Your attention makes me smile: Direct gaze elicits affiliative facial expressions

•Facial EMG and autonomic responses were measured to another individual’s direct and averted gaze.•Greater zygomatic responses were elicited by seeing another person with direct than averted gaze.•The results suggest that another individual’s direct gaze is an affiliative, positive signal. Facial el...

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Published inBiological psychology Vol. 132; pp. 1 - 8
Main Authors Hietanen, Jari K., Helminen, Terhi M., Kiilavuori, Helena, Kylliäinen, Anneli, Lehtonen, Heidi, Peltola, Mikko J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.02.2018
Subjects
Adult
Affect
Attention - physiology
Eye contact
Facial EMG
Facial Expression
Facial Recognition - physiology
Female
Fixation, Ocular - physiology
Humans
Male
SCR
Smiling - psychology
Young Adult
SCR
Affect
Facial EMG
Eye contact
Facial expression
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Summary:•Facial EMG and autonomic responses were measured to another individual’s direct and averted gaze.•Greater zygomatic responses were elicited by seeing another person with direct than averted gaze.•The results suggest that another individual’s direct gaze is an affiliative, positive signal. Facial electromyographic responses and skin conductance responses were measured to investigate whether, in a neutral laboratory environment, another individual’s direct gaze elicits a positive or negative affective reaction in the observer. The results showed that greater zygomatic responses associated with positive affect were elicited by seeing another person with direct as compared to averted gaze. The zygomatic responses were greater in response to another person’s direct gaze both when the participant’s own gaze was directed towards the other and when the participant was not looking directly towards the other. Compatible with the zygomatic responses, the corrugator activity (associated with negative affect) was decreased below baseline more in response to another person’s direct than averted gaze. Replicating previous research, the skin conductance responses were greater to another person’s direct than averted gaze. The results provide evidence that, in a neutral context, another individual’s direct gaze is an affiliative, positive signal.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0301-0511
1873-6246
DOI:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.11.001