EXPLAINING HOW YOU feel can be difficult at the best of times but now scientists in the USA are trying to make things a little easier.
They carried out a new study of human facial expressions and came up with names for an even wider variety of emotions than we originally thought we could feel.
In a paper published in scientific journal PNAS, scientists from Ohio State University argue that we can feel up to 15 special ‘compound emotions’. These are created by combining basic emotions like happy and surprised to form ‘happily surprised’.
CNN reports that their findings will come in very handy for Japanese scientists, who are attempting to develop robots with the capability to provide home help for its aging population.
“In order to do that, you need to have a system that can recognize the expressions of the user” Ohio University associate professor Aleix Martinez told CNN.
Allow us to attempt to illustrate just five of the curious creations that made the list:
1. Happily Surprised
Easy peasy. You go Ben Affleck.
2. Angrily Disgusted
Over to you, Hank. Wash that mouth out.
3. Fearfully Surprised
Isn’t that just a combination of shock and worry? Gizmo’s on it anyway.
4. Disgustedly Surprised
We guess poor Luke Skywalker is about as close as you’re going to get there.
5. Sadly Angry
Taylor Swift’s all over that one. Like a rash.
Other new compound emotions include ‘fearfully disgusted’, ‘angrily surprised’, and ‘fearfully angry’.
We’re not sure quite what to make of them yet, so we’ll leave you in these capable hands.
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