Action Unit 2 - Outer Brow Raiser
Figure 2-1 shows that the muscle that underlies AU 2 originates in the forehead and is attached to the skin in the area around the brows. It is the lateral part of the same muscle that underlies AU 1. In AU 2 the action is upwards, pulling the eyebrows and the adjacent skin in the lateral portion of the forehead upwards towards the hairline.
A. Appearance Changes due to AU 2
1. Pulls the lateral (outer) portion of the eyebrows upwards.
2. Produces an arched
shape to the eyebrows.
3. Causes the lateral portion of the eye cover fold to be stretched upwards.
4. In some people, causes short horizontal wrinkles to appear above the lateral portions of the eyebrows. There may also be wrinkles produced in the medial portion of the forehead, but they are not as deep as the lateral ones.
5. Don't be confused if the inner corners of the brows move a little bit. This is from the pulling of the lateral part of the brow by 2 and not due to the inner corner being pulled upwards by AU 1.
Compare images 2 and 0 and inspect the video of AU 2. Note in both the images and video that AU 2 is often stronger on one side of the face than on the other. (The action of 2 depicted in the video is not simultaneous on both sides of the face because of difficulty in voluntarily performing this AU.)
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| page 381 for score |
page 383 for score |
page 413 for score |
B. How to do AU 2
This is a difficult movement for most people to make voluntarily without adding AU 1. If you have difficulty, try the following:
· Make the movement unilaterally. It is often easier with one eyebrow than the other. Also, it may help for you to make AU 4 on one side of your face, pulling one eyebrow down while you use AU 2 to lift the outer corner of the other eyebrow.
· Lift your entire eyebrow, using both 1 and 2 (see the image 1+2 on
page 471). Then try to lift only the outer corners, using AU 2 without AU 1.
· Using your fingers push up the outer corners of your eyebrow to see how it changes the appearance of your face. Try to hold the appearance when you take your fingers away.
· Raise your entire brow (1+2), then holding it up as hard as you can, wrinkle your nose as strongly as you can so you look like the FACS image 9+25 on
page 473. Notice that the nose wrinkling pulls the inner corners of your brows back down, cancelling some of the effects of AU 1. You are left primarily with an AU 2 in your brows. Now that you can see what it looks like, try to do AU 2 without nose wrinkling.
C. Intensity Scoring for AU 2
The appearance changes for AU 2 are sufficiently present to indicate AU 2, but are insufficient to score 2B (e.g., a
trace of brow raising at the outer corners).
1. Lateral portion of brow pulled upward
slightly, changing the shape of brow,
and
2. Lateral portion of eye cover fold stretched
slightly.
If you did not see the brow
move then you must find evidence for the additional criterion below, and at least one criterion (1, 2, or 3) must be
marked with the other two
slight.
3. Horizontal or curved wrinkles above lateral portion of brow. If these wrinkles are in the neutral face, they must increase either
slightly or
markedly.
In a child, you might never see criterion 3. In such instances, if you did not see the brow
move then you must rely just upon criteria 1 and 2, but one of them must be
marked and the other
slight.
The lateral brow raising, lateral eye cover fold stretching, and wrinkling in the lateral part of the forehead of the criteria for 2B are present together and at least two are
marked, e.g., one step greater than
slight, but the evidence is less than the criteria for 2D.
The lateral brow raising, lateral eye cover fold stretching, and wrinkling in the lateral part of the forehead of the criteria for 2B are present together and at least two are
severe, but the evidence is less than the criteria for 2E
.
All the signs of AU 2 are present and the lateral raising of the brow, eye cover fold stretching, and wrinkling in the lateral portion of the brow are in the
maximum range.
| Problematic Combination of AUs |
Target Action of Adjusted Criteria |
Use These Criteria or See the Section Indicated |
| 1+2 |
To score 2B with 1 |
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| 1+2+4 |
To score 2B with 1+4 |
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Action Units or Combinations That Change the Intensity Scoring for AU 2
