Eckman is most known for his work on lying, but his work on emotions has always been more interesting and practical to me.

There is a debate about “equality” in our modern world, and though there is much to disagree with there, Eckman has definitely demonstrated the universality of human emotions. This alone is satisfying and worth the read.

But further, having emotions stringently described helped me to understand my own emotions, and people around me, much better.

This does tie into deception as well. Understanding emotions helps you see emotions without relying on people’s words, which sometimes can be deceptive - the emotions disagreeing with the words.

Your wife says she’s not upset. But what does her face say? Spotting emotions is a very useful skill.

Eckman’s writing is pleasantly easy to understand, even as it gets fairly complicated. Excellent work, highly recommend.