Effect of facial expression on decision making

Abstract

Sometimes we advise others persons on the decisions they should make, and we accept risks that would be modulated by cognitive and emotional variables. In order to analyze the role of the expressed emotion in this type of interactions, it was conducted an experiment in which the type of emotion (facial expression: joy vs. sadness) and the type of advice (health vs. financial) were manipulated in order to analyze their impact on risk-taking and confidence in the response. The subjects accepted less risk when the facial expression was sadness (vs. happiness) in the financial situations. The findings are discussed as part of the reciprocity process in social interaction, where emotional information could play an important modulating role.