UNDERSTANDING FACIAL POSTURE AS A MEANS OF EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION: A CASE STUDY IN THE LIGHT OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY APPROACH

Abstract

This case study is a partial replication of an original experiment by Strack et al. (1988). It examines the understanding of the facial feedback hypothesis. For this experiment, participants were asked to rate the funniness of a cartoon after completing tasks using only their lips or teeth to hold a pen, thereby facilitating a smile or a frown. In addition to that, there have been discussed cognitive-behavioural therapy elements on the presentation of emotions following physical reactions. It was a between-participants design in which respondents were asked to complete a questionnaire in the lips or teeth condition to generate emotional states of physical reaction required to underline cognitive precipitants. In this study, a within-participants correlational design was also conducted between extraversion and altruism to consider the possibility whether these two variables could relate to funniness or not. To test that, participants were asked to rate the humour of a far side cartoon. The results did not confirm the hypothesis that those in the teeth condition rated the cartoon funnier than those in the lips condition meaning that facial reaction does not necessarily imply respective emotional states due to cognitive elements, such as awareness and attention, which posit reason as a more important factor than emotions. Discussion of the results in line with physiological and cognitive aspects and their implications to future research had also been carried out.