Emotion Training

The Learn Emotion app is designed to help you improve your ability to read other’s emotions and your connections with friends, family, and coworkers. The multi-platform app makes emotional connection accessible: practice while waiting for a meeting, on the treadmill, or during your lunch break. Opportunities to develop your emotional intelligence start here!

The app is simple to use. As you click play, watch a video of real facial expressions then pick the matching emotion between answer choices: happiness, anger, sadness, disgust, fear, smug, surprise, and normal. You can zoom in or restart the video if you need to rewatch it.

After you guess what emotion the person in the video experienced, you’ll receive a pop up bubble with answer tips if you answered incorrectly. I have also included 2 training videos to teach you what each emotion looks like on the face.

App features include:
2 different people, both male and female, experiencing genuine emotions
Feedback on wrong answers with an explanation
Ability to play the video as many times as you need
Zoom-in capability
Teaching videos from Dr. David Puder on two different emotions

The full version of the app titled "Emotion Connection" contains videos of emotions and microexpressions recorded from 10 different people. Contrast this with other emotion training programs which feature actors or cartoons trying to intentionally demonstrate facial expressions for teaching purposes.

When we can understand what someone is feeling and thinking, we can understand their emotional experience and demonstrate empathy. When others see our empathy, they feel understood and an emotional connection is made. The ability to judge someone’s emotions can be learned, and can improve interpersonal and connection skills. When these emotions flash quickly on the face, they are sometimes called "microexpressions." They can occur in a fraction of a second and are not recognized consciously with an untrained eye.

Numerous studies show the benefits of being able to read someone’s emotional state. Research shows people with a higher emotional perception:
Understand important information about the other’s intentions or goals
Have increased aptitude ratings in jobs requiring interacting with others
Handle interpersonal aspects in the workplace better
Earn higher salaries
Experience less burnout in teaching jobs

Emotional connection and empathy are important in both work and interpersonal relationships. In a 1966 study, Haggard and Isaacs showed microexpressions were observed in therapy between a therapist and client. When medical students were trained in this skill it increased perceived warmth, overall engagement in simulated patient encounters, and ultimately lead to higher satisfaction scores (Blanch-Hartigan, 2012). In the 1970s, Paul Ekman, made famous by the TV show “Lie to Me” studied emotion extensively and showed that the there were emotions common across different societies. Other researchers have looked at facial expressions between mother and infants, showing how connection can lead to a stable attachment. Subsequently John Gottman recorded film of couples in therapy and using facial expressions and nonverbal behavior was able to discern if relationships would last or not!

Using this app is a first step towards learning this fundamental skill. For more information and more extensive training on how to read emotions and better connect with others, please visit EmotionConnection.com.

Find out more info and see more videos at EmotionConnection.com

If you have any questions or suggestions for the app, please email dr@davidpuder.com