How the Experience of Emotion is Modulated by Facial Feedback

Overview

Journal J Nonverbal Behav

Specialty Psychology

Date 2018 Mar 3

PMID 29497224

Citations 8

Authors

Sven Soderkvist

Kajsa Ohlen

Ulf Dimberg

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The facial feedback hypothesis states that facial actions modulate subjective experiences of emotion. Using the voluntary facial action technique, in which the participants react with instruction induced smiles and frowns when exposed to positive and negative emotional pictures and then rate the pleasantness of these stimuli, four questions were addressed in the present study. The results in Experiment 1 demonstrated a feedback effect because participants experienced the stimuli as more pleasant during smiling as compared to when frowning. However, this effect was present only the critical actions of smiling and frowning, with no remaining effects after 5 min or after 1 day. In Experiment 2, feedback effects were found only when the facial action (smile/frown) was incongruent with the presented emotion (positive/negative), demonstrating attenuating but not enhancing modulation. Finally, no difference in the of produced feedback effect was found between smiling and frowning, and no difference in feedback effect was found between positive and negative emotions. In conclusion, facial feedback appears to occur mainly during actual facial actions, and primarily attenuate ongoing emotional states.

Citing Articles

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Dominguez-Oliva A, Chavez C, Martinez-Burnes J, Olmos-Hernandez A, Hernandez-Avalos I, Mota-Rojas D Animals (Basel). 2024; 14(23).

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Inability to move one's face dampens facial expression perception.

Japee S, Jordan J, Licht J, Lokey S, Chen G, Snow J Cortex. 2023; 169:35-49.

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"When You're Smiling": How Posed Facial Expressions Affect Visual Recognition of Emotions.

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The association of negative mood with automatic and effortful facial expression mimicry.

Kraft-Feil T, Ingram R, Gorey C, Luu J, Cross M, Pressman S Front Psychol. 2023; 14:1056535.

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An Audience Facilitates Facial Feedback: A Social-Context Hypothesis Reconciling Original Study and Nonreplication.

Phaf R, Rotteveel M Psychol Rep. 2023; 127(6):3170-3189.

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