Abstract
Facial-affective behavior can express the emotional state of a subject, it can regulate interactive behavior, and it can serve symbolic functions like illustrating narration. To analyze the expressive function, facial-affective behavior in political discussions between male and female subjects of different psychiatric status is related to the experience of joy. The facial-affective and the gazing behavior of 140 subjects in seven different groups were videotaped and coded using EMFACS (Friesen & Ekman, 1984). The experimental dyads consisted of male and female subjects suffering from schizophrenia and psychosomatic disorders interacting with healthy subjects of the same sex; in control dyads, healthy interaction partners of same the sex interacted for 20 minutes. It is shown that in none of the groups the experience of joy is correlated with the frequency of Duchenne smiles, but in the case of mentally disordered subjects the experience of joy is negatively related to facial behavior interpreted as contempt and disgust. Further analysis of facial-affective behavior in moments of high involvement emphasizes the expressive function of Duchenne smiles in female dyads and the interaction regulatory function of non-Duchenne smiles in male dyads. It can be concluded that in dyadic interactions the relation of facial-affective behavior to emotional experience is moderated by the gender and diagnosis of the subjects as well as the nonverbal context.
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Merten, J. Facial-Affective Behavior, Mutual Gaze, and Emotional Experience in Dyadic Interactions. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 21, 179–201 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024969514170
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024969514170