Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Facial Feedback Hypothesis01:24

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

222
Charles Darwin proposed that facial expressions are an evolutionary adaptation for communication. He argued that these expressions are not influenced by culture but are universal across species. For example, a snarling expression with exposed teeth signals a threat in many animals, including humans. Darwin also suggested that displaying an emotion can intensify the feeling. Smiling, for example, could enhance one's sense of happiness. This idea laid the foundation for understanding the role...
222
Naturalistic Observations02:30

Naturalistic Observations

15.6K
If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...
15.6K
Nonconscious Mimicry01:13

Nonconscious Mimicry

4.6K
Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
4.6K
Factors Affecting Perception01:25

Factors Affecting Perception

1.7K
Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
1.7K
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping02:05

Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping

39.1K
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...
39.1K
Classification of Illness01:17

Classification of Illness

7.7K
The meaning of illness is individualized to each person who experiences an alteration in health. In contrast, disease is a medical term indicating a pathological change in the structure and function of the body or mind. It is a condition that has specific symptoms and boundaries.
An illness is a response to a disease in which the person's level of functioning is changed compared with a previous level. The general classification of illness includes acute and chronic.
Acute illness is severe...
7.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Testing a Developmental Cascade Model from Prenatal Maternal Emotion Dysregulation to Toddler Behavior Dysregulation Through Postnatal Parenting Stress and Infant Physiology.

Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology·2026
Same author

End-to-end hardware modeling and sensitivity optimization of photoacoustic signal readout chains.

Biomedical optics express·2026
Same author

Prenatal Emotion Dysregulation, Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, and Mindfulness Predict tTddler Socioemotional Development.

Research on child and adolescent psychopathology·2026
Same author

Neonatal Mimicry of Caregivers at Home: Feasibility of an Asynchronous Online Paradigm.

Infancy : the official journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·2026
Same author

Lower fetal heart rate variability and parenting stress associate with toddler psychopathology risk.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Neurobehavioral Profiles in Low-Risk Infants: Associations With Prenatal Maternal Biobehavior and Birth Characteristics.

Developmental psychobiology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 7, 2025

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans
04:27

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans

Published on: March 15, 2019

11.2K

Behavioral and physiological sensitivity to natural sick faces.

Tiffany S Leung1, Sarah E Maylott2, Guangyu Zeng1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.

Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
|March 9, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Humans can detect subtle signs of genuine illness in faces, influencing social avoidance behaviors. This innate ability to recognize sickness cues may help prevent the spread of contagious diseases.

Keywords:
Autonomic arousalBehavioral immune systemFace perceptionFacial healthPathogen avoidancePhysiologyPupil dilationSickness detectionVisual attention

More Related Videos

Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome
08:31

Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome

Published on: July 31, 2016

13.3K
Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research
05:03

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research

Published on: December 15, 2023

4.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 7, 2025

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans
04:27

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans

Published on: March 15, 2019

11.2K
Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome
08:31

Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome

Published on: July 31, 2016

13.3K
Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research
05:03

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research

Published on: December 15, 2023

4.2K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary psychology
  • Social cognition
  • Health psychology

Background:

  • The ability to detect and avoid sick individuals is crucial for survival and disease prevention.
  • Previous research often relied on artificially manipulated images of sickness.
  • Understanding responses to naturally occurring illness cues in faces is underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if adults can detect subtle, genuine illness cues from facial photographs.
  • To compare perceptions and behavioral responses to faces of individuals when sick versus healthy.
  • To explore the role of facial cues in facilitating illness avoidance.

Main Methods:

  • Participants rated photographs of individuals when sick and healthy on various dimensions (sickness, danger, emotion).
  • Behavioral responses, including approach-avoidance decisions and eye-tracking (visual attention), were measured.
  • Pupil dilation was used to assess physiological arousal during approach-avoidance tasks.
  • Illness severity was objectively measured using sickness and common cold questionnaires.

Main Results:

  • Sick faces were perceived as sicker, more dangerous, and elicited more negative feelings compared to healthy faces.
  • Participants rated sick faces as more likely to be avoided and exhibiting more negative expressions.
  • Eye-tracking revealed longer viewing times for healthy faces, particularly the eye region.
  • Increased pupil dilation to sick faces correlated with greater avoidance behavior, indicating heightened threat perception.

Conclusions:

  • Humans possess a nuanced ability to detect subtle cues of genuine, contagious illness from faces.
  • These facial cues play a role in social interaction, promoting avoidance of potentially sick individuals.
  • Findings suggest an evolved mechanism for illness avoidance, contributing to public health by identifying utilized information for disease prevention.