Are you an open book, your face broadcasting every passing emotion, or more of a restrained poker face? Scientists at Nottingham Trent University say that wearing your heart on your sleeve (or rather, your face) could actually give you a significant social【C1】________.

The study is the first large-scale systematic【C2】_____of individual differences in facial expressivity in real-world social interactions. Across two studies【C3】_____over 1,300 participants, researchers found striking variations in how much people moved their faces during conversations.

【C4】_____, this expressivity emerged as a(n)【C5】__individual trait. People displayed similar【C6】_____of facial expressiveness across different contexts, with different social partners.

So what【C7】_____these differences in facial communication styles and why do they【C8】__? The researchers say that facial expressivity is【C9】__personality, with more agreeable and【C10】__individuals displaying more animated faces. But facial expressiveness also【C11】__into concrete social benefits above and beyond the【C12】__of personality. The researchers suggest that for agreeable folks,【C13】_____facial expressions may serve as a tool for building friendship and smoothing over conflicts.

Across the board, the results point to facial expressivity【C14】_____an “ affiliative function,” or a social glue that【C15】__liking, cooperation and smoother interactions. Expressivity was also linked to being seen as more “readable,“【C16】_____that an animated face makes one’s intentions and mental states easier for others to understand.

The findings【C17】_____the “poker face” intuition that a still, restrained behavior is always most advantageous. The results also underscore the importance of studying facial behavior【C18】__in real-world interactions to【C19】__its true colors and consequences. Emergent technologies like automated facial coding now make it【C20】_____to track the face’s volatile movements in the wild, opening up new horizons for unpacking how this ancient communication channel shapes human social life.

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