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Here's an article from one of our heroes and contributors to Gottman theory

Michael Basta

Paul Ekman, Ph.D is the founder of micro-expressions, esteemed psychologist from U.C. Berkeley (which happens to be the alma mater of both Marcia Gomez and Michael Basta), and important, although indirect, contributor to John Gottman's landmark research on couples. Because of Dr. Ekman, Dr. Gottman and his colleague, Dr. Robert Levenson , were able to code the facial expressions of the couples in their studies, allowing them to determine the underlying emotions of the couples. Ultimately, these findings allowed Gottman and Levenson to disprove the idea that expressions of anger are toxic to intimate relationships, and to prove that the expression of contempt (along with criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling) is destructive to relationships. They further showed that expressions of contempt are the strongest predictor of relationship failure. 

Here is a link to an article by Dr. Ekman on why officials break the rules and think they can get away with it. We encourage you to check out his website, which among other things offers training in reading facial expressions. This training will give you the opportunity to read people like the characters on the T.V. show "Lie to Me". However, if you get known for reading non-verbal communication and predicting divorce, you do take the risk that you may get invited to fewer dinner parties. 

Happy reading and Happy Holidays from Sonoma Couples Workshops.