Blank expression
{{Short description|Neutral positioning of the facial features}}
{{for|the song "Blank Expression" by the Specials|The Specials (album)}}
{{use dmy dates |date=January 2023}}
A blank expression, also known as a poker face, is a facial expression characterized by neutral positioning of the facial features, implying a lack of strong emotion. It may be caused by emotionlessness, depression, boredom or slight confusion, such as when a listener does not understand what has been said.
Another possible cause for a blank expression is traumatic brain injury such as a concussion. If someone has just been hit on the head and retains a blank or dazed expression, this can warn of concussions early.{{Cite web |title=Concussion: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments, Prevention |url=https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15038-concussion |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=Cleveland Clinic}}
Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, facial paralysis, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autism, may also cause a blank expression.{{Cite web |title=Lack of Facial Expressions: Symptoms, Signs, Causes & Treatment |url=https://www.medicinenet.com/lack_of_facial_expressions/symptoms.htm |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=MedicineNet |language=en}}
Poker face
The term "poker face" is described as a deliberately induced blank expression meant to conceal one's emotions, referring to the common practice of maintaining one's composure when playing the card game poker.{{cite book|title=Poker Face: Mastering Body Language to Bluff, Read Tells and Win|author=Judi James|publisher=Da Capo Press|year=2007|isbn=978-1-60094-051-4|page=17|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wFff23SFB2AC&q=poker+face}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite book |title=Poker For Dummies|author=Richard D. Harroch |author2=Lou Krieger|publisher=For Dummies|year=2011|isbn=978-1-118-05358-4 |page=22 }} This term comes from the special language used in poker,{{Cite web |title=Poker Face: The Meaning and History |url=https://www.pokertube.com/article/the-meaning-and-history-of-the-poker-face-414 |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=PokerTube |language=en-US}} and is not only about a person's facial expression but also other extraneous movements that could give insight into what they are feeling, such as clenching fists, bouncing a leg, or constant repositioning of their body and or cards.{{Citation |title=How to Make & Keep a Poker Face {{!}} Poker Tutorials | date=6 December 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7F1IkAJYc8 |language=en |access-date=2022-09-21}}
The first recorded publication of the term "poker face" is from the 1875 book Cavendish.{{Cite web |title=Poker Books by Genre |url=https://www.readybetgo.com/poker/history/poker-books-276.html |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=www.readybetgo.com}} Round games at cards, which reads "It follows that the possession of a good poker face is an advantage. No one who has any pretensions to good play will betray the value of his hand by gesture, change of countenance, or any other symptom."{{cn|date=December 2023}}
The term "poker face" was used outside the game of poker by American sportswriters in the 1920s to describe a competitor who appeared unaffected by stressful situations (an important skill when playing poker for money, to avoid giving an opponent any tells about one's hand).{{cite book |title=Toward a social history of American English|author=Joey Lee Dillard|author-link=Joey Lee Dillard|publisher= Walter de Gruyter|year=1985|isbn=3-11-010584-5
|page=169 }} It is similarly used with reference to marketers and salespeople during business negotiations.{{cite book |title=The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling a Business|author=Arnold S. Goldstein|publisher=Penguin Group USA|year=1981|isbn=0-452-26111-2 |page=154 }}
See also
References
= General references =
- {{cite book |title=Poker Face: The Art of Analyzing Poker Tells|author= Jan Hargrave |publisher=Kendall Hunt Pub Co. |year=2010|isbn=978-0-7575-7789-5 }}
- {{cite book |title=Poker Face in Mental Health Practice: A Primer on Deception Analysis and Detection|author= David Naimark|author2=Ansar Haroun|publisher=W W Norton & Co Inc.|year=2011|isbn=978-0-393-70699-4}}
= Inline citations =
{{Reflist}}
{{psych-stub}}