Facial color is an efficient mechanism to visually transmit emotion.

ABSTRACT: Facial expressions of emotion in humans are believed to be produced by contracting one's facial muscles, generally called action units. However, the surface of the face is also innervated with a large network of blood vessels. Blood flow variations in these vessels yield visible color changes on the face. Here, we study the hypothesis that these visible facial colors allow observers to successfully transmit and visually interpret emotion even in the absence of facial muscle activation. To study this hypothesis, we address the following two questions. Are observable facial colors consistent within and differential between emotion categories and positive vs. negative valence? And does the human visual system use these facial colors to decode emotion from faces? These questions suggest the ex

SUBMITTER: Benitez-Quiroz CF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5889636 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature