"What's your first reaction on seeing this picture of Nora? Are you excited because she appears to be excited? Or do you react to her intent? Perhaps you think she's cute, or maybe even sarcastic. Ultimately you might have all of those reactions.
There's no doubt we're exceptionally fast at responding to faces, and to the emotions they convey. But reacting appropriately, especially when a face signals danger, could be the difference between life and death.
These two ways of reacting to a facial expression correspond to two possible intentions of an expression: to elicit an emotion in someone else, or to express your own emotional state."
By Dave Munger
From Denny: Boy! Talk about making snap judgments about a person or a situation! According to these guys, it's all wrapped up in how quickly the brain noticed something affects interpretation of your own mood as well. Definitely food for thought.
