HSA | FSA CARDS ARE NOW ACCEPTED

Last reviewed: May 12, 2026 Last updated: May 12, 2026

Written by: Jay Hastings , CEO of PlexusDx

Jay Hastings is the CEO of PlexusDx, a precision health company focused on genetic testing, blood biomarker insights, and personalized wellness recommendations. He has more than 20 years of experience across healthcare innovation, genomics, laboratory operations, healthcare investing, and strategic finance. His work has included scaling healthcare startups, leading CLIA lab integrations, and helping expand consumer access to precision health tools.

Medically reviewed by: Jayden Lee, PharmD, EMBA

Jayden Lee, PharmD, EMBA, is the PlexusDx Medical Science Liaison with a PharmD and MBA specializing in pharmacogenomics and clinical product development, with a proven ability to bridge the gap between genomic research and practical patient outcomes. Dr. Lee has more than 10 years of professional experience in clinical pharmacy, academia, and research.

Facial Emotion Recognition: Why do certain people naturally understand others' emotions while others struggle to read facial expressions?

People exhibit different levels of proficiency when it comes to identifying and understanding emotions expressed through facial expressions. Our examination today reveals how genetic elements affect Emotion Recognition as a vital aspect of Mental & Cognitive Health. The ability to recognize facial emotions (FER) requires multiple cognitive skills including perception abilities, understanding processes, memory functions and social knowledge understanding. The skill involves recognizing and interpreting facial expressions of emotions while understanding their context and storing related information for future recall. The development of this skill facilitates empathy growth and social intelligence advancement which helps people to handle social interactions successfully. Studies show that genetic factors account for approximately 35-60% of the differences among individuals in facial emotion recognition ability. Genetic factors play an important part in FER skill development but additional influences such as age, experience, cultural background, sex and brain structure differences also shape these abilities. Studying how genetic predispositions interact with environmental factors helps advance our understanding of improving facial emotion recognition accuracy.

You can enhance your facial emotion recognition ability by following these practical tips:

  1. Practice Makes Perfect: Perform exercises that require interpretation of facial expressions to develop your facial emotion recognition skills.
  2. Social Context Awareness: Examine the social environment where facial expressions appear because it reveals important information about the emotions behind them.
  3. Learn Emotional Cues: Understanding facial expressions requires learning the distinctive signals linked to various emotions. Learning to recognize facial emotions proves beneficial due to its capacity to develop empathetic understanding and build social connections.

The Precision Health & Wellness tests available from PlexusDx at PlexusDx.com as well as Amazon and Walmart enable you to understand your genetic foundations for Emotion Recognition and help you take action to enhance your cognitive health. Your capability to read facial emotions stems from genetic traits and environmental experiences. Your personal development journey becomes more meaningful when you learn about your genetic code and discover your unique pathways for growth. Embark on your transformative health and wellness adventure today through PlexusDx!

Medical and Editorial Standards

Medical review process: This article was reviewed for medical accuracy, scientific clarity, evidence alignment, and appropriate discussion of genetics, medications, supplements, biomarkers, and health-related claims.

Sources and evidence: PlexusDx educational content is developed using peer-reviewed research, clinical literature, reputable medical references, and, where applicable, public health or regulatory guidance. References are included at the end of the article when scientific, medical, or health-related claims are discussed.

Commercial transparency: PlexusDx offers genetic testing, blood biomarker testing, personalized supplement recommendations, and related precision wellness services. Product mentions are intended to help readers understand available options and should not be interpreted as medical advice.

Important disclaimer: PlexusDx educational content is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about medications, supplements, genetic testing, lab testing, or health-related care.