1 They presented subjects with pictures of faces—many faces—that they had never seen before. All of the faces were intended to have no discernable expression, that is, they wore neutral expressions.

For these athletes at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, the high emotion of the Olympics is written all over their faces.

That makes Beam’s waterworks flow again. “That’s kind of my trademark, emotional,” she says, apologizing for tears trickling down her face. “They’re just cool kids.” As a special ...