You prepared thoroughly for a presentation at work, and now you’re dropping wisdom to a packed room. Much as you expected, your colleagues appear wowed and fascinated—except for a guy in the front row. He looks confused. Mid-sentence, you try flashing him your megawatt smile, but he just seems more perplexed, maybe even a bit angry. Your voice falters.

Yes, guy-in-front-row may detest you. More likely, though, you’ve just encountered what some psychologists and body-language experts call RBF, or “resting bothered face.” (An edgier term is used in internet meme-parlance.) It’s a facial expression the owner thinks is neutral, while others view it as irritated or disapproving.

Misreading facial expressions isn’t trivial. It’s part of a deeper issue: increasingly , people feel misunde

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