In addition to being a world renowned psychologist in the areas of emotion, facial expression, deception, nonverbal behavior and culture, Dr. Matsumoto is a 7th degree black belt in the sport of judo and former Olympic Judo coach.
He was the head men’s coach for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Judo Team as well as the Team Leader for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Judo Team. As a result, he has seen athletes perform at such high levels for so many years and is well aware of the emotional ups and downs in high caliber sporting events.
Dr. Matsumoto even combined his knowledge of judo and psychology, when he conducted a study with congenitally blind individuals at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. The results of his study showed that facial expressions are innate and not something that is socially learned.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbB9RK32no0&feature=related[/youtube]
February 12 marks the opening day of the 2010 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Vancouver, Canada. Athletes from around the world will gather to compete for Olympic Medals in various sports.
Emotions often run high at top level sporting events. The Olympics is a great place to watch and observe people’s emotional reactions. Whether they feel the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat, all athletes, no matter what age, race, ethnicity or gender will show emotions on their face exactly the same way.
Watch the Olympic Games on NBC starting February 12th and comment if you see any great clips!