A comprehensive review on the influence of facial expression in emotion processing.
Abstract
The face provides valuable non-verbal cues that help identify various human traits, from attractiveness to complex mental states like emotions and attitudes (Matsumoto et al., 2016). Following the COVID-19 pandemic and mask usage as a health precaution, concerns emerged regarding the impact on recognizing emotions through facial expressions. The purpose of this paper is to explore how masks impact the recognition of emotions and the role of facial expression in this process. In order to accomplish this, we made use of the PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus databases, collecting a total of 31 articles that were then reviewed and analyzed.The impact of wearing a mask was observed in the recognition of emotions, especially fear, joy, and displeasure. Based on the analyzed studies, the face emerges as a crucial source of information in social interactions, yet additional research is necessary to confirm its indispensability in real-life scenarios. Based on the analyzed studies, it is evident that the face is a valuable source of information in social interactions, but additional research is necessary to establish its importance in real-life scenarios.
Downloads
References
Aguillon-Hernandez, N., Jusiak, R., Latinus, M., & Wardak, C. (2022). COVID-19 masks: A barrier to facial and vocal information. Frontiers in neuroscience, 16, 982899. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.982899
Albohn, D. N., Brandenburg, J. C., Kveraga, K., & Adams, R. B., Jr (2022). The shared signal hypothesis: Facial and bodily expressions of emotion mutually inform one another. Attention, perception & psychophysics, 84(7), 2271–2280. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-022-02548-6
Baron-Cohen, S. (2012). The science of evil: On empathy and the origins of cruelty. Basic books.
Calbi, M., Langiulli, N., Ferroni, F., Montalti, M., Kolesnikov, A., Gallese, V., & Umiltà, M. A. (2021). The consequences of COVID-19 on social interactions: an online study on face covering. Scientific reports, 11(1), 2601. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81780-w
Carbon C. C. (2020). Wearing Face Masks Strongly Confuses Counterparts in Reading Emotions. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 566886. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.566886
Cooper, H., Brar, A., Beyaztas, H., Jennings, B. J., & Bennetts, R. J. (2022). The effects of face coverings, own-ethnicity biases, and attitudes on emotion recognition. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 7(1), 57. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-022-00400-x
Ekman, P., & Oster, H. (1981). Expresiones faciales de la emoción. Estudios de psicología, 2(7), 115-144.
Faustmann, L. L., Eckhardt, L., Hamann, P. S., & Altgassen, M. (2022). The Effects of Separate Facial Areas on Emotion Recognition in Different Adult Age Groups: A Laboratory and a Naturalistic Study. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 859464. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.859464
Feldman, L. (2018). La vida secreta del cerebro. Cómo se construyen las emociones. Paidós Ibérica
Francisco, H. C., Bregola, A. G., Ottaviani, A. C., Luchesi, B. M., Orlandi, F. S., Fraga, F. J., Costa-Guarisco, L. P., & Pavarini, S. C. I. (2022). The association between language and recognition of facial emotional expressions in elderly individuals. Associação entre linguagem e o reconhecimento de expressões faciais de emoções em idosos. CoDAS, 34(6), e20210052. https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20212021052pt
Freud, E., Di Giammarino, D., & Camilleri, C. (2022). Mask-wearing selectivity alters observers' face perception. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 7(1), 97. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-022-00444-z
Grenville, E., & Dwyer, D. M. (2022). Face masks have emotion-dependent dissociable effects on accuracy and confidence in identifying facial expressions of emotion. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 7(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-022-00366-w
Grundmann, F., Epstude, K., & Scheibe, S. (2021). Face masks reduce emotion-recognition accuracy and perceived closeness. PloS one, 16(4), e0249792. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249792
Henke, L., Guseva, M., Wagemans, K., Pischedda, D., Haynes, J. D., Jahn, G., & Anders, S. (2022). Surgical face masks do not impair the decoding of facial expressions of negative affect more severely in older than in younger adults. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 7(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-022-00403-8
Kastendieck, T., Dippel, N., Asbrand, J., & Hess, U. (2023). Influence of child and adult faces with face masks on emotion perception and facial mimicry. Scientific reports, 13(1), 14848. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-40007-w
Kastendieck, T., Zillmer, S., & Hess, U. (2022). (Un)mask yourself! Effects of face masks on facial mimicry and emotion perception during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cognition & emotion, 36(1), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2021.1950639
Kim, G., Seong, S. H., Hong, S. S., & Choi, E. (2022). Impact of face masks and sunglasses on emotion recognition in South Koreans. PloS one, 17(2), e0263466. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263466
Kleiser, R., Raffelsberger, T., Trenkler, J., Meckel, S. & Seitz, R.J. (2022) What influence do face masks have on reading emotions in faces?. Neuroimage: Reports, 2(4), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynirp.2022.100141.
