You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile
Most people know it as “Resting Bitch Face” (RBF) or “Bitchy Resting Face,” but I prefer the less derogatory “Angry Resting Face.” Angry, sad, pissed off, irked, annoyed, bored: there are lots of different emotions that someone’s natural resting face can give off unintentionally. Unfortunately, this condition usually effects women. (Kayne West, however, is a good example of RBF on men.)
RBF is a term that has only been around since 2013, but it seems to perfectly summarize the neutral state of someone’s face. Scientists have studied this phenomenon amongst celebrities with computer analyses, and what they found explains why RBF is an actual thing that can be quantified.
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So THIS is why I have RBF…
The Scientists
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Jason Rogers and Abbe Macbeth are behavioral researchers with the international research and innovation firm Noldus Information Technology. They decided to investigate why some faces are seen as expressionless, but other people’s faces are off-putting. In other words, what exactly makes us judge someone with RBF and the assumed emotions behind it?
The Computer That Can Read Your Face
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Over at Noldus they have a fancy tool that was engineered to specifically identify human facial expressions. The software maps 500 different points on the face, analyzes its findings, and then outputs an emotional expressions based on eight emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, contempt, anger, surprise, disgust, and a neutral look.