfreude by electromyography
Numerous positive events can trigger a happy facial expression. People smile when they enjoy themselves or when a good fortune falls upon another person.Missing: sneer | Show results with:sneer
[38]
Dispositional Contempt: A First Look at the Contemptuous Person
Dispositional contempt was distinguished from tendencies toward related emotions and was most associated with dispositional envy, anger, and hubristic pride.
[39]
[PDF] "The Universality of a Contempt Expression: A Replication".
In every contempt picture the lip corner was raised and tightened, either on only one side of the face or more strongly on one side than the other by the action ...
[40]
The Four Horsemen: Contempt | Gottman Relationship Principle
Oct 10, 2025 · So are hostile humor, name-calling, mimicking, and body language such as eye-rolling and sneering. In whatever form, contempt is poisonous to a ...Missing: facial functions social hierarchy
[41]
Oh, SO Sarcastic: Diverse Strategies for Being Sarcastic
Mar 23, 2022 · Recognizing this exchange (and many naturalistic exchanges) as either sarcastic or non-sarcastic requires more information than just the words.
[42]
Four Misconceptions About Nonverbal Communication - PMC
As we shall see, however, casting nonverbal behaviors as instances of a body language is misleading, because they lack some key features of formal languages: (a) ...
[43]
[PDF] Is There Universal Recognition of Emotion From Facial Expression ...
sneer for "disgust/contempt"; revenge for "anger"; repentance for "shame"). The scoring method undoubtedly reflected the subjects' responses, but an issue ...
[44]
Sex Differences in Neural Activation to Facial Expressions Denoting ...
Nov 5, 2008 · Men displayed stronger brain activation than women to facial expressions of contempt in the medial frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and superior temporal ...Missing: sneer | Show results with:sneer
[45]
Gender differences in nonverbal communication. - APA PsycNet
Nonverbal gender differences are well established for a number of behaviors and skills showing (for example) that women use more smiling, nodding, gazing, and ...
[46]
Editorial: Understanding the Role of Non-verbal Displays in Politics
Apr 25, 2022 · Compared to previous research, this study suggests one, that gendered differences in facial displays may be waning when looking at public social ...
[47]
(PDF) Nonverbal Political Communication - ResearchGate
Jan 26, 2025 · In the panoply of visual devices, facial expressions have received particular attention, but research has also examined other visual elements, ...
[48]
The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals, by Charles Darwin
(7.) When a man sneers or snarls at another, is the corner of the upper lip over the canine or eye tooth raised on the side facing the man whom ...
[49]
Universal Emotions | What are Emotions? - Paul Ekman Group
While they vary in their onset duration and decline, emotions typically don't last longer than an hour. ... Ekman identified the six basic emotions as anger, ...Missing: sneer | Show results with:sneer
[50]
Preferential responses in amygdala and insula during ... - PubMed
Our findings suggest preferential involvement of different neural substrates in the processing of facial emotional expressions of contempt and disgust.Missing: sneer | Show results with:sneer
[51]
Cats have nearly 300 facial expressions | Science | AAAS
Oct 25, 2023 · ... sneers, smiles, and grimaces over the course of their 10,000-year ... Pet cats might have retained some of that defensive communication ...
[52]
Revisiting Darwin's comparisons between human and non-human ...
Jun 23, 2022 · Darwin (Reference Darwin1872) documented the use of an open-mouth facial expression in aggressive interactions between non-human primates.
[53]
Exploring Cultural Differences in Expressive Suppression and ... - NIH
Apr 4, 2018 · The present research explored the association between the habitual tendency to suppress one's own emotions and accuracy in recognizing the emotions of others.Missing: sneer | Show results with:sneer
[54]
Reducing Bias in Emotion Recognition AI - Gaslighting Check
May 20, 2025 · Cultural differences pose another layer of complexity for emotion recognition AI. How emotions are expressed and perceived varies widely across ...Missing: sneer 2020s
[55]
(PDF) Cross-cultural emotion recognition in AI - ResearchGate
Aug 10, 2025 · The research emphasizes that AI systems may fail to recognize certain emotions if they are not designed to detect diverse cultural expressions ...Missing: 2020s | Show results with:2020s
[56]
How Leonardo's “Monstrous” Drawings Inspired Modern Caricature
Nov 21, 2022 · “Grotesque Head of an Old Woman” is one of several studies by Leonardo exploring exaggerated facial expression and character that he termed visi monstruosi, “ ...
[57]
the grotesque, shocking side of Leonardo da Vinci - The Guardian
Mar 16, 2023 · A new National Gallery show reveals, he was also drawn to irregular, diseased and aged faces – all captured with mind-bending accuracy and compassion.
[58]
Honoré Daumier – Lithographs and Caricatures - my daily art display
Nov 20, 2013 · In my blog today I want to look at some of Honoré Daumier's political and satirical caricatures and lithographs.
