Facial Feedback Hypothesis: Is It a Fact or Fad? Essay

Introduction

Facial expression is the movement of mimetic musculature that is found in the face. It involves the movements innervated by the VIIth cranial nerve, which comes from the brainstem; this is between the pons and medulla in one’s inner head. The greatest research that social scientists were concerned about is the effect that emotion has on facial expression. The facial feedback hypothesis is one of the theories that have been developed to look into the effect that facial expression has on human emotions (Bernstein, Clarke-Stewart, Penner, Roy & Wickens, 2000). This paper looks into the Facial feedback hypothesis.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

The facial feedback hypothesis is that “skeletal muscle feedback from facial expressions plays a causal role in regulating emotional experience and behavior”, this is to means that one’s emotions are affected by facial movements and contractions of facial muscles. This means that if someone goes to a movie and all along he is smiling, then he is more likely to perceive the movie as more enjoyable than one who just follows the movie without any facial expressions. In a layman’s language is that in facial expressions induced emotions the contraction of the face results in an emotion whether good or bad. The theory hypothesizes that facial muscles evoke or magnify emotions (Strack, Martin & Stepper, 1998).

Review Literature on the Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Matsumoto (1987), examines the extent to which one face can express self-reported mood; he builds from the general brief brought forward by other scholars like Laird (1984) who observed that human facial expressions are consistent and can be used to accurately (to a large extent) measure the self mood of an individual. Human moods can be affected by the environment that he or she lives and the outcome of the situation that one is going through is seen in the facial expressions. The expressions of the face are resultant of the outside environment that affect the person concerned; the face will change if the body has been aroused, either by a negative or an appearing thing; the point of concern is, what is the extent that the face gets aroused? What is the extent that the facial muscle contraction affects one’s emotions? The above hypothesis is true, but the question is how to measure the extent that the face can measure the self-reported mood; one of the methods developed to measure is the box-score approach; it though cannot be relied on to measure the magnitude of the effect. By the use of meta-analytic techniques, it shows that a certain change of mood can only change the facial expression with a little effect that cannot be relied upon to show the inner mood of a person. This shows that the effect of facial feedback on emotional experience is less than convincing. The early developers of the theory conducted numerous researches with human beings, the theory is based on the view of Charles Darwin that there is a connection between facial contraction and the emotions that one has. The researchers researched human beings with severely impaired emotional functioning as well as people and it was developed over a century after the death of Charles Darwin. Darwin claimed that facial expressions are the final resultant actions of the inner feelings and emotions, and just like any other movement of the body; they can be used to analyze the feeling and emotions of a person. He argued that when men are confronted with varying issues, they express their moods/ emotions through vocal, postural, gestural, skeletal muscle movements and physiological responses. Thus, the same way that one might open his mouth wide when given unpleasant information so will be the effect on the face of the individual. It is from this that the Facial feedback hypothesis had its foundation.

Soussignan (2002) was concerned about the issue and undertook a study of the modulator function of Duchene smile and non-Duchene smiles. To portray this he used a sample of participants and conducted the experiment with them; each person was expected to hold a pencil in their mouth so as the pencil either facilitates or inhibits smiles. They were not limited on the muscles that they are to contract. They were also subjected to different emotional situations that were both negative and appealing. Five aspects were produced namely lips pressing and control of the lips. On the other hand low-level non-Duchene smiling, high-level non-Duchene smiling, and Duchene smiling were also examined. It showed that participants who held Duchene smiling responded more positively when a pleasant video or thing was being played than their counterparts. They tended to show different patterns of autonomic arousal when they were watching the appealing cartoons and videos being played in the experimenting room. They were after the experiment required to fill in a questionnaire that was aimed to give the individual feeling about the cartoon. The analysis of the results is that facial feedback has more powerful effects. This is so when facial expression represents valid analogs of basic emotions. It thus supports the facial feedback hypothesis.

Identify the Similarities and Differences in Level of Support for the Facial Feedback Hypothesis

The supporters or proposers of the hypothesis differ and agree in some areas; this is so because the hypothesis has tested positive in some areas or to some levels and negative in some areas and/or some level. They all agree with the start point that facial expression affects someone’s emotions. They are of the consent that when one is subjected to positive simulators that make one smile, the way that person preserves the situation is more appealingly than the way he would have if he had not smiled. A smile affects the emotions that one has and excites a person. It has a soothing effect on the psychological part of a person. The major point of difference is the extent to which a smile affects emotions. The proposers and supporters argue that it is to a great extent; however the criticizers think that it does so to a small but significant level. Secondly, the supporters generalize that the effect that Duchene smile and non-Duchene smiles have are the same. They don’t recognize that the stimulators of people are different and affect them differently. Some other underlying factors can hinder the response that one has. The criticizers of the hypothesis think that Duchene smile and non-Duchene smiles have a varying effect on one’s emotions. Duchene’s smile responds more to pleasant situations than their counterparts.

Draw Out the Implications of These Findings to Determine Whether the Facial Feedback Hypothesis is a Fact or Fad

The facial feedback hypothesis is a true phenomenon that can work with precision to a certain degree; people depending on their cultural background and the biological factors that determine their stimulators are going to express different facial expressions and thus affect their emotions differently (Ekman & Oster, 1979). Supporters of the theory are given a boost by the medical expertise which shows that a smile can improve the health of a person, even cure some medical illnesses. The rationale behind this is that a smile changes one’s psychological and physiological state; it makes the individual happy and relaxes him. It has been argued that a smile is a natural cure that we all have-including a faked smile. From this angle, then it is clear that a smile involves the contraction of various muscles which in turn affects the emotions of the individual (Davis & Palladino, 2000). If one is confronted with good things that make him smile; he will relax the body and change the emotions for good ones. If on the other hand, one is confronted with an unpleasant situation; his emotions will be affected negatively. The main problem with the hypothesis is the extent to which the facial expression can give accurate information or the extent that they can be relied upon. Thus, as much as it may be dependable nonverbal communication, there is the need to be careful when using it as a tool to measure a person’s emotions/ mood. The facial feedback hypothesis is thus a fact that remains true to a certain extent of one that applies at an ideal circumstance.

Reference List

1. Bernstein, D. A., Clarke-Stewart, A., Penner, L. A., Roy, E. J., & Wickens, C. D. (2000). Psychology (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
2. Davis, S. F., & Palladino, J. J. (2000). Psychology (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
3. Ekman, P., & Oster, H. (1979). Facial expressions of emotion. Annual review of psychology, 30,527-555.
4. Matsumoto, D. (1987). The role of facial response in the experience of emotion: More methodological problems and a Meta-Analysis. Journal of personality and social psychology, 52(4), 769-774
5. Soussignan, R. (2002). Duchene smile, emotional experience, and autonomic reactivity: A test of the facial feedback hypothesis. Emotion, 2, 52-74.
6. Strack, F., Martin. L., & Stepper, S. (1998). Inhibiting and facilitating conditions of the human smile: A nonbtrusive test of the facial feedback hypothesis. Journal of personality and social psychology, 54(5), 768-777.