Exploring the Use of Microexpressions in Market Research

One of the major criticisms of modern market research is that it lacks creativity, and rarely gets the consumer to express their true feelings. By applying the study of microexpressions in market research, it may be possible to provide marketers with a new form of accessing consumer's raw, unfiltered emotions. A microexpression is a facial expression that lasts less than a quarter of a second, and is a display of one, or a combination of forty-three distinct muscle movements that have been identified in the human face. Currently the study of microexpressions is being utilized in emotion research and criminal justice. By applying the study of microexpressions in an interdisciplinary fashion, drawing on the fields of marketing and psychology, it is possible to access information that was previously thought to be unattainable or unreliable at best; the genuine reactions of consumers. When attempting to apply the use of microexpressions in a contemporary market research setting, however, other technologies are more cost-effective and scalable.