I looked at you, you looked at me, I smiled at you, you smiled at me—The impact of eye contact on emotional mimicry

Eye contact is an essential element of human interaction and direct eye gaze has been shown to have effects on a range of attentional and cognitive processes. Specifically, direct eye contact evokes a positive affective reaction. As such, it has been proposed that obstructed eye contact reduces emotional mimicry (i.e., the imitation of our counterpart’s emotions). So far, emotional mimicry research has used averted-gaze faces or unnaturally covered eyes (with black censor bars) to analyze the effect of eye contact on emotional mimicry. However, averted gaze can also signal disinterest/ disengagement and censor bars obscure eye-adjacent areas as well and hence impede emotion recognition. In the present study (N = 44), we used a more ecological valid approach by showing photos of actors who expressed either happiness, sadness, anger, or disgust while either wearing mirroring sunglasses that obstruct eye contact or clear glasses. The glasses covered only the direct eye region but not the brows, nose ridge, and cheeks. Our results confirm that participants were equally accurate in recognizing the emotions of their counterparts in both conditions (sunglasses vs. glasses). Further, in line with our hypotheses, participants felt closer to the targets and mimicked affiliative emotions more intensely when their counterparts wore glasses instead of sunglasses. For antagonistic emotions, we found the opposite pattern: Disgust mimicry, which was interpreted as an affective reaction rather than genuine mimicry, could be only found in the sunglasses condition. It may be that obstructed eye contact increased the negative impression of disgusted facial expressions and hence the negative feelings disgust faces evoked. The present study provides further evidence for the notion that eye contact is an important prerequisite for emotional mimicry and hence for smooth and satisfying social interactions.Peer Reviewe

Higher heart rate variability predicts better affective interaction quality in non-intimate social interactions

Adaptive emotional responding is crucial for psychological well-being and the quality of social interactions. Resting heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of autonomic nervous system activity, has been suggested to index individual differences in emotion regulation (ER). As non-intimate social interactions require more regulatory efforts than intimate social interactions, we predicted that the association between HRV and affective interaction quality is moderated by the perceived intimacy of the exchange. Thus, we expected higher HRV to be particularly beneficial for affective interaction quality in non-intimate social interactions. Resting HRV was measured in the laboratory (N = 144). Subsequently, participants reported their affective interaction quality—as indicated by more positive and fewer negative emotions perceived in the self and the other—during an experience-sampling social interaction diary task. As predicted, in non-intimate interactions, individuals with higher HRV reported more positive and fewer negative emotions and perceived fewer negative emotions in their interaction partners. The results provide further insights into the relationship between HRV and emotional experiences during social interactions

Wrinkles are neither beautiful nor nice: The effect of facial wrinkles on person perception and interpersonal closeness

With age, we develop facial wrinkles, which change the appearance of the face making it less attractive. Winkles and folds also “mimic” facial expressions, such that older neutral faces appear more emotional. Both processes can influence first impressions negatively. We obtained ratings of attractiveness, closeness, and emotional expressivity as well as first impressions from 353 participants, recruited from Prolific, for avatars with and without facial wrinkles. Older appearing, wrinkled faces were judged as less attractive and less favorably on traits related to pleasantness and trustworthiness, they were perceived as showing more negative emotions and participants rated themselves as less close. The effects on first impressions and perceived closeness were mediated by attractiveness and perceived negative emotions. These findings suggest that in initial encounters older people may often be perceived as less pleasant for no other reason than the wrinkles in their face and the judgments of attractiveness and emotionality associated with them

Data_Sheet_1_I looked at you, you looked at me, I smiled at you, you smiled at me—The impact of eye contact on emotional mimicry.docx

Eye contact is an essential element of human interaction and direct eye gaze has been shown to have effects on a range of attentional and cognitive processes. Specifically, direct eye contact evokes a positive affective reaction. As such, it has been proposed that obstructed eye contact reduces emotional mimicry (i.e., the imitation of our counterpart’s emotions). So far, emotional mimicry research has used averted-gaze faces or unnaturally covered eyes (with black censor bars) to analyze the effect of eye contact on emotional mimicry. However, averted gaze can also signal disinterest/ disengagement and censor bars obscure eye-adjacent areas as well and hence impede emotion recognition. In the present study (N = 44), we used a more ecological valid approach by showing photos of actors who expressed either happiness, sadness, anger, or disgust while either wearing mirroring sunglasses that obstruct eye contact or clear glasses. The glasses covered only the direct eye region but not the brows, nose ridge, and cheeks. Our results confirm that participants were equally accurate in recognizing the emotions of their counterparts in both conditions (sunglasses vs. glasses). Further, in line with our hypotheses, participants felt closer to the targets and mimicked affiliative emotions more intensely when their counterparts wore glasses instead of sunglasses. For antagonistic emotions, we found the opposite pattern: Disgust mimicry, which was interpreted as an affective reaction rather than genuine mimicry, could be only found in the sunglasses condition. It may be that obstructed eye contact increased the negative impression of disgusted facial expressions and hence the negative feelings disgust faces evoked. The present study provides further evidence for the notion that eye contact is an important prerequisite for emotional mimicry and hence for smooth and satisfying social interactions.</p