The most expressive side of the face

Most of the people expose the left cheek when taking a selfie. This unconscious bias may improve the communication of emotions.

Selfie takers across the world prefer showing the left cheek more than the right cheek. This preference has neurobiological origins. Because the lower two-thirds of the face is contralaterally controlled, the emotion-dominant right hemisphere innervates the lower left hemiface, resulting in more intense expressions. Thus whether smiling or sneering, humans show stronger emotion on the left side of the face. Many artists of the past may have realized this difference in expressiveness between the two sides of the face. A study published on Nature in the ’70s examined portrait paintings over the last five centuries and found that most models showed their left cheek in the portraits. However, most of us are unaware they are exposing the left cheek when taking a selfie. Despite the absence of conscious awareness, when conveying emotion we intuitively favor the more expressive left cheek.