The Look of Contempt - From Ekman and Darwin

Several researchers throughout the years have attempted to nail down the look of contempt, the most notable being Paul Ekman. Ekman's findings suggest there is in fact a universal look of contempt spanning all cultures. Ekman's look of contempt involves a tightening and slight raising of the lip corner, primarily on one side of the face. Ekman is one of the few researchers I've dealt with (actually the only one I can recall) that charges you for use of photos - $175 to be exact. Which explains why you don't have an Ekman photo here.

Although Ekman is credited with identifying the look of contempt in the face, it was actually Darwin who first recognized the facial expression for this emotion. Darwin was even more detailed in his description. He notes that the nose may be slightly turned up, which apparently follows from the turning up of the upper lip; or the movement may be abbreviated into a mere wrinkling of the nose. (from Izard and Haynes)

References

Ekman, Paul. Emotions Revealed, Second Edition: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life

Izard, C.E. & Haynes, O.M. (1988). On the Form and Universality of the Contempt Expression: A Challenge to Ekman and Friesen’s Claim of Discovery. Motivation and Emotion, 12.1, 1-16.