Tearing: Breakthrough in Human Emotional Signaling

Provine, Robert R.; Krosnowski, Kurt; Brocato, Nicole

doi:10.1177/147470490900700107

Cited by 83 publications

(135 citation statements)

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“…Based on earlier findings by Provine et al (2009), we expected to find a similar superior recognition of sadness when tears were present. We furthermore expected to find an increased perceived need for support among people with tearful faces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Emotional Tears Facilitate the Recognition of Sadness and the Perceived Need for Social Support

et al. 2013

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Abstract:The tearing effect refers to the relevance of tears as an important visual cue adding meaning to human facial expression. However, little is known about how people process these visual cues and their mediating role in terms of emotion perception and person judgment. We therefore conducted two experiments in which we measured the influence of tears on the identification of sadness and the perceived need for social support at an early perceptional level. In two experiments (1 and 2), participants were exposed to sad and neutral faces. In both experiments, the face stimuli were presented for 50 milliseconds. In experiment 1, tears were digitally added to sad faces in one condition. Participants demonstrated a significant faster recognition of sad faces with tears compared to those without tears. In experiment 2, tears were added to neutral faces as well. Participants had to indicate to what extent the displayed individuals were in need of social support. Study participants reported a greater perceived need for social support to both sad and neutral faces with tears than to those without tears. This study thus demonstrated that emotional tears serve as important visual cues at an early (pre-attentive) level.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Emotional Tears Facilitate the Recognition of Sadness and the Perceived Need for Social Support

et al. 2013

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“…Furthermore, recent empirical work suggests that emotional tears increase receiver perceptions of sadness (Balsters, Krahmer, Swerts, & Vingerhoets, 2012;Provine & Brocato, 2009) and sincerity (Zeifman & Brown, 2011). In a study comparing static images of individuals with and without tears, Provine, Krosnowski, and Brocoto (2009) found that individuals portrayed with tears were perceived as sadder in appearance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Tearing on the Perception of Facial Expressions of Emotion

2015

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What is the function of emotional tearing? Previous work has found a tear effect, which resolves ambiguity in neutral expressions and increases perceptions of sadness in sad expressions. Tearing, however, is associated with a variety of emotional states, and it remains unclear how the tear effect generalizes to other emotion expressions. Here we expand upon previous works by examining ratings of video clips depicting posed facial expressions presented with and without tears. We replicate Provine et al.'s (2009) findings that tearing increases perceptions of sadness in sad expressions. Furthermore, we find that tearing has specific effects on ratings of emotion (happiness, sadness, anger, and fear) and ratings of intensity and valence in neutral, positive, and negative expressions. These results suggest that tearing may serve a specific and independent communicative function, interacting with those of various expressions.

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“…We all feel we learn something about a person in tears, but the nature of this information has been poorly studied. For this reason, studies such as Provine, Krosnowski and Brocato (2009) (PKB), that isolate the effect of tears on spectators from that of sad or crying facial expressions, are important 1 . PKB describes an experiment in which observers were asked to identify emotions in sad or crying faces seen with and without (digitally removed) tears.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional Tears as Biological Signals

Hasson

2009

Evol Psychol

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Abstract:Emotional tears have been shown to enhance the interpretation of sadness that is inferred from facial expressions. The current paper puts emotional tears in an evolutionary context. By using biological signaling theory, it first looks at the distinction between cues and signals, both of which provide information to recipients, except that signals have evolved for that purpose. The conclusion is that a signaling function has yet to be shown. Nevertheless, as emotional tears are likely to function as signals, an analysis of certain inevitable effects of tears on the individual hint at more than a single signaling function, depending on the context in which tears are produced. Emotional tears decrease the perception of gaze direction or of changes in pupil size, and may function as attenuators of intentions. Emotional tears are more likely, however, to function as handicaps. By blurring vision, they handicap aggressive or defensive actions, and may function as reliable signals of appeasement, need or attachment.

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Tearing: Breakthrough in Human Emotional Signaling

Cited by 83 publications

References 3 publications

Emotional Tears Facilitate the Recognition of Sadness and the Perceived Need for Social Support

Emotional Tears Facilitate the Recognition of Sadness and the Perceived Need for Social Support

Effects of Tearing on the Perception of Facial Expressions of Emotion

Emotional Tears as Biological Signals

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