As an author, I’m constantly trying to get into other people’s heads to make my characters more interesting. But when it comes to verbally representing nonverbal cues, sometimes I realize my characters have smiled or cocked their head to one side twenty times in the last chapter. So I decided to try out Berkeley’s Body Language Quiz, a fun way to test your face-reading abilities (while also being treated to twenty handy diagrams pinpointing which features showcase each emotion).

In the end, the quiz told me I scored above average, getting 14 out of 20 expressions right. However, I’m ashamed to admit that I misread love. Flirtation, compassion, pain — all were easy for me to guess. But love threw a monkey wrench in my brain receptors — don’t tell my husband!

I’ll be curious to hear how you fare. Reading fiction is supposed to boost your empathy levels, but spending too much time with your nose in a book might make your face-reading abilities suffer. So what do you think? Are readers good at reading faces…or just books?