It is said “Face is the index of the mind and Eyes are the mirror of the soul.

Psychologists have identified a gamut of emotions which we portray with our facial expressions: Happy, Sad, Fearful, Angry, Surprised, Disgusted, happily surprised, Happily disgusted, Sadly fearful, Sadly angry, Sadly surprised, Sadly disgusted, Fearfully angry, Fearfully surprised, Fearfully disgusted. Facial expressions are vital in the communication process as they support our positive or negative views which help us to send and receive to understand the message. Our face is the organ of emotion and identity. We constantly read facial expressions to understand what others are feeling. The face also controls other powerful clues. Our identity is captured in our features, and our eyes which disclose important truths about us, even those which we like to hide.

It is difficult to control our emotions; our eyes tell it all. Our eyes express our feelings. They express our state of mind. Our eyes tell our physical and mental health. Eyes soften in love, they tell when we are happy or sad, they harden with anger, widen we are in fear, narrow when we suspect something, roll in frustration, look down or look nowhere when we are bored.

Some people find it very easy to express their emotions, whereas others are hesitant or unable to let anyone know how they feel. Some are reserved or slow to open, they are an introverted personality. Research shows that extroverts are more expressive and ready to talk instantly. Carl Jung the man who coined the concept introvert and extrovert personality said that introverts get habituated to control even their facial expressions.  

There is concept in movie making business which is called ‘Fourth Wall’. It is the space that separates the performer from the audience. Generally, in movies the characters talk to each other, express to each other on screen. This separates them from the audience; there is an invisible wall between the actors and the audience. To maintain the illusion of reality the actors must act as though the audience don’t exist. If an actor looks directly at the camera, it destroys the illusion.

But there is another concept ‘breaking the fourth wall’ I give here an example what it means breaking the fourth wall – in the movie ‘Kal hon a ho’ characters talk to the audience at various points in the film. Naina (Preity Zinta) talks to the audience about her family and her problems. Later, the other characters also get an opportunity to speak to the audience. When Aman (Shahrukh Khan) asks Naina the last time she smiled, all the other people tell us the last time they saw Naina smile. At a later stage, the people in the film told the audience the meaning of love. All these moments were done in a way that felt fresh at that time and stayed in minds of the audience.  This is an interesting way to get audiences to connect with characters. We appreciate expressive actors and actresses in movies and drams. Expressive actors use their eyes to fullest scope. Dev Anand, Nutan and Sanjiv Kumar were known for their acting prowess and expressing their feelings through eyes.  

Face is the primary channel through which emotions are expressed. By decoding facial signals, observers can understand an expresser’s emotion. Psychologists found that many facial expressions are natural and not visually learned. David Matsumoto says that spontaneously produced facial expressions of emotion of blind, deaf, dumb, and sighted and normal individuals are the same.

David Matsumoto is a renowned expert in the field of micro expressions, Director of Humintell LLC, a company that provides training to individuals and organizations in the field of law and order, is a world-renowned expert in the fields of emotion, nonverbal behaviour, deception, and culture. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1981, he majored in psychology and Japanese and received High Honors in both. A micro expression is a facial expression that only lasts for few seconds.

Matsumoto says when a person is angry, vertical lines appear between the eyebrows. Lower lip is strained. Eyes are in hard stare or bulging. Lips can be pressed firmly together, with corners down, or in a square shape as if shouting. Microfacial expressions of emotion have been considered a reliable indicator of dishonesty for decades.  Micro-expressions can reflect an individual’s subjective emotions and true mental state and the study is widely used in the fields of mental health, justice, law enforcement, intelligence, and security. 

Conclusion

Face is an index of our inner world; it conveys countless emotions without saying a word. Some people talk very little and believe in nonverbal communication. And the biggest truth is facial expressions are universal they are the same in all religions; a smile serves to be a universal language that connects people of all cultures and civilizations.

Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

If you are stressed out and don’t have time for a facial massage, or visit to a spa –here’s what you can do: cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that will reduce stress in your face, It works great on wrinkles too!!

Recline on the sofa with a slice of ice-cold cucumber over each eye. The cooling sensation helps sooth red and tired eyes; while the high water content works to reduce puffiness and can even eliminate dark circles. Just do it today.

Another use of the cucumber’s amazing attributes is that it acts as a diuretic. The next time you feel bloated – wash, but don’t peel and slice a cucumber. Add the slices to a jug of ice water and drink it down. You can easily shed with this your water weight. Try it; it’s simply amazing.

If you have just finished a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth, hold it with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

Cucumber is a natural astringent, so a cucumber facial is cleansing and soothing. Puree half a cucumber in your food processor or blender; add a few mint leaves to it, a tablespoon of lemon juice and an egg white. Mix them all together and then apply it onto your clean face. Leave for 15 minutes and rinse with warm water. Follow with a splash of cool water to close skin pores.

Recently the New York Times published loads of information and praises for cucumber as part of their “Spotlight on the Home” series highlighting maximum usage of it in our daily life. I give here under one raita recipe which is delicious and appetizing, very easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
•  Small portion of chopped fresh dhaniya (coriander leaves)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 chopped green chili
• 2 medium cucumbers peeled and diced
• Salt & sugar for taste

Whisk yogurt, add diced cucumber, limejuice, chopped green chili in a small bowl. Stir it by adding salt and sugar for taste. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and grounded cumin seed powder. Season it with half table spoon tempered oil and mustard seeds. It tastes amazing!

Because cucumbers are mostly water, they are low in calories. Even, a large cucumber contains less than 100 calories. You will not find any other natural element loaded with such immense nutritional value. Store cucumbers in your fridge always, and consume them regularly.