<p>This is usually referred to as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_expression" rel="nofollow noreferrer">emotional expression</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affect_display" rel="nofollow noreferrer">affect display</a>, which can be verbal as well as non-verbal, whereas <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language" rel="nofollow noreferrer">body language</a> is exclusively non-verbal, and not exclusive to emotion.</p>
<p>This function can certainly go <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_expression#Disorders" rel="nofollow noreferrer">wrong</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There are a few disorders that show deficiency in emotional expression
and response. These include alexithymia, autism, hypomimia and
involuntary expression disorder.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affect_display#Disorders_and_physical_disabilities" rel="nofollow noreferrer">also</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Disorders involving ... reduced affect displays most commonly include
schizophrenia, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, autism and
persons with traumatic brain injuries.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, afflicted individuals do not typically substitute one expression for another - they usually either do not express some emotions (eg, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spock" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Spock</a>, who would have been diagnosed with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia" rel="nofollow noreferrer">alexithymia</a>), or they express some emotions inappropriately (eg, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(2019_film)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Joker</a>, who presumably suffers from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudobulbar_affect" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PBA</a>).  It's unlikely that someone would express happiness by tapping their foot, or laughter by blinking their eyes.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-09-16T03:48:42.647Z
2020-09-16T03:48:42.647Z
Arnon Weinberg
<p>Are there neurological or psychological disorders that do not affect emotions per se, but affect how they are expressed physically by the body?</p>
<p>For example, normally positive emotions are associated with the tips of the lips curling upwards; do some people express positive emotions in different ways?</p>
<p>Alternatively, when an average person finds something funny, for some period of time they breathe abnormally (so-called laughter); could some people's reaction entail e.g. blinking instead of that?</p>

<emotion><abnormal-psychology><body-language><disorder><emotional-expression>
Disorders altering body language?
Wolf
# Disorders altering body language?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-09-13)

Are there neurological or psychological disorders that do not affect emotions per se, but affect how they are expressed physically by the body?

For example, normally positive emotions are associated with the tips of the lips curling upwards; do some people express positive emotions in different ways?

Alternatively, when an average person finds something funny, for some period of time they breathe abnormally (so-called laughter); could some people's reaction entail e.g. blinking instead of that?

**Tags:** emotion, abnormal-psychology, body-language, disorder, emotional-expression


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-09-16. Score: 3

This is usually referred to as [emotional expression](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_expression) or [affect display](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affect_display), which can be verbal as well as non-verbal, whereas [body language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language) is exclusively non-verbal, and not exclusive to emotion.

This function can certainly go [wrong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_expression#Disorders):

> There are a few disorders that show deficiency in emotional expression
> and response. These include alexithymia, autism, hypomimia and
> involuntary expression disorder.

And [also](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affect_display#Disorders_and_physical_disabilities):

> Disorders involving ... reduced affect displays most commonly include
> schizophrenia, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, autism and
> persons with traumatic brain injuries.

However, afflicted individuals do not typically substitute one expression for another - they usually either do not express some emotions (eg, [Spock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spock), who would have been diagnosed with [alexithymia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia)), or they express some emotions inappropriately (eg, the [Joker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(2019_film)), who presumably suffers from [PBA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudobulbar_affect)). It's unlikely that someone would express happiness by tapping their foot, or laughter by blinking their eyes.


---

