How do facial expressions influence our feelings
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Theorists have argued that facial expressions of emotion serve the interpersonal function of allowing one animal to predict another's behavior. Humans may extend these predictions into the indefinite future, as in the case of trait inference. The hypothesis that facial expressions of emotion (e.g., anger, disgust, fear, happiness, and sadness) affect subjects' interpersonal trait inferences (e.g., dominance and affiliation) was tested in two experiments. Subjects rated the dispositional affiliation and dominance of target faces with either static or apparently moving expressions. They inferred high dominance and affiliation from happy expressions, high dominance and low affiliation from angry and disgusted expressions, and low dominance from fearful and sad expressions. The findings suggest that facial expressions of emotion convey not only a target's internal state, but also differentially convey interpersonal information, which could potentially seed trait inference. 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Corresponding authorCorrespondence to Brian Knutson. Additional informationThis article constitutes a portion of my dissertation research at Stanford University, which was supported by a National Science Foundation Fellowship and an American Psychological Association Dissertation Award. Thanks to Nancy Alvarado, Chris Dryer, Paul Ekman, Bertram Malle, Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Steven Sutton, Robert Zajonc, and more anonymous reviewers than I can count on one hand for their comments. Rights and permissionsReprints and Permissions About this articleCite this articleKnutson, B. Facial expressions of emotion influence interpersonal trait inferences. J Nonverbal Behav 20, 165–182 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02281954 What factors influence facial expressions of emotion?In summary, facial expressions are influenced by social, emotional, and physiological factors, and can vary with different expression personalities, thus these factors should be considered in the modeling of facial expression generation.
Why are facial expressions important?Facial expressions of emotion are probably the most important signal of the face because they tell us about people's personalities, emotions, motivations, or intent. They are not only signs of people's internal states; they are also signals to others to act in certain ways, providing messages for social coordination.
What are the effects of facial expressions on emotional experience?In general, smiling makes a person feel more positive, and frowning makes a person feel more negative. A second approach examines the effects of inhibiting facial expression on emotional experience.
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