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Impact of depression on response to comedy: a dynamic facial coding analysis
Lawrence Ian Reed1, Michael A Sayette, Jeffrey F Cohn
1Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. lirst6@pitt.edu
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
|November 21, 2007
Summary
Individuals with current depression symptoms showed altered facial expressions to positive stimuli, even controlling smiles with negative affect. This suggests differences in emotional appraisal for those experiencing depression.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Depression is linked to reduced facial responses to positive stimuli.
- Cognitive research indicates altered emotional stimulus appraisal in depressed individuals.
- Limited research exists on how depression affects responses to unavoidable positive stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate dynamic facial responses to positive stimuli in individuals with and without a history of major depressive disorder (MDD).
- To examine the impact of current depressive symptomatology on emotional expression.
- To explore how individuals with depression appraise and respond to unavoidable positive emotional stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) to measure affect-related facial expressions.
- Assessed 116 participants with varying history of MDD and current depressive symptoms.
- Exposed participants to a comedy clip to elicit responses to positive stimuli.
Main Results:
- Participants with current depressive symptomatology displayed more affect-related expression shifts post-stimulus.
- This effect persisted even when comparing individuals with a history of MDD.
- Individuals with current symptoms were more likely to mask initial smiles with negative affect-related expressions.
Conclusions:
- Current depressive symptomatology significantly influences facial responses to positive stimuli.
- Findings suggest that individuals with depression may actively control or modify their emotional expressions.
- Integrating emotion science and social cognition is crucial for advancing depression research.
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