Facial mimicry depends on the emotion we recognize in others’ faces

Facial mimicry is known to play an important role in emotional communication. While major models of facial mimicry assume a relationship between facial mimicry and emotion recognition, the empirical evidence for such a relationship is mixed. In this study, the facial movements of the same participants were compared when they recognized the same uncertain faces as “happiness” or “anger.” When faces were expressing anger in the upper half (upper anger) and happiness in the lower half (lower happiness), participants responded that it is “happiness” in some trials and “anger” in others. The electromyography data showed that the participants frowned more when they recognized anger in the upper anger and lower happiness faces than when they recognized happiness in the same face (Experiment 1). By presenting the upper and lower half of expression individually, we confirmed that upper anger and lower happiness were both salient in the expression intensity and that both the upper and lower half of the faces were individually inducing congruent facial movements (Experiment 2). Though there were limitations including the relatively small sample size, this study revealed a relationship between facial mimicry and emotion recognition at a within-individual level. These findings aid in further understanding social interaction at an unconscious and physical level.