Expressed Expressed EmotionEmotion

Chapter 12, Lecture 3Chapter 12, Lecture 3“Like most psychological events, emotion isbest understood not only as a biological andcognitive phenomenon, but also as a social-cultural phenomenon.”

- David Myers

Expressed Emotion

Emotions are expressed on the face, by the body, and by the intonation of voice. Is this nonverbal language of emotion universal?

Detecting EmotionMost of us are good at deciphering

emotions through nonverbal communication. In a crowd of faces a

single angry face will “pop out” faster than a single happy face (Fox et al, 2000).

Detecting Emotion

Hard-to-control facial muscles reveal signs of emotions you may be trying to conceal. A feigned

smile may continue for more than 4-5 seconds while a genuine smile will have faded by then.

Which of Paul Ekman’s smiles is genuine?

Dr. P

aul Elkm

an, University of

California at S

an Francisco

Hindu Dance

In classical Hindu dance, the body is trained to effectively convey 10 different

emotions.

Netw

ork Photographers/ A

lamy

Gender, Emotion, and Nonverbal Behavior

Women are much better at discerning nonverbal emotions

than men. When shown sad, happy, and scary film clips women expressed

more emotions than men.

Gender, Emotion, and Nonverbal Behavior

Which gender would you attribute to each face?

Gender, Emotion, and Nonverbal Behavior

“If you have empathy, you identify with othersand imagine what it must be like to walk intheir shoes. You rejoice with those who rejoiceand weep with those who weep.”

- David Myers

Culture and Emotional Expression

When culturally diverse people were shown basic facial expressions, they did fairly well at

recognizing them (Matsumoto & Ekman, 1989).

Elkm

an & M

atsumoto, Japanese and

Caucasian F

acial Expression of E

motion

Emotions are Adaptive

Darwin speculated that our ancestors

communicated with facial expressions in

the absence of language. Nonverbal facial expressions led

to our ancestor’s survival.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Analyzing EmotionAnalysis of emotions are carried on different levels.

The Effects of Facial Expression

If facial expressions are manipulated, like furrowingbrows, people feel sad while looking at sad pictures.

Attaching two golf tees to the face and making their tips touch causes the brow to furrow.

Courtesy of L

ouis Schake/ M

ichaelK

ausman/ T

he New

York T

imes P

ictures

The facial feedback hypothesis suggests that looking happy may make us feel happy. In a pilot study, Eric Finzi and Erik Wasserman attempted to apply this principle to the treatment of depression. They used the popular anti-wrinkle treatment Botox to prevent the act of frowning. Botox was injected into the frown muscles around the forehead and mouths of 10 female participants whose test scores had indicated the presence of clinical depression.

Finzi, E., & Wasserman, E.A. (2006). Treatment of depression with Botulinum Toxin A: A case series. Dermatological Surgery, 32, 645-650.

Findings after two months indicated that the treatments had eliminated symptoms of depression in nine of the women and reduced symptoms of depression in the tenth woman. Kathleen Delano, one of the participants in the study, described the impact of the treatment: “It wasn’t like I had Botox one night, woke up the next day and said ‘Hallelujah, I’m cured.’” Rather, over several weeks, she explained that she found herself talking to people more, getting out more often, and smiling more. “I think Botox was the catalyst, the rope someone threw down the dark well I was in. I started doing things like going to the gym, to the movies.”

Finzi, E., & Wasserman, E.A. (2006). Treatment of depression with Botulinum Toxin A: A case series. Dermatological Surgery, 32, 645-650.

What are the limitations of this study?

Finzi, E., & Wasserman, E.A. (2006). Treatment of depression with Botulinum Toxin A: A case series. Dermatological Surgery, 32, 645-650.

How could further research support the results of this study?

HomeworkRead p.514-527

“The face is more than a billboard that displaysour feelings; it also feeds our feelings.”

- David Myers