Misconceptions

There are a lot if misconceptions, myths, and misunderstandings about FACS. Here are some of the more common ones.

Misconception: FACS teaches you how to recognize emotions
This is not true. FACS is a system for measuring facial movements. Granted FACS is commonly used to study emotion, they are two completely separate things.

Misconception: FACS teaches you how to recognize micro expressions
This is similar to the previous misconception. A micro expression is simply a brief full facial display of one of the seven basic emotions. FACS is a system for measuring facial movements. One way to think about it is FACS is like a foreign language, while micro expressions are like a phrase book.