Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome
Published on: July 31, 2016
Impaired recognition of happy facial expressions in bipolar disorder
Linette Lawlor-Savage1, Scott R Sponheim2, Vina M Goghari1
11Clinical Neuroscience of Schizophrenia Laboratory,Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry,Hotchkiss Brain Institute,University of Calgary,Calgary,AB,Canada.
Background:
The ability to accurately judge facial expressions is important in social interactions. Individuals with bipolar disorder have been found to be impaired in emotion recognition; however, the specifics of the impairment are unclear. This study investigated whether facial emotion recognition difficulties in bipolar disorder reflect general cognitive, or emotion-specific, impairments. Impairment in the recognition of particular emotions and the role of processing speed in facial emotion recognition were also investigated.
Methods:
Clinically stable bipolar patients (n = 17) and healthy controls (n = 50) judged five facial expressions in two presentation types, time-limited and self-paced. An age recognition condition was used as an experimental control.
Results:
Bipolar patients' overall facial recognition ability was unimpaired. However, patients' specific ability to judge happy expressions under time constraints was impaired.
Conclusions:
Findings suggest a deficit in happy emotion recognition impacted by processing speed. Given the limited sample size, further investigation with a larger patient sample is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
Bipolar Disorder
Facial Feedback Hypothesis
Prosopagnosia
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Borderline Personality Disorder
Genetic and Environmental Contributions
Borderline Personality...
Emotional Expression
Universal Facial Expressions
Psychologist Paul Ekman identified seven basic...

