Laboratório de Expressão Facial da Emoção

28/02/2026

PRE-SALE:

Read "Facephilia: From the Brain to Emotion" by A. Freitas-Magalhães available from Rakuten Kobo. Human fascination with the face is not merely cultural or aesthetic, but a fundamental neurobiological condition that co...

28/02/2026

PRÉ-VENDA:

Leia «Facefilia: Do Cérebro para a Emoção» de A. Freitas-Magalhães disponível na Rakuten Kobo. O fascínio humano pela face não é apenas cultural ou estético, mas uma condição neurobiológica fundamental que liga o cé...

28/02/2026

NEW BOOK RELEASE

The Facial Emotion Expression Lab (FEELab) proudly announces the publication of a new book by Prof. A. Freitas-Magalhães:

F-M Neurocultural Theory
Brain, Face and Culture in Emotional Expression

This groundbreaking work introduces the F-M Neurocultural Theory, a new scientific framework showing that human emotion emerges from the dynamic interaction between brain, face, and culture.

Integrating neuroscience, facial expression research, neuromicroexpressions, and the F-M FACS 6.0, the book redefines emotion as a neurocultural phenomenon — where biology meets communication and culture shapes emotional expression.

“Emotion is born in the brain, revealed in the face, shared between people, and shaped by culture.”

A new paradigm for understanding human emotion.

📍 FEELab — Universidade Fernando Pessoa
🌍 Brain • Face • Emotion

FEELab FMFACS Neuroculture ScienceOfEmotion Psychology BrainFaceEmotion

28/02/2026

FEELab Announces New Book Introducing the F-M Neurocultural Theory of Emotion

Facial Emotion Expression Lab (FEELab) at the University Fernando Pessoa (UFP) announces the publication of a groundbreaking new book by Professor Freitas-Magalhães, titled F-M Neurocultural Theory: Brain, Face and Culture in Emotional Expression.

This new work introduces the F-M Neurocultural Theory, an integrative scientific framework that redefines how human emotion is understood by uniting neuroscience, facial expression research, interpersonal emotional processes, and cultural modulation into a single theoretical model.

Drawing on decades of research in facial expression and affective neuroscience, the book proposes that emotion emerges from the dynamic interaction between brain activity, facial expression, social mirroring mechanisms, and cultural context. The theory integrates several pioneering scientific contributions developed by the author, including the Facial Brain Theory, the F-M Survival Triangle Theory, the F-M Mirror Face Theory, and the study of neuromicroexpressions, operationalized through the F-M Facial Action Coding System (F-M FACS 6.0).

According to Professor Freitas-Magalhães, human emotion cannot be fully explained through biology or culture alone:

“Emotion is neither purely neural nor purely cultural. It emerges at the intersection of brain, face, and social experience. The face is the meeting point where biology becomes communication and culture becomes emotion”.

The book presents emotion as a neurocultural phenomenon, positioning the human face as a central interface connecting internal neural processes with interpersonal communication and societal meaning. By transforming facial expression into measurable scientific data, the work advances a new interdisciplinary approach bridging psychology, neuroscience, social sciences, and artificial intelligence research.

With significant implications for medicine, clinical psychology, emotional communication, education, and AI-based emotional recognition systems, F-M Neurocultural Theory aims to establish a new paradigm in the scientific study of emotion.

The publication reinforces FEELab and University Fernando Pessoa’s international role as leading centres of research on brain, face, and emotion.

27/02/2026

Professor A. Freitas-Magalhães apresenta Facefilia — um conceito científico pioneiro que liga cérebro, face e emoção

O Facial Emotion Expression Lab (FEELab), da Universidade Fernando Pessoa (UFP), anuncia a apresentação de Facefilia, um conceito científico pioneiro criado pelo Professor A. Freitas-Magalhães, investigador internacionalmente reconhecido nas áreas da neurociência, psicologia e ciência da expressão facial da emoção.

Apresentado na nova obra facefilia: do Cérebro para a Emoção, o conceito de Facefilia propõe um novo enquadramento científico para compreender a face humana não apenas como meio de expressão, mas como uma interface neurobiológica fundamental que conecta os processos cerebrais à experiência emocional.

