Do you want to know how someone is feeling? Try imitating them.

Researchers showed in recent study that people automatically mimic the expressions of others, and in doing so, it helps them identify the emotions those people are feeling. Participants in their study looked at faces with different expressions, like happiness and disgust. When their ability to imitate the facial features was impaired by clenching a pen between their teeth, however, this action diminished their ability to identify some emotions correctly, especially happiness.

Mimicry, the researchers suggest, helps people recognize the emotions of others. Perhaps next time you want to know how someone else is feeling, imitating their facial expressions may give you a clue – just make sure they aren’t imitating your bewildered face first.

Read another article about this research here.