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Wood A, Rychlowska M, Korb S, Niedenthal P. Fashioning the Face: Sensorimotor Simulation Contributes to Facial Expression Recognition. Trends Cogn Sci 2016; 20:227-240. [PMID: 26876363 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/31/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
When we observe a facial expression of emotion, we often mimic it. This automatic mimicry reflects underlying sensorimotor simulation that supports accurate emotion recognition. Why this is so is becoming more obvious: emotions are patterns of expressive, behavioral, physiological, and subjective feeling responses. Activation of one component can therefore automatically activate other components. When people simulate a perceived facial expression, they partially activate the corresponding emotional state in themselves, which provides a basis for inferring the underlying emotion of the expresser. We integrate recent evidence in favor of a role for sensorimotor simulation in emotion recognition. We then connect this account to a domain-general understanding of how sensory information from multiple modalities is integrated to generate perceptual predictions in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienne Wood
- University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1202 West Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | | | - Sebastian Korb
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Paula Niedenthal
- University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1202 West Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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152
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Mauersberger H, Blaison C, Kafetsios K, Kessler C, Hess U. Individual Differences in Emotional Mimicry: Underlying Traits and Social Consequences. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/per.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Mimicry, the imitation of the nonverbal behaviour of others, serves to establish affiliation and to smoothen social interactions. The present research aimed to disentangle rapid facial reactions (RFRs) to affiliative emotions from RFRs to nonaffiliative emotions from a trait perspective. In line with the Mimicry in Social Context Model by Hess and Fischer, we expected that only the former are mimicry responses indicative of underlying social relating competence and predictive of social satisfaction, whereas the latter superficially resemble mimicry responses and are driven by social relating incompetence and have opposite effects on social satisfaction. Further, we assumed that social relating competence would moderate the relationship between stable individuals‘ tendencies to show (mal)adaptive RFRs and social satisfaction. To test these hypotheses, 108 participants first completed scales measuring social relating competence, then participated in a mimicry laboratory task and finally evaluated their naturally occurring social interactions for 10 days. Affiliative RFRs to sadness were related to proximal indices of social relating competence and predicted positive social interactions, whereas nonaffiliative RFRs to disgust were related to social relating incompetence and predicted negative social interactions. By contrast, neither affiliative RFRs to happiness nor nonaffiliative RFRs to anger were linked to proximal indices of social relating competence, and both RFRs were only (dys)functional for interaction quality in less social relating–competent individuals. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Mauersberger
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christophe Blaison
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Ursula Hess
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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153
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Ondobaka S, Kilner J, Friston K. The role of interoceptive inference in theory of mind. Brain Cogn 2015; 112:64-68. [PMID: 26275633 PMCID: PMC5312780 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2015.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Inferring the intentions and beliefs of another is an ability that is fundamental for social and affiliative interactions. A substantial amount of empirical evidence suggests that making sense of another's intentional and belief states (i.e. theory of mind) relies on exteroceptive (e.g. visual and auditory) and proprioceptive (i.e. motor) signals. Yet, despite its pivotal role in the guidance of behaviour, the role of the observer's interoceptive (visceral) processing in understanding another's internal states remains unexplored. Predicting and keeping track of interoceptive bodily states - which inform intentions and beliefs that guide behaviour - is one of the fundamental purposes of the human brain. In this paper, we will focus on the role of interoceptive predictions, prescribed by the free energy principle, in making sense of internal states that cause another's behaviour. We will discuss how multimodal expectations induced at deep (high) hierarchical levels - that necessarily entail interoceptive predictions - contribute to inference about others that is at the heart of theory of mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasha Ondobaka
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, United Kingdom; Sobell Department for Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, University College London, United Kingdom.
