Gender of the expresser moderates the effect of emotional faces on the startle reflex

Abstract

It has been suggested that the impact of emotional expressions on the startle reflex is influenced by the intention communicated by the expression (e.g., the intention to attack). However, we propose that the meaning of an emotional expression is not only based on the intention, but is also influenced by characteristics of the expresser such as gender: since men are typically seen as more dominant than women, anger expressed by men should be perceived as particularly threatening, thus amplifying the startle response. We compared the influence of anger, fear and neutral expressions shown by men and women on the startle reaction. Startle reactions were measured using electromyography. As predicted, we found stronger startle reactions after the presentation of anger expressed by men compared to fearful and neutral expressions shown by men. For female expressers, the startle response was not affected by expression type.

Psychophysiological responses to facial expression of surprise, sadness, and disgust

“…With regard to expressions of sadness, although they are evaluated as more aversive than expressions of surprise, no significant differences were found in the physiological responses that were generated by sadness expressions compared with the other expressions. Similar results have been found for expressions of fear (Paulus et al, ; Springer et al, ). These results confirm the importance of the functional impact of emotional stimuli, in which activation of the defensive motivational system involves both the negative assessment of the stimulus and the degree of direct threat that is indicated by the stimulus.…”

“…Previous studies that used threat and disgust pictures (i.e., human attacks, animal attacks, mutilation, and pollution) reported greater HR deceleration and an increase in the startle reflex in response to these types of stimuli (Bradley et al, ; Yartz & Hawk, ), indicating a greater attentional response and preparation for a fight/flight response, respectively. Different studies have found potentiation of the startle reflex in response to expressions of anger (Alpers et al, ; Anokhin & Golosheykin, ; Hess, Adams Jr., & Kleck, ; Hess, Sabourin, & Kleck, ; Paulus et al, ; Springer et al, ) because they indicate a direct threat to the observer. The present study extends this finding to expressions of disgust.…”

“…Similar results were found with expressions of anger, based on the startle reflex. Male expressions of anger enhanced the startle reflex compared with female expressions of anger (Hess, Adams Jr., & Kleck, ; Hess, Sabourin, & Kleck, ; Paulus et al, ), suggesting activation of the defensive motivational system (Bradley et al, ).…”

“…The expresser's sex is another important factor in emotional expressions. Research has shown that male expressions of anger enhance the startle reflex compared with female expressions of anger (Hess, Adams Jr., & Kleck, ; Hess, Sabourin, & Kleck, ; Paulus, Musial, & Renn, ). This occurs because facial expressions convey emotional and social information.…”

In Your Face: Startle to Emotional Facial Expressions Depends on Face Direction

“…Furthermore, pictures containing emotional faces have often been included in the broader category of emotional scenes (Lang & Greenwald, 1988). However, the effects of emotional facial expressions are not as distinct as the effects of emotional scenes (Alpers, Adolph, & Pauli, 2011; Paulus, Musial, & Renn, 2014). In addition, pictures of faces may vary in relevance to the observer based on head direction.…”