A secret language of aggression: disgust expressions are treated as cues of impending social exclusion among women

Abstract

Attending to women's intrasexual competition generates a straightforward prediction: Insofar as women actors sometimes use distinct tactics of aggression (e. g., related to social exclusion), women targets might possess distinct interpretations of and reactions to those tactics. We test this using one such tactic common among women: disgust expressions directed at targets of desired social exclusion. Across four experiments with U.S. adults (N = 1,019), women (more than men) (1) interpret same-gender disgust (but not anger) facial expressions potentially directed toward them as cues of impending social exclusion, and (2) report being hurt in reaction to these expressions, whether imagined or recalled. Further, (3) women (but not men) who are more dispositionally concerned with social belonging (but not vulnerability to disease) report greater hurt. Women seem to possess distinct interpretations of and reactions to aggression tactics that they uniquely and recurrently face. Identifying these often lesser-studied challenges women face may reveal additional, overlooked features of women's strategic social cognition and behavior.

Behavioral and neural responses to social exclusion in women: the role of facial attractiveness and friendliness

“…For example, women interpret other women’s facial expressions of disgust as a cue of imminent social exclusion. This cue caused them harm, but especially so for women who were prone to being concerned with social belonging 23 .…”

“…For example, although women are more willing to socially exclude others and report being excluded at higher rates than men, they also perceive cues of social exclusion more quickly and have a more pronounced physiological reaction (increased heart rate) to exclusion than men 22 . Women are also hurt more than men by cues of social exclusion 23 , and the negative impact of social exclusion on health and well-being is more problematic for women than for men 21 .…”