Effects of interactions between facial expressions and self-focused attention on emotion

Abstract

Self-focus is a type of cognitive processing that maintains negative emotions. Moreover, bodily feedback is also essential for maintaining emotions. This study investigated the effect of interactions between self-focused attention and facial expressions on emotions. The results indicated that control facial expression manipulation after self-focus reduced happiness scores. On the contrary, the smiling facial expression manipulation after self-focus increased happiness scores marginally. However, facial expressions did not affect positive emotions after the other-focus manipulation. These findings suggest that self-focus plays a pivotal role in facial expressions' effect on positive emotions. However, self-focusing is insufficient for decreasing positive emotions, and the interaction between self-focus and facial expressions is crucial for developing positive emotions.