A Facefilia define a orientação humana intrínseca para as faces — a atração biológica, cognitiva e emocional pela informação facial — como um mecanismo central da comunicação social, da regulação emocional e do comportamento adaptativo. Segundo o Professor Freitas-Magalhães, a face constitui a principal porta de entrada através da qual a emoção se torna visível, mensurável e cientificamente codificável.

Assente em décadas de investigação e no desenvolvimento do F-M Facial Action Coding System (F-M FACS) e da Teoria do Cérebro Facial, o conceito integra contributos da neurociência, da psicologia evolucionária e da ciência afetiva num modelo explicativo unificado, demonstrando que a comunicação emocional emerge da interação dinâmica entre ativação neural, musculatura facial e perceção social.

“A Facefilia representa o reconhecimento científico de que o ser humano está neurologicamente orientado para a face. Desde o nascimento, o cérebro procura a face como o seu primeiro mapa emocional e a sua linguagem mais universal”, afirma o Professor Freitas-Magalhães.

27/02/2026

Professor A. Freitas-Magalhães apresenta Facefilia — um conceito científico pioneiro que liga cérebro, face e emoção

O Facial Emotion Expression Lab (FEELab), da Universidade Fernando Pessoa (UFP), anuncia a apresentação de Facefilia, um conceito científico pioneiro criado pelo Professor Freitas-Magalhães, investigador internacionalmente reconhecido nas áreas da neurociência, psicologia e ciência da expressão facial da emoção.

Apresentado na nova obra facefilia: do Cérebro para a Emoção, o conceito de Facefilia propõe um novo enquadramento científico para compreender a face humana não apenas como meio de expressão, mas como uma interface neurobiológica fundamental que conecta os processos cerebrais à experiência emocional.

A Facefilia define a orientação humana intrínseca para as faces — a atração biológica, cognitiva e emocional pela informação facial — como um mecanismo central da comunicação social, da regulação emocional e do comportamento adaptativo. Segundo o Professor Freitas-Magalhães, a face constitui a principal porta de entrada através da qual a emoção se torna visível, mensurável e cientificamente codificável.

Assente em décadas de investigação e no desenvolvimento do F-M Facial Action Coding System (F-M FACS) e da Teoria do Cérebro Facial, o conceito integra contributos da neurociência, da psicologia evolucionária e da ciência afetiva num modelo explicativo unificado, demonstrando que a comunicação emocional emerge da interação dinâmica entre ativação neural, musculatura facial e perceção social.

“A Facefilia representa o reconhecimento científico de que o ser humano está neurologicamente orientado para a face. Desde o nascimento, o cérebro procura a face como o seu primeiro mapa emocional e a sua linguagem mais universal”, afirma o Professor Freitas-Magalhães.

Esta publicação reforça o posicionamento internacional do FEELab e da Universidade Fernando Pessoa como referências científicas na investigação sobre cérebro, face e emoção, abrindo novas perspetivas nas áreas da psicologia clínica, inteligência artificial, educação e interação emocional humano-máquina.

Ao afirmar a face como um sistema neurocognitivo mensurável, a Facefilia marca um passo decisivo rumo a um novo paradigma na neurociência afetiva — aquele em que a emoção é compreendida através do diálogo contínuo entre cérebro e expressão facial.

27/02/2026

PRE-SALE: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/from-facs-to-f-m-facs-6-0-the-facial-coding-revolution-from-muscular-anatomy-to-the-neuroscience-of-emotion?sId=5eec4032-a899-453e-9a61-1847c1d948ff&ssId=Mr6qcZgL6R5EDU3Arhd3F&cPos=1

27/02/2026

PRE-SALE:

Read "From FACS to F-M FACS 6.0: The Facial Coding Revolution — From Muscular Anatomy to the Neuroscience of Emotion" by A. Freitas-Magalhães available from Rakuten Kobo. From FACS to F-M FACS 6.0: The Facial Coding Revolution — From Muscular Anatomy to the Neuroscience of Emotion demonstra...

