Measuring facial expression of emotion

• Published in: Dialogues in clinical neuroscience Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 457 - 462
• Main Author: Wolf, Karsten
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Taylor & Francis 01.12.2015; Les Laboratoires Servier
• Subjects: Animals; Behavior - physiology; Clinical Research; Electromyography - methods; emotion theory; Emotions - physiology; Facial Expression; facial expression of emotion; Humans; measurement; Neuropsychological Tests; Recognition (Psychology) - physiology; measurement; facial expression of emotion; emotion theory
• ISSN: 1958-5969; 1294-8322; 1958-5969
• DOI: 10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.4/kwolf

Research into emotions has increased in recent decades, especially on the subject of recognition of emotions. However, studies of the facial expressions of emotion were compromised by technical problems with visible video analysis and electromyography in experimental settings. These have only recently been overcome. There have been new developments in the field of automated computerized facial recognition; allowing real-time identification of facial expression in social environments. This review addresses three approaches to measuring facial expression of emotion and describes their specific contributions to understanding emotion in the healthy population and in persons with mental illness. Despite recent progress, studies on human emotions have been hindered by the lack of consensus on an emotion theory suited to examining the dynamic aspects of emotion and its expression. Studying expression of emotion in patients with mental health conditions for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes will profit from theoretical and methodological progress.