The influence of facial expression at perceptual threshold on electrodermal activity and social comfort distance

Cartaud, Alice; Ott, Laurent; Iachini, Tina; Honoré, Jacques; Yann, C.

doi:10.1111/psyp.13600

Cited by 24 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(79 reference statements)

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“…Interestingly, characters with happy facial expressions were evaluated as less threatening than those wearing a face mask, despite the fact that we observed smaller IPD when interacting with the latter. At first sight, these results might be surprising regarding previous findings on spatial adjustment to threatening stimuli [11][12][13]. However, masked, neutral and happy characters were all associated with very limited levels of threat.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 86%

“…Critically, the present study also replicates classical findings. Specifically, we observed an increase in IPD in the presence of angry facial expressions in comparison to neutral or happy facial expressions [11][12][13]. In the same vein, smaller IPD were judged appropriate when interacting with female rather than male virtual characters (Cartaud et al, 2020;Iachini et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…In the present study, we investigated to what extent barrier gestures interact, and in particular how wearing a face mask impacts social distancing, an essential measure against Covid-19 transmission. By using an original online paradigm in a lockdown context, our aim was to evaluate the (positive-negative) emotional valence carried by the face mask through its effect on IPD, and to compare this effect to that associated with emotional facial expressions [11][12][13]. We observed a significant decrease in preferred IPD when the social interaction involved a character wearing a face mask in comparison to a character with no face mask but displaying a happy, angry, or neutral facial expression.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…For instance, increasing the dimensions of conscious body representation using tools [9] produces IPD extension [10]. Likewise, IPD increases when facing conspecifics with angry compared to happy or neutral facial expressions [11][12][13], and is also atypical in people with socio-emotional deficits [14][15][16]. Importantly, interacting with people wearing a face mask might alter in the first place the affective dimension of social interactions [17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The virtual characters either wore a face mask, or wore no mask but displayed a happy, angry or neutral facial expression. The use of emotional expressions provides a well-established referential to investigate the (positive-negative) emotional effect of the face mask on IPD [11][12][13]. Indeed, if the presence of a face mask induces a negative feeling and is interpreted as a "threatening" cue, in particular in the current pandemic context, one should expect the IPD to increase as this is observed with characters displaying a negative emotion (angry), in comparison to the neutral condition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wearing a face mask against Covid-19 results in a reduction of social distancing

2020

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In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, barrier gestures such as regular hand-washing, social distancing, and wearing a face mask are highly recommended. Critically, interpersonal distance (IPD) depends on the affective dimension of social interaction, which might be affected by the current Covid-19 context. In the present internet-based experimental study, we analyzed the preferred IPD of 457 French participants when facing human-like characters that were either wearing a face mask or displaying a neutral, happy or angry facial expression. Results showed that IPD was significantly reduced when characters were wearing a face mask, as they were perceived as more trustworthy compared to the other conditions. Importantly, IPD was even more reduced in participants infected with Covid-19 or living in low-risk areas, while it was not affected by the predicted health of the characters. These findings shed further light on the psychological factors that motivate IPD adjustments, in particular when facing a collective threat. They are also of crucial importance for policy makers as they reveal that despite the indisputable value of wearing a face mask in the current pandemic context, their use should be accompanied by an emphasis on social distancing to prevent detrimental health consequences.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wearing a face mask against Covid-19 results in a reduction of social distancing

2020

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Body shape rather than facial emotion of others alters interpersonal distance in patients with anorexia nervosa

Cartaud,

Duriez,

Querenghi

et al. 2024

Euro Eating Disorders Rev

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ObjectiveThe study investigated interpersonal distance in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), focussing on the role of other's facial expression and morphology, also assessing physiological and subjective responses.MethodTwenty‐nine patients with AN and 30 controls (CTL) were exposed to virtual characters either with an angry, neutral, or happy facial expression or with an overweight, normal‐weight, or underweight morphology presented either in the near or far space while we recorded electrodermal activity. Participants had to judge their preferred interpersonal distance with the characters and rated them in terms of valence and arousal.ResultsUnlike CTL, patients with AN exhibited heightened electrodermal activity for morphological stimuli only, when presented in the near space. They also preferred larger and smaller interpersonal distances with overweight and underweight characters respectively, although rating both negatively. Finally, and similar to CTL, they preferred larger interpersonal distance with angry than neutral or happy characters.DiscussionAlthough patients with AN exhibited behavioural response to emotional stimuli similar to CTL, they lacked corresponding physiological response, indicating emotional blunting towards emotional social stimuli. Moreover, they showed distinct behavioural and physiological adjustments in response to body shape, confirming the specific emotional significance attached to body shape.

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Interpersonal distance perception during the normalization of an pandemic situation: Effects of mask‐wearing and vaccination

Yu,

Chen,

Xia

et al. 2023

PsyCh Journal

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This study aimed to evaluate the effect of anti‐pandemic measures, including wearing a face mask and receiving vaccinations, on interpersonal distance (IPD) during the normalization stage of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Virtual reality (VR) technology was used to simulate the experimental environment and a confederate in different conditions. Thirty‐one participants were asked to approach the virtual confederate, who could exhibit three vaccination states and two mask‐wearing conditions, actively and passively in both indoor and outdoor environments. ANOVA results showed that the participants kept a smaller IPD from the confederate wearing a face mask (IPD = 125.6 cm) than from the one without a face mask (IPD = 154.2 cm). The effects of vaccination states were significant, with the largest distance for an unvaccinated confederate (IPD = 182.3 cm) and the smallest distance for the confederate who had received a booster vaccine (IPD = 111.5 cm). Significant effects of environment were also found, with the participants maintaining a larger IPD in an outdoor environment (IPD = 143.4 cm) than in an indoor room (IPD = 136.4 cm). Additionally, the IPD collected when the participants were passively approached (IPD = 149.6 cm) was significantly larger than that obtained when they actively approached the confederate (IPD = 130.3 cm). Moreover, when the participants faced a confederate who had received a booster vaccine and wore a mask, the IPD was not significantly different from that collected before the COVID‐19 pandemic in both the active and passive patterns. These findings help us to better understand the nature of IPD and human behaviors during the normalization stage of the pandemic and provide scientific suggestions for policymakers to develop pandemic‐prevention measures.

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The influence of facial expression at perceptual threshold on electrodermal activity and social comfort distance

Cited by 24 publications

References 60 publications

Wearing a face mask against Covid-19 results in a reduction of social distancing

Wearing a face mask against Covid-19 results in a reduction of social distancing

Body shape rather than facial emotion of others alters interpersonal distance in patients with anorexia nervosa

Interpersonal distance perception during the normalization of an pandemic situation: Effects of mask‐wearing and vaccination

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