27/02/2026

PRÉ-VENDA: https://www.kobo.com/pt/pt/ebook/do-facs-ao-f-m-facs-6-0-a-revolucao-da-codificacao-facial-da-anatomia-muscular-a-neurociencia-da-emocao?sId=898690f1-e2bd-4b0d-8604-5c10a2a98397&ssId=-YGXnm0sP1r-hXtOC8Edj&cPos=1

27/02/2026

PRÉ-VENDA:

Leia «Do FACS ao F-M FACS 6.0: A Revolução da Codificação Facial — da Anatomia Muscular à Neurociência da Emoção» de A. Freitas-Magalhães disponível na Rakuten Kobo. Do FACS ao F-M FACS 6.0: A Revolução da Codificação Facial — da Anatomia Muscular à Neurociência da Emoção dem...

27/02/2026

Professor Freitas-Magalhães Introduces FACEPHILIA — A Pioneering Scientific Concept Linking Brain, Face, and Emotion

The Facial Emotion Expression Lab (FEELab) at the University Fernando Pessoa (UFP) announces the introduction of FACEPHILIA, a pioneering scientific concept created by Professor Freitas-Magalhães, internationally recognized researcher in neuroscience, psychology, and facial expression science.

Presented in the new work FACEPHILIA: From the Brain to Emotion, the concept proposes a groundbreaking framework for understanding the human face not merely as a means of expression, but as a fundamental neurobiological interface connecting brain processes and emotional experience.

FACEPHILIA defines the intrinsic human orientation toward faces — the biological, cognitive, and emotional attraction to facial information — as a central mechanism in social communication, emotional regulation, and adaptive behavior. According to Professor Freitas-Magalhães, the face constitutes the primary gateway through which emotion becomes visible, measurable, and scientifically codifiable.

Building upon decades of research and the development of the F-M Facial Action Coding System (F-M FACS) and the theory of the Facial Brain, the concept integrates neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and affective science into a unified explanatory model. It demonstrates that emotional communication emerges from dynamic interactions between neural activation, facial musculature, and social perception.

“FACEPHILIA represents the scientific recognition that humans are neurologically oriented toward faces. From birth, the brain seeks the face as its first emotional map and its most universal language,” states Professor Freitas-Magalhães.

The publication reinforces FEELab’s and UFP’s international leadership in research on brain, face, and emotion, opening new perspectives for clinical psychology, artificial intelligence, education, and human–machine emotional interaction.

27/02/2026

Professor Freitas-Magalhães Introduces FACEPHILIA — A Pioneering Scientific Concept Linking Brain, Face, and Emotion

The Facial Emotion Expression Lab (FEELab) at the University Fernando Pessoa (UFP) announces the introduction of FACEPHILIA, a pioneering scientific concept created by Professor Freitas-Magalhães, internationally recognized researcher in neuroscience, psychology, and facial expression science.

Presented in the new work FACEPHILIA: From the Brain to Emotion, the concept proposes a groundbreaking framework for understanding the human face not merely as a means of expression, but as a fundamental neurobiological interface connecting brain processes and emotional experience.

FACEPHILIA defines the intrinsic human orientation toward faces — the biological, cognitive, and emotional attraction to facial information — as a central mechanism in social communication, emotional regulation, and adaptive behavior. According to Professor Freitas-Magalhães, the face constitutes the primary gateway through which emotion becomes visible, measurable, and scientifically codifiable.

Building upon decades of research and the development of the F-M Facial Action Coding System (F-M FACS) and the theory of the Facial Brain, the concept integrates neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and affective science into a unified explanatory model. It demonstrates that emotional communication emerges from dynamic interactions between neural activation, facial musculature, and social perception.

“FACEPHILIA represents the scientific recognition that humans are neurologically oriented toward faces. From birth, the brain seeks the face as its first emotional map and its most universal language,” states Professor Freitas-Magalhães.

The publication reinforces FEELab’s and UFP’s international leadership in research on brain, face, and emotion, opening new perspectives for clinical psychology, artificial intelligence, education, and human–machine emotional interaction.

By positioning the face as a measurable neurocognitive system, FACEPHILIA marks a significant step toward a new paradigm in affective neuroscience — one in which emotion is understood through the continuous dialogue between brain activity and facial expression.