Work

Written in the face? Facial expressions during pleasant and unpleasant chills

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Chills are emotional peaks especially in response toward acoustic stimuli. In the present study, we examined facial expressions associated with pleasant and unpleasant chill experiences during music and harsh sounds by measuring electromyographic activity from facial corrugator and zygomatic muscles. A rubber bulb could be pressed by the participants to report chill intensities. During harsh sounds, increased activation of both corrugator and zygomatic muscle was observed. Zygomatic muscle activity was even more pronounced when a chill experience was reported during such sounds. In contrast, pleasant chill experiences during music were associated with slightly increased corrugator activity compared with absent chills. Our data suggest that harsh sounds produce a painful facial expression that is even intensified when a chill experience is reported. Increased corrugator activity during chills toward music might refer to states of being moved. The results are discussed in the light of a proposed role of the chill in regulating social behavior. Our results suggest that recording facial muscle activity can be a valuable method for the examination of pleasant and unpleasant peak emotions induced by acoustic stimuli.

Source: Psychology of Music

DOI: 10.1177/03057356221122607

Authors: Kai Klepzig, Katharina Stender, Martin Lotze, Alfons O. Hamm

Institutions: Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Universität Greifswald

Language: English

Topic: Neuroscience and Music Perception

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,250

Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft