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

157
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...
157
Muscles for Facial Expressions01:14

Muscles for Facial Expressions

2.1K
The craniofacial muscles are a collection of approximately 20 thin skeletal muscles situated beneath the skin of the face and scalp. These muscles, primarily responsible for the vast array of human facial expressions, originate from the bones or fibrous structures of the skull and extend outwards to connect with the skin. While most skeletal muscles in the body are enveloped in thick fascia, facial muscles generally have a more delicate fascial covering, with the buccinator muscle being a...
2.1K
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

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Fossil wood cells recorded 300 million years of Europe's tectonic history.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Practical Use of Wearable Activity Measurement Devices in Orthopaedic Surgery: A Qualitative Analysis of Multidisciplinary Expert Experience.

Journal of clinical medicine·2026
Same author

Letter to the editor regarding the Paper "S2k-Guideline hand antisepsis and hand hygiene".

GMS hygiene and infection control·2026
Same author

Automotive Health 2.0: Steering Toward Proactive Preventive Care.

Mayo Clinic proceedings. Digital health·2026
Same author

[Psychometric Evaluation of a German 12-Item Short Form of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-D-KF)].

Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik, medizinische Psychologie·2026
Same author

Electronic Health Literacy, Psychological Distress, and Quality of Life in Urological Cancer Patients: A Longitudinal Study During Transition from Inpatient to Outpatient Care.

Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.)·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 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

Measuring facial mimicry: Affdex vs. EMG.

Jan-Frederik Westermann1, Ralf Schäfer1, Marc Nordmann1

  • 1Medical Faculty, Clinical Institute for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of the Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany.

Plos One
|January 2, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Facial mimicry, the automatic imitation of others' expressions, can be measured by automated software like Affdex, but Electromyography (EMG) remains superior for subtle mimicry research.

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

13.2K
Capturing Dynamic Finger Gesturing with High-resolution Surface Electromyography and Computer Vision
08:15

Capturing Dynamic Finger Gesturing with High-resolution Surface Electromyography and Computer Vision

Published on: March 28, 2025

498

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 6, 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

13.2K
Capturing Dynamic Finger Gesturing with High-resolution Surface Electromyography and Computer Vision
08:15

Capturing Dynamic Finger Gesturing with High-resolution Surface Electromyography and Computer Vision

Published on: March 28, 2025

498

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

  • Facial mimicry is crucial for social interaction and emotional understanding.
  • Electromyography (EMG) is the established method for measuring facial mimicry.
  • The suitability of automated facial expression analysis software for mimicry research is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the automated facial coding software Affdex with Electromyography (EMG) for measuring facial mimicry.
  • To assess Affdex's ability to detect mimicry responses to joy and anger stimuli.
  • To determine the temporal accuracy of Affdex compared to EMG.

Main Methods:

  • Facial mimicry was induced in 33 participants using video stimuli (joy, anger).
  • Simultaneous measurements were taken using facial EMG (corrugator supercilii, zygomaticus major) and Affdex software.
  • Correlations between EMG and Affdex data were analyzed for joy and anger expressions.

Main Results:

  • Affdex detected joy mimicry (lip corner puller, joy affect) significantly correlating with EMG (zygomaticus major), but with an 800 ms delay.
  • EMG showed rapid zygomaticus major activation ~400 ms after joy stimuli.
  • Affdex did not detect anger mimicry (brow lowerer, anger affect) correlating with EMG (corrugator supercilii).

Conclusions:

  • Automated software like Affdex can measure mimicry of positive emotions (joy) but with significant temporal lag.
  • EMG remains the preferred method for precise measurement of subtle facial mimicry.
  • Further research is needed to improve automated systems for capturing rapid, subtle facial mimicry, especially for negative emotions.