How many facial expressions are there?

Do you present the same face every time you're happy?
No! Every smile you produce is different because the feelings you're expressing are different.
Your emotions and reactions to each situation are different; therefore, you express them differently.
You have as many happy faces as there are happy events.

Researchers have often tried to define and count the various emotions we experience.
They use simple words to represent intricate psychological and physiological reactions.

In fact, understanding what a person is conveying with a particular facial expression depends on several additional factors; such as the context and the relationship between the individuals.

Your ability to create facial expressions was at its best when you were a fetus.
At that time, your skin was only slightly folded, and it was not attached to your skull as it is now.
Fetuses can deform their facial features in incredible ways, and can produce more intense expressions.
As you age, your skin thickens, because of the folds and the epidermis cells that pave them, and it is no longer as flexible as it once was.
Also, as the years pass, your expressions become less natural and more controlled; because you've learned that it's often better not to show your true emotions to others.
So, the only place you can appreciate genuine expressions is on children's faces.

Emotions don't disappear instantly.
They linger and simmer down slowly inside of you.
Your facial expressions show this.
If you're mad, it may take hours before you calm down.
During this time, you will still express other feelings as you experience them, but they will all be tainted by your being mad.
An observant human, especially someone who knows you, will be able to read all these subtleties on your face.

In reality, we often intentionally express several emotions simultaneously.
There is a limit to their complexity, but three, even four emotions can be displayed on our face.
This explains why facial expressions are so diverse, and cannot be reduced to a single name or meaning.

You possess a neutral, straight, blank, everyday face to which you revert when your brain is inactive.
That face is ugly, inexpressive and anti-social.
Keep this marble face to yourself, and make sure no one sees it.
Don't use it in public.

Presenting a blank, lifeless, absent, or deserted face is like cutting yourself off from society.
This demonstrates a refusal to relate; that can be taken as indifference, fear, contempt, vanity, disdain, aggressiveness, ...
It's also an indication that there's nothing going on in your head.

It is disturbing to see actors, celebrities, and ordinary people resort to cosmetic injections; since the toxin paralyzes their facial muscles, destroying their expressiveness.

In the wild, many animals will avoid eye-contact in various situations.
Looking another animal directly in the eyes can be interpreted as an aggressive gesture; therefore, it's best to look away.
Even within the same species, lower-ranking individuals will shy away from looking their leaders directly in the eyes.
This is a sign of submission, and civilized humans should not behave this way.

Establishing visual contact with the people you cross in society is very important.
It informs others of your immediate intentions: are you gonna go left, right, or straight?
Do you see me, or are you gonna bump into me?

You want to be part of society.
Developing social skills takes time.
Don't go through life ignoring the people you encounter.
Stop limiting your interactions to just family and friends.
Show your face, and relate with everyone you meet.