New research shows facial expressions are planned by the brain before movement, not automatic emotional reactions.

Photo-Illustration by Chloe Dowling for TIME (Source Images: Klaus Vedfelt—Getty Images, Tim Robberts—Getty Images, Kelvin Murray—Getty Images, Robert Recker—Getty Images, Howard Kingsnorth—Getty ...

Cats have 276 distinct facial expressions, a discovery that turns on its head the popular belief that our pet felines are aloof and just not that into us. In fact, cats likely evolved these various ...

Whether at a birthday party in Brazil, a funeral in Kenya, or protests in Hong Kong, humans all use variations of the same facial expressions in similar social contexts, such as smiles, frowns, ...

One indication that human nature is not completely determined by culture is facial expressions. Evidence shows that a number of facial expressions are related to similar emotions across cultures.