09-07-2025
Expert shares the telltale facial expression that can reveal if a person is toxic
A confidence coach has identified five facial expressions that 'reveal a nasty or toxic person'.
Self-styled 'charisma expert' Liz Rose, from Australia, believes that people's expressions - from 'the contempt smirk' to 'the micro-glare' - show 'exactly what their words won't.'
Liz, who has 147,000 followers on TikTok, told fans to be wary of five different looks that will expose even the most charming person as toxic or malicious.
She added that the meanings of the specific facial expressions are grounded in science, having been classified by the Facial Action Coding System (FACS).
According to The Emotional Intelligence Academy, FACS is a 'globally recognised tool used to measure and analyse the full range of human facial expressions.'
In a video that's been more than 201,000 times, Liz argues that toxic people, no matter how likeable they seem, 'leave micro-expressions that reveal their true nature.'
The first expression that can give someone away as toxic is 'the contempt smirk.'
For Liz, this 'subtle, one-sided smile' is a particularly harmful micro-expression, which indicates a person's contempt or their sense that they are superior.
'Research shows that this expression is a strong predictor of relationship breakdown because it signals disrespect masked as charm,' Liz elaborates.
Convinced that 'the face leaks what the mind hides,' she warns viewers not to mistake a smirk for warmth, explaining that it is actually a sign of 'ego'.
Next, Liz highlights the hidden meaning behind eye-rolling or 'rapid eye-darting.'
An expression that most people would have witnessed at some point or another, eyerolling signifies that the person finds someone annoying, she explains.
Liz says: 'It's a non-verbal way of saying, "You're beneath me."'
Eye-rolling or eye-darting might crop up in conversations that the person sees as 'unworthy of their attention'.
Viewers are equally reminded that if it is accompanied by derision or a head-tilt, it definitely indicates 'scorn.'
A nose wrinkle, while it might appear innocuous, actually reveals disgust, according to Liz - and is a huge 'red flag'.
@lizroseofficial
Some facial expressions silently reveal a toxic or nasty personality, before a word is spoken. Backed by the Facial Action Coding System, here's what to look for. #MicroExpressions #FacialCues #ToxicPeople #BodyLanguagePsychology #EmotionalIntelligence #facereading #facialexpressions #NonverbalCues #NonverbalCues #ReadingPeople #PsychologyTips #HumanBehavior #SocialDynamics #psychologyfacts #psychologyhacks #LizRoseOfficial #lizrose
♬ original sound - Liz Rose | Charisma Expert
When 'the nose scrunches slightly' and is accompanied by 'a slight upper lip raise,' it signals both physical and moral disgust.
'People show it when they believe that someone is inferior, embarrassing or weak,' Liz warns.
The fourth facial expression that suggests the person is toxic is 'the micro-glare.'
According to the confidence coach, this occurs when 'the brow lowers tightly [and] the eyelids narrow'.
While it is easy to miss, a micro-glare has the potential to alter the 'entire energy' in a room.
Most often it indicates that the person is annoyed - though it may also signal that they are 'plotting dominance,' Liz adds.
The fifth micro-expression to be aware of is what Liz calls 'the smile freeze.'
This is when 'the mouth smiles but the eyes stay cold, or [when] the smile lingers too long after the emotional moment has passed,' Liz says.
She warns: 'That's not friendliness, it's a rehearsed social mask and it always slips eventually.'
Liz's video received a great deal of attention online, attracting more than 350 comments in just a few days and sparking a passionate debate.
One person said: 'When I caught my friend give an eye roll with a scoff I knew our relationship was over.'
Another person had a different perspective, writing: 'I actually think people who make no expressions are the most dangerous.
'You don't know what's happening in their brain.'
Someone else was keen to find out if there were hidden meanings behind other facial expressions.
They asked: 'How about overly open eyes?
'One of my aunts will glare at people like her eyes will pop out. There's no expression anywhere else besides the eyes'.
Liz's video attracted a lot of attention online and provoked a passionate debate
Others, however, took a more lighthearted approach.
One person said: 'My husband is contempt face. 26 years together. He has other faces too'.
While a second added: 'Funny, I use all these facial expressions when I have to talk to men'.
Some TikTokers, however, rejected Liz's analysis, pointing out that the five micro-expressions that she identified could have multiple other meanings - or mean nothing at all.
