Professor Dr. Freitas-Magalhães was interviewed on the afternoon of 7 May, live, on Civil Society Programme, from RTP2, in a broadcast hosted by journalist Luís Castro, in Lisbon.

The interview focused on the scientific work developed by the Laboratory of Emotion Facial Expression (FEELab) at Fernando Pessoa University, which this year marks 23 years of research dedicated to neuroscientific study of emotion, facial expression, and the emotional brain. During the conversation, Professor Freitas-Magalhães highlighted the scientific importance of the human face as a universal system of emotional communication – “The face is a unique digital signature, a universal alphabet. The face is the great atlas of emotion.”

Throughout the interview, several of the main research lines developed at FEELab were discussed, including the Facial Brain Theory, such as neuromicroexpressions and the F-M FACS 6.0 system, considered the most advanced facial coding model currently available. Professor Freitas-Magalhães further emphasised that the human face represents “the visible language of the brain”, allowing for the understanding of emotions, affective states, and the neuropsychological processes fundamental to human experience.

The television appearance also provided an opportunity to mark the 23rd anniversary of FEELab, a pioneering laboratory at Fernando Pessoa University dedicated to the scientific study of facial expression of emotion, with internationally recognised research in the areas of psychology, neuroscience, medicine, emotional artificial intelligence and human behaviour.