Researchers explain the science behind Resting Bitch Face with surprising results

RESEARCHERS have explored why many of us look perpetually moody without meaning to — and the reasons are surprising, if not a little sad.

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 27: Kristen Stewart attends the Chanel show as part of Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2015 on January 27, 2015 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

“NO, I’m not angry, that’s just my face.”

Is this a familiar line? If so, you’re likely a victim of so-called ‘Resting Bitch Face’.

Many of us identify as sufferers, and A-listers are far from immune. Heck, Kanye West and Kristen Stewart are practically the king and queen of the much-mocked, unintentional sourpuss expression that comes off as hostile, judgmental or bored.

So a couple of researchers decided to explore the science behind the phenomenon that is frequently labelled a ‘female problem’. And the results are surprising, if not a little sad.

Actress Kristen Stewart. Picture: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Kanye West. Picture: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Jason Rogers and Abbe Macbeth, from Holland’s Noldus Information Technology, sought to answer why some resting faces are seen as expressionless, while others are deemed somewhat moody, Washington Post reports.

They used a hi-tech tool to read human expressions by mapping and analysing 500 points on the face to assign one of eight basic emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, contempt, and neutral.

Rogers and Macbeth found genuinely expressionless faces registered about 97 per cent neutrality, with the remainder showing “little blips of emotion” like sadness and surprise.

Actress Anna Kendrick. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II. Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty

But when expressionless photos of some of the Resting Bitch Face royalty were scanned, the level of emotion detected doubled to six per cent.

One specific emotion was the culprit: contempt.

Rogers explained that this was determined by small signals such as minor eye squinting or tightening. Slightly pulling back of one side of the mouth or raising the lip corners can also result in a look of contempt.

Macbeth said the cues in the neutral expression relaying contempt were understated, but nonetheless detected by the software in the same way our brains would.

Designer Karl Lagerfeld. Picture: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty

Victoria Beckham circa 2007. Picture: Getty

Interestingly, the machine — which is free of gender bias — detected Resting Bitch Face equally in men’s and women’s faces.

So researchers believe the assumption that the ‘condition’ mostly afflicts women is because of social norms, not facial physiology.

“(It’s) expected from women far more than it’s expected from men, and there’s a lot of anecdotal articles and scientific literature on that,” Macbeth said.

“So RBF isn’t necessarily something that occurs more in women, but we’re more attuned to notice it in women because women have more pressure on them to be happy and smiley and to get along with others.”