Emotional Intelligence and the Recognition of Emotion from Facid Expressions

Emotional of emotions in intelligence-the "accurate appraisal and expres-oneself and others and the regulation of emotion in a way that enhances living" (Mayer, DiPaolo, & Salovey, 1990, p. 772)-encompasses a set of interrelated skills and processes. Because the face is the primary canvas used to express distinct emotions nonverbally (Ekrnan, 1965), the ability to read facial expressions is particularly vital, and thus a crucial component of emotional intelligence. Facial expressions are privileged relative to other nonverbal "chan-nels" of communication, such as vocal inflections and body movements. Facial expressions appear to be the most subject to conscious control (Zuckennan, DePaulo, & Rosenthal, 1986). Individuals focus more attention on projecting their own facial expressions and perceiving oth-ers' facial expressions than they do on other nonverbal channels (Noller, 1985) and often more than they focus on verbal communication (Friedman, 1978). We are so primed to read facial expressions that we often read expressions into neutral faces, perceiving static facial features as indicative sf emotional or personality traits (Laser & Mathie, 1982; Zebrowitz, 1997). People are more accurate in recognizing facial expressions relative to other kinds of expressive information (Boyatzis