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When smiles (and frowns) speak words: Does power impact the correspondence between self-reported affect and facial expressions?

Leach, S.; Weick, M.

When smiles (and frowns) speak words: Does power impact the correspondence between self-reported affect and facial expressions? Thumbnail


Authors

S. Leach



Abstract

Self-reported experiences are often poor indicators of outward expressions. Here we examine social power as a variable that may impact the relationship between self-reported affect and facial expressions. Earlier studies addressing this issue were limited by focusing on a single facial expression (smiling) and by using different, less sensitive methods that yielded mostly null results. Sampling, for the first time, self-reported affect repeatedly in response to different negative, neutral and positive stimuli, and measuring concurrent facial muscle activation via electromyography, we found that high power (vs. baseline) increased the correspondence between self-reported positive affect and smiling. There was also an indication that high power (vs. baseline) bolstered the association between self-reported negative affect and frowning but the effect did not pass more stringent criteria for significance (p ≤ .005) and was therefore deemed inconclusive. The prediction that low power (vs. baseline) decreases the correspondence between self-reported affect and smiling and frowning facial expressions was not supported. Taken together, it would appear that (high) power can impact the relationship between self-reported affect and facial expressions, but it remains to be seen whether this effect extends beyond smiling facial expressions.

Citation

Leach, S., & Weick, M. (2020). When smiles (and frowns) speak words: Does power impact the correspondence between self-reported affect and facial expressions?. British Journal of Psychology, 111(4), 683-701. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12433

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 31, 2019
Online Publication Date Jan 3, 2020
Publication Date Nov 30, 2020
Deposit Date Nov 4, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal British Journal of Psychology
Print ISSN 0007-1269
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 111
Issue 4
Pages 683-701
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12433

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Accepted Journal Article (182 Kb)
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Copyright Statement
This is the accepted version of the following article: Leach, S. & Weick, M. (2020). When smiles (and frowns) speak words: Does power impact the correspondence between self-reported affect and facial expressions? British Journal of Psychology 111(4): 683-701, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12433. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.





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