Can't Read People's Expressions? Alexithymia Might Be the Reason

What is Alexithymia?

Have you ever experienced this: - A friend gets promoted and excitedly shares the joy, but you whisper to someone: "Is he just performing happiness for us?" - Seeing someone with a serious expression, you joke: "Having a great day today!" only to get an eye-roll

Accurately reading others' expressions is really important. We observe facial expressions to judge others' emotions, then adjust our words and actions to build good relationships.

But some people genuinely have difficulty recognizing emotions—this is called "alexithymia." Research shows about 90% of adults can normally recognize others' emotions, while only about 10% have alexithymia.

Core Characteristics of Alexithymia

Alexithymia isn't an independent disease but a multidimensional psychological trait. Its core features include:

- **Inability to perceive and describe one's own emotions**: Like emotional amateurs - **Over-focus on external matters**: Difficulty detecting internal emotional changes - **Limited imagination**: Difficulty understanding abstract emotional concepts

People with alexithymia struggle to read both their own emotions and others' emotions.

Research Findings: Static vs Dynamic Expressions

Research shows people with higher alexithymia levels have poorer ability to recognize others' facial expressions. But interestingly:

Difficulty Recognizing Static Expressions

- People with alexithymia have trouble recognizing all expressions - Both positive and negative emotions are hard to identify - Insensitive to emotional stimuli like anger, disgust, fear, happiness, and sadness

Easier Recognition of Dynamic Expressions

- People with alexithymia more easily recognize dynamic expressions in videos - Dynamic expressions provide more clues (process from smile to laughter) - Time changes and movement processes more clearly convey emotional information

Why Are Dynamic Expressions Easier to Recognize?

1. More Information Clues

Dynamic expressions provide complete emotional change processes, from micro-expressions to full expressions. People with alexithymia can also recognize emotions through these clues.

2. Mimicry Mechanism Helps

When seeing dynamic expressions, we unconsciously mimic the other person's expression. This mimicry helps us better feel the other's emotions, improving recognition accuracy.

Relationship Between Alexithymia and Mental Illness

Many mental health issues (like depression, eating disorders, autism) involve facial expression recognition difficulties. But research finds:

- **Even excluding mental illness effects**, alexithymia itself still causes expression recognition difficulties - **Not caused by mental illness**, but a characteristic of alexithymia itself - **Can directly intervene for alexithymia** without treating mental illness first

Practical Psychological Advice

Advice for People with Alexithymia:

1. **Use dynamic expressions for communication**: Video calls convey emotions better than text chats 2. **Focus on expression change processes**: Notice how expressions change from start to finish 3. **Practice emotion recognition**: Train by observing expressions in movies and TV shows

Advice for General Public:

1. **Understand alexithymia**: Don't easily label others as "low emotional intelligence" 2. **Use multiple communication methods**: Combine language, expressions, and body language to convey emotions 3. **Provide patience and support**: Help people with alexithymia better understand emotions

Summary

Alexithymia is a common emotional recognition difficulty, mainly manifesting as difficulty recognizing facial expressions. Research shows dynamic expressions are easier to recognize than static ones, providing new approaches for improving alexithymia. Through understanding and support, we can help people with alexithymia better integrate into social life.