Face to Face Contact as Viewed by the Three Social Sciences

Although it is often done subconsciously, face to face contact is one of the most important ways humans and some animals communicate. Small changes in eye movements, a furrowed brow, or twitches in the corners of a mouth (called micro expression) are all ways which we can pick up someone’s true emotions—even if these emotions go against to what the person is trying to communicate verbally. Before verbal communication, micro and macro expressions in people’s faces and body language was the only way to converse. However even now with strongly developed languages, face to face contact still allows for an inside look to a person’s emotions or feelings.

                Micro and macro expressions exhibited during face to face is of particular interest to psychologists for many reasons. These expressions and reactions to things said during a conversation can be used to figure out what someone is really thinking about the conversation. Macro expressions are not to difficult for most people to figure out. A furrowed brow, a lack of sustained eye contact, or fidgeting can easily be attributed to nervousness or boredom. However, when it comes to more complex emotions, such as whether someone is being truthful or not, one must resort to reading micro expressions, a feat which is much harder to accomplish without many years of training.

                Face to face contact is a very personal thing and tends to be associated with affecting individuals more readily than society as a whole. However, with today’s increases of interactions over text messaging, phone calls, or the internet, it must be asked what the sociological impact of having reduced face to face contact will be. It is likely that any change will be neither positive nor negative to society as a whole. On a positive not, people can communicate faster and more efficiently. However, without face to face interactions, it can be hard to tell exactly what someone is trying to communicate and misunderstandings may become more prevalent. So long as we, as a society learn to adapt positively to shorter, less detailed or informative communications, there will be no negative impact on society.