Klingner, C. M., & Guntinas-Lichius, O. (2023). Facial expression and emotion. Mimik und Emotion. Laryngo- rhino- otologie, 102(S 01), S115–S125. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2003-5687
Lau W. K. (2021). Face Masks Bolsters the Characteristics From Looking at a Face Even When Facial Expressions Are Impaired. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 704916. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.704916
Leitner, M.C., Meurer, V., Hutzler, F., Schuster, S. & Hawelka, S. (2022) The effect of masks on the recognition of facial expressions: A true-to-life study on the perception of basic emotions. Front. Psychol.,13, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933438
Leos-Mendoza, H., Gold, I., & Pérez-Gay Juárez, F. (2023). Face masks negatively skew theory of mind judgements. Scientific reports, 13(1), 4950. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31680-y
Levitan, C. A., Rusk, I., Jonas-Delson, D., Lou, H., Kuzniar, L., Davidson, G., & Sherman, A. (2022). Mask wearing affects emotion perception. i-Perception, 13(3), 20416695221107391. https://doi.org/10.1177/20416695221107391
Maiorana, N., Dini, M., Poletti, B., Tagini, S., Rita Reitano, M., Pravettoni, G., Priori, A., & Ferrucci, R. (2022). The Effect of Surgical Masks on the Featural and Configural Processing of Emotions. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(4), 2420. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042420
Marini, M., Ansani, A., Paglieri, F., Caruana, F., & Viola, M. (2021). The impact of facemasks on emotion recognition, trust attribution and re-identification. Scientific reports, 11(1), 5577. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-84806-5
Martinez A. M. (2017). Visual perception of facial expressions of emotion. Current opinion in psychology, 17, 27–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.06.009
Matsumoto, D., Hwang, H. C., & Frank, M. G. (Eds.). (2016). APA handbook of nonverbal communication. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14669-000
McCrackin, S. D., Provencher, S., Mendell, E., & Ristic, J. (2022). Correction: Transparent masks reduce the negative impact of opaque masks on understanding emotional states but not on sharing them. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 7(1), 75. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-022-00427-0
Miyazaki, Y., Kamatani, M., Suda, T., Wakasugi, K., Matsunaga, K., & Kawahara, J. I. (2022). Effects of wearing a transparent face mask on perception of facial expressions. i-Perception, 13(3), 20416695221105910. https://doi.org/10.1177/20416695221105910
Mulder, M. J., Prummer, F., Terburg, D., & Kenemans, J. L. (2023). Drift-diffusion modeling reveals that masked faces are preconceived as unfriendly. Scientific reports, 13(1), 16982. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44162-y
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). Declaración PRISMA 2020: una guía actualizada para la publicación de revisiones sistemáticas. Revista Española de Cardiología, 74(9), 790-799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.recesp.2021.06.016
Pavlova, M. A., Moosavi, J., Carbon, C. C., Fallgatter, A. J., & Sokolov, A. N. (2023). Emotions behind a mask: the value of disgust. Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany), 9(1), 58. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-023-00388-3
Prete, G., D'Anselmo, A., & Tommasi, L. (2022). A neural signature of exposure to masked faces after 18 months of COVID-19. Neuropsychologia, 174, 108334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108334
Proverbio, A. M., & Cerri, A. (2022). The Recognition of Facial Expressions Under Surgical Masks: The Primacy of Anger. Frontiers in neuroscience, 16, 864490. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.864490
Proverbio, A. M., Cerri, A., & Gallotta, C. (2023). Facemasks selectively impair the recognition of facial expressions that stimulate empathy: An ERP study. Psychophysiology, 60(8), e14280. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14280
Rinck, M., Primbs, M. A., Verpaalen, I. A. M., & Bijlstra, G. (2022). Face masks impair facial emotion recognition and induce specific emotion confusions. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 7(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-022-00430-5
Ross, P., & George, E. (2022). Are Face Masks a Problem for Emotion Recognition? Not When the Whole Body Is Visible. Frontiers in neuroscience, 16, 915927. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.915927
Saumure, C., Plouffe-Demers, M. P., Estéphan, A., Fiset, D., & Blais, C. (2018). The use of visual information in the recognition of posed and spontaneous facial expressions. Journal of vision, 18(9), 21. https://doi.org/10.1167/18.9.21
Shepherd, J. L., & Rippon, D. (2023). The impact of briefly observing faces in opaque facial masks on emotion recognition and empathic concern. Quarterly journal of experimental psychology (2006), 76(2), 404–418. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218221092590
Slessor, G., Insch, P., Donaldson, I., Sciaponaite, V., Adamowicz, M., & Phillips, L. H. (2022). Adult Age Differences in Using Information From the Eyes and Mouth to Make Decisions About Others' Emotions. The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 77(12), 2241–2251. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbac097
Sormaz, M., Young, A. W., & Andrews, T. J. (2016). Contributions of feature shapes and surface cues to the recognition of facial expressions. Vision Research, 127, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2016.07.002
Srinivasan, R., Golomb, J. D., & Martinez, A. M. (2016). A Neural Basis of Facial Action Recognition in Humans. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 36(16), 4434–4442. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1704-15.2016
Tsantani, M., Podgajecka, V., Gray, K. L. H., & Cook, R. (2022). How does the presence of a surgical face mask impair the perceived intensity of facial emotions? PloS one, 17(1), e0262344. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262344
Thomas, L., von Castell, C., & Hecht, H. (2022). How facial masks alter the interaction of gaze direction, head orientation, and emotion recognition. Frontiers in neuroscience, 16, 937939. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.937939
Vannuscorps, G., Andres, M., & Caramazza, A. (2020). Efficient recognition of facial expressions does not require motor simulation. eLife, 9, e54687. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.54687
Ventura, M., Palmisano, A., Innamorato, F., Tedesco, G., Manippa, V., Caffò, A. O., & Rivolta, D. (2023). Face memory and facial expression recognition are both affected by wearing disposable surgical face masks. Cognitive processing, 24(1), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-022-01112-2
Verroca, A., de Rienzo, C. M., Gambarota, F., & Sessa, P. (2022). Mapping the perception-space of facial expressions in the era of face masks. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 956832. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.956832
Watanabe, A., & Yamazaki, T. (2021). Representation of the brain network by electroencephalograms during facial expressions. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 357, 109158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2021.109158
Copyright (c) 2023 Leslie Gomez, Luis Israel Ledesma-Amaya, Lilian Elizabeth Bosques-Brugada, Airy Emmanuel Moreno-Calva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
