Facial electromyography and emotional reactions

The aim of this paper is to review data from my laboratory, which were collected in an attempt to determine whether the facial EMG response is a general component of the emotional reaction. In a number of studies it was found that facial reactions: first, are spontaneously elicited and differ according to the kind of emotional stimuli to which subjects are exposed; second, are sensitive to learning; third, are consistent with how the subjects perceive the stimuli and their own specific emotions; fourth, are congruent with autonomic responses; fifth, are more pronounced for females than for males; and finally, differ among subjects with specific fears. These data converge to indicate that facial muscle activity is a general component of the emotional reaction and demonstrate that the facial EMG technique is a sensitive tool for measuring emotional reactions.