[59]
Honoré Daumier Paintings, Bio, Ideas - The Art Story
Jun 17, 2017 · In 1835, censorship was reinvigorated, La Caricature was silenced, and Daumier then turned his attention to social satire, examining Parisian ...
[60]
Act 1, Scene 1 - Othello - Cambridge University Press
Aug 16, 2019 · 19 arithmetician Iago's sneer is that Cassio is a theoretical soldier with no practical experience of war, a point he develops at 21–6.
[61]
Pride and prejudice | Project Gutenberg
“I beg your pardon,” replied Miss Bingley, turning away with a sneer. “Excuse my interference; it was kindly meant.” “Insolent girl!” said Elizabeth to ...
[62]
Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen - Chapter 18 - Authorama
“I beg your pardon,” replied Miss Bingley, turning away with a sneer. “Excuse my interference–it was kindly meant.” “Insolent girl!” said Elizabeth to ...
[63]
Most men unconsciously judge the | Charles Dickens Info
Most men unconsciously judge the world from themselves, and it will be very generally found that those who sneer habitually at human nature, and affect to ...
[64]
Appreciations And Criticisms Of The Works Of Charles Dickens
So long as a thing was heroic enough to admire, Dickens admired it; whenever it was absurd enough to laugh at he laughed at it: so far he was on sure ground.
[65]
Oh behave! Conduct books for women - Trinity Hall Cambridge
Mar 8, 2021 · In the late 17 th to mid-18 th century there was a boom in the publication of conduct books for women, which instructed on proper manners and moral behaviour.Missing: sneer | Show results with:sneer
[66]
The Waste Land | RPO - Representative Poetry Online
344But red sullen faces sneer and snarl. 345From doors of mudcracked houses. 346If there were water. 347And no rock. 348If there were rock. 349And also water.
[67]
[PDF] On T. S. Eliot's Literary Views and Poetic Practices - CSCanada
Jul 26, 2018 · But red sullen faces sneer and snarl. Page 10. Copyright © Canadian ... In his poetry, moods, tones, attitudes and situations are often juxtaposed ...
[68]
The Raccoons (TV Series 1985–1992) - IMDb
The Raccoons: Created by Kevin Gillis. With Michael Magee, Len Carlson, John Stocker, Marvin Goldhar. The adventures of a family of raccoons and their ...Full cast & crewEpisode listUser reviewsConnectionsPhotos
[69]
The Shining (1980) ⭐ 8.4 | Drama, Horror
### Summary of Jack Nicholson's Performance in The Shining
[70]
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/
[71]
Picking on the famous | Comment | The Observer - The Guardian
Mar 25, 2001 · Last week Anne Robinson, 'the acid- tongued presenter' of The Weakest Link, 'sneered as a contestant failed to tell her the correct nationality ...
[72]
The Lion King (1994) ⭐ 8.5 | Animation, Adventure, Drama
### Summary of Scar in The Lion King (Animation of Sneer/Expressions Conveying Betrayal)
[73]
[PDF] PERCEPTION OF MICRO-EXPRESSIONS IN ANIMATED ...
The purpose of this research was to examine the perception of micro-expressions in animated characters with different visual styles.Missing: sneer | Show results with:sneer
[74]
[PDF] Krzysztof M - CORE
... Sneer, who entire- ly deserves his aptronym as a cunning, mistrustful, and unsubmissive man of the underworld. Sneer is a lifter: a person who makes his ...
[75]
Erasure, Culture, and the Working Class: On Cynthia Cruz's ...
Sep 28, 2021 · Cruz elaborates on additional modes of agitation analyzing the punk ethos and aesthetic. Punk “is a symbol of a sneer, of refusal. They are ...
[76]
Sneer | Rival Cinema
Sneer by Rival Cinema, released 12 October 2017 1. Horseshoe Theory 2. Bumper Caskets feat. Page Hamilton (Helmet) 3. Normandy 4. Elvis Presley Sneer feat.<|separator|>
[77]
The Clash: London Calling | Rave Reviews - WordPress.com
Dec 19, 2006 · In the course of the album he snarls with menace, spits with contempt, yelps with glee, howls (literally, wolf-like) in fear, drawls in a voice ...
[78]
Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot | The Poetry Foundation
Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer; Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike, Just hint a fault, ...
[79]
The 15 Most Scathing Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time - Billboard
May 23, 2024 · With a snarling Tupac sample saying “F–k Jay-Z,” Esco mocked Jay-Z for taking Tae Bo classes, how Eminem nuked him on “Renegade,” and his ...
[80]
The sneer factor: How punk permeates pop culture | The Seattle Times
Nov 24, 2008 · A generation has passed, books have been written and movies made, and folks who once wore their anger and their safety pins on their sleeves are ...Missing: examples | Show results with:examples