Surprise: A big smile, with popping eyes, indicates a positive surprise. Something unexpected but unpleasant yields the eye-pop only. Either way, a short-lived state.
Interest: A calm voice and positive body language–leaning forward, for example–signal the genuine article. It’s a real desire to hear a partner’s opinion, not an attempt to influence.
Anger: The tone is cold or loud, the wording staccato. But honest anger, an internal state, is different from contempt, directed at the spouse. A fake smile, without raised cheeks, may mask anger.
Domineering: A “low and slow” voice often signals that one partner is trying to force the other to his or her view. Ranges from lawyerly cross-examination to blatant threats.
Fear: Outright fear is rare; a lower-grade version–tension– is more common. And a wife’s tension, if pronounced, can be a predictor for divorce down the road.
Sadness: Passivity and sulking can look like stonewalling or disengaging from a fight, but sad people maintain more eye contact than stonewallers.
Contempt: If prolonged, this expression is a red alert. Especially when accompanied by sarcasm and insults, it suggests a marriage in serious trouble.
