final post - cats in the limelight, feels like its all right.

“It is the hardest thing in the world to put feeling, and deep feeling, into words,” Jake London, 1899 (p. 313).  I could have sworn that this was a quote from me because I am the worst at explaining my feelings.  I am however, very easy to read.  For example, if I am in a bad mood, the expression on my face gives it away.  Table 13.1 on pages 315-317 lists facial expressions and how they can be interpreted as well as the evolution theory behind them.  I find this interesting because a lot can be told through a facial expression, including the intensity of one’s feelings.  I feel as if this is a very important human trait for survival because a facial expression is one of the only ways for infants to communicate.  When a child is full of smiles, he or she is happy and wants to play, but if he or she has disgust in the face, then he or she is upset or hungry.  Emotion linked to facial expression seems to be an innate trait because at a very young age, children are able to express and play different emotions through their facial expressions.  When children want to play pretend, they are able to make a happy, sad, or angry face to fit the role they are playing in.

Also, at this time of year several professional sports are in the playoff season such as NBA and NHL.  The look on an athlete’s face at crunch time screams “motivated to win.”  When an athlete, for example Kobe Bryant, is locked in, it is easy to tell that he is nothing but motivated to win.  This attribute separates the average from the above average because after playing a majority of the game and fatigue should be setting in, their emotions are motivating them to fight through the pain and fatigue.  Of course everyone wants to win, but some people’s faces show that they have a greater will to do so.  In the final moments of an NBA game, LeBron’s face is screaming “confused” instead of “motivated,” hence the fact he is not clutch.