| | - James Kilner
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, United Kingdom; Sobell Department for Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Karl Friston
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, United Kingdom; Sobell Department for Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, University College London, United Kingdom
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154
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Seibt B, Mühlberger A, Likowski KU, Weyers P. Facial mimicry in its social setting. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1122. [PMID: 26321970 PMCID: PMC4531238 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In interpersonal encounters, individuals often exhibit changes in their own facial expressions in response to emotional expressions of another person. Such changes are often called facial mimicry. While this tendency first appeared to be an automatic tendency of the perceiver to show the same emotional expression as the sender, evidence is now accumulating that situation, person, and relationship jointly determine whether and for which emotions such congruent facial behavior is shown. We review the evidence regarding the moderating influence of such factors on facial mimicry with a focus on understanding the meaning of facial responses to emotional expressions in a particular constellation. From this, we derive recommendations for a research agenda with a stronger focus on the most common forms of encounters, actual interactions with known others, and on assessing potential mediators of facial mimicry. We conclude that facial mimicry is modulated by many factors: attention deployment and sensitivity, detection of valence, emotional feelings, and social motivations. We posit that these are the more proximal causes of changes in facial mimicry due to changes in its social setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate Seibt
- Department of Psychology, University of OsloOslo, Norway
- Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social, ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de LisboaLisboa, Portugal
| | - Andreas Mühlberger
- Department of Psychology, University of WürzburgWürzburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of RegensburgRegensburg, Germany
| | | | - Peter Weyers
- Department of Psychology, University of WürzburgWürzburg, Germany
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155
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Smith ER, Mackie DM. Dynamics of Group-Based Emotions: Insights From Intergroup Emotions Theory. EMOTION REVIEW 2015. [DOI: 10.1177/1754073915590614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Over-time variability characterizes not only individual-level emotions, but also group-level emotions, those that occur when people identify with social groups and appraise events in terms of their implications for those groups. We discuss theory and research regarding the role of emotions in intergroup contexts, focusing on their dynamic nature. We then describe new insights into the causes and consequences of emotional dynamics that flow from conceptualizing emotions as based in group membership, and conclude with research recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliot R. Smith
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
| | - Diane M. Mackie
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
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156
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157
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Abstract
Over two decades of research has indicated that group affect is an important factor that shapes group processes and outcomes. We review and synthesize research on group affect, encompassing trait affect, moods, and emotions at a collective level in purposive teams. We begin by defining group affect and examining four major types of collective affective constructs: (a) convergence in group affect; (b) affective diversity, that is, divergence in group affect; (c) emotional culture; and (d) group affect as a dynamic process that changes over time. We describe the nomological network of group affect, examining both its group-level antecedents and group-level consequences. Antecedents include group leadership, group member attributes, and interactions between and relationships among group members. Consequences of group affect include attitudes about the group and group-level cooperation and conflict, creativity, decision making, and performance. We close by discussing current research knowns, research needs, and what lies on the conceptual and methodological frontiers of this domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigal G. Barsade
- Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Andrew P. Knight
- Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130
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158
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Cheung EO, Slotter EB, Gardner WL. Are you feeling what I’m feeling? The role of facial mimicry in facilitating reconnection following social exclusion. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s11031-015-9479-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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159
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Baumeister JC, Rumiati RI, Foroni F. When the mask falls: the role of facial motor resonance in memory for emotional language. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2015; 155:29-36. [PMID: 25553341 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2014.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Revised: 08/13/2014] [Accepted: 11/07/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The recognition and interpretation of emotional information (e.g., about happiness) has been shown to elicit, amongst other bodily reactions, spontaneous facial expressions occurring in accordance to the relevant emotion (e.g. a smile). Theories of embodied cognition act on the assumption that such embodied simulations are not only an accessorial, but a crucial factor in the processing of emotional information. While several studies have confirmed the importance of facial motor resonance during the initial recognition of emotional information, its role at later stages of processing, such as during memory for emotional content, remains unexplored. The present study bridges this gap by exploring the impact of facial motor resonance on the retrieval of emotional stimuli. In a novel approach, the specific effects of embodied simulations were investigated at different stages of emotional memory processing (during encoding and/or retrieval). Eighty participants underwent a memory task involving emotional and neutral words consisting of an encoding and retrieval phase. Depending on the experimental condition, facial muscles were blocked by a hardening facial mask either during encoding, during retrieval, during both encoding and retrieval, or were left free to resonate (control). The results demonstrate that not only initial recognition but also memory of emotional items benefits from embodied simulations occurring during their encoding and retrieval.
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160
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Soussignan R, Schaal B, Boulanger V, Garcia S, Jiang T. Emotional communication in the context of joint attention for food stimuli: effects on attentional and affective processing. Biol Psychol 2014; 104:173-83. [PMID: 25541512 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Revised: 12/07/2014] [Accepted: 12/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Guided by distinct theoretical frameworks (the embodiment theories, shared-signal hypothesis, and appraisal theories), we examined the effects of gaze direction and emotional expressions (joy, disgust, and neutral) of virtual characters on attention orienting and affective reactivity of participants while they were engaged in joint attention for food stimuli contrasted by preference (disliked, moderately liked, and liked). The participants were exposed to videos of avatars looking at food and displaying facial expressions with their gaze directed either toward the food only or toward the food and participants consecutively. We recorded eye-tracking responses, heart rate, facial electromyography (zygomatic, corrugator, and levator labii regions), and food wanting/liking. The avatars' joy faces increased the participants' zygomatic reactions and food liking, with mutual eye contact boosting attentional responses. Eye contact also fostered disgust reactions to disliked food, regardless of the avatars' expressions. The findings show that joint attention for food accompanied by face-to-face emotional communication elicits differential attentional and affective responses. The findings appear consistent with the appraisal theories of emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Soussignan
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Inra, Dijon, France.
| | - Benoist Schaal
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Inra, Dijon, France
| | - Véronique Boulanger
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Inra, Dijon, France
| | - Samuel Garcia
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, UMR 5292 CNRS-Inserm, Université de Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Tao Jiang
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, UMR 5292 CNRS-Inserm, Université de Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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161
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Finset A. Talk-in-interaction and neuropsychological processes. Scand J Psychol 2014; 55:212-8. [DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arnstein Finset
- Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences; Faculty of Medicine; University of Oslo; Norway
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