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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (10 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC Irvine Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2016)

Background: These two studies examined whether facial expressions in student identification photographs were connected with health care center visitation. Method: In Study 1, participants (N = 267) completed a short online survey that detailed the number of times they had visited a health care center in the last year. In Study 2, participants (N = 435) answered this same question, but health care center visits were divided into four categories: illness, injury, mood-related, and preventive. In both studies, the photographs on participants’ student identification cards were coded as no smile, non-Duchenne smile, or Duchenne smile. Results: Logistic regressions revealed that in Study 1, participants with non-Duchenne or Duchenne smiles were more likely to have visited a health care center in the past year than participants with no smile in their photograph. However, Study 2 revealed that this finding was driven by preventive health care center visits: participants with non-Duchenne or Duchenne smiles in their photographs were more likely to have visited a health care center in the past year for preventive purposes than participants with no smile in their photograph. No facial expression differences were found for health care center visits for illness, injury, or mood-related concerns. Conclusions: Smiling in photographs is connected to preventive health care center visits, a positive health behavior. Future research should continue to investigate whether smiles in photographs are connected with other important health outcomes

    Cover page: Does a Smile on Picture Day Keep the Doctor Away? The Connections between Facial Expressions in Student Identification Photographs and Health Care Center Visitation
    • Thesis
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC Irvine Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2019)

    Smiling has been shown to be beneficial in a number of social situations. One context in which smiling has not been well researched, however, is within physical health and health-relevant outcomes. The small amount of research in this area has found that smiling may buffer the cardiovascular effects of acute pain. The goals of this dissertation were to 1) investigate smiling in the context of physical and social pain and 2) examine potential mediators (orbicularis oculi activation in Study 1 and positive affect in both studies) that may underlie the connections between smiling and acute pain. In Study 1, participants were randomly assigned to make Duchenne (genuine) smiles, grimaces, or neutral facial expressions during two acute physical pain tasks. Cardiovascular responses (heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and pre-ejection period) were measured at baseline, during the tasks, and after the tasks. Pain threshold, pain tolerance, and self-reported pain were also measured. Results showed that trajectories across cardiovascular variables of interest did not significantly differ between the facial expression conditions. There were also no significant differences in pain tolerance or self-reported pain among the conditions. However, participants who made Duchenne smiles during the cold pressor had significantly higher pain threshold levels than participants who made grimaces, although there were no differences between either of these groups and the neutral facial expression condition. Furthermore, some evidence was found to support PA and orbicularis oculi activation as mediators of smiling and outcome variables. In Study 2, participants were randomly assigned to make Duchenne smiles or neutral facial expressions while they were included or excluded during Cyberball, a task that has been found to reliably elicit feelings of social exclusion. Results showed that participants who made Duchenne smiles while being excluded from Cyberball had significantly different heart rate trajectories than participants who were making neutral facial expressions. There were no differences in respiratory sinus arrhythmia, pre-ejection period, or self-reported pain between conditions. No evidence was found for positive affect as a mediator between smiling and outcome variables. Taken together, these studies provide some evidence that smiling during physically or socially painful situations might be beneficial.

      Cover page: The Psychological and Physiological Effects of Experimentally Induced Smiling During Physical and Social Pain
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2019)
      Researchers in psychology have long been interested in not only studying smiles, but in examining the downstream effects of experimentally manipulated smiles. To experimentally manipulate smiles unobtrusively, participants typically hold devices (e.g., pens or chopsticks) in their mouths in a manner that activates the muscles involved in smiling. Surprisingly, despite decades of research using these methods, no study has tested to what degree these methods activate the same muscles as more natural, device-free smiles. Our study fills this gap in the literature by contrasting the magnitude of muscle activation in device-free smiles against the popular chopstick/pen manipulation. We also contrast these methods against the Smile Stick, a new device specifically designed to manipulate smiles in a comfortable and hygienic fashion. One hundred fifty-nine participants each participated in three facial expression manipulations that were held for 1 min: smile manipulation via Smile Stick, smile manipulation via chopsticks, and device-free smile. Facial electromyography was used to measure the intensity of the activation of the two main types of muscles involved in genuine, Duchenne smiling: the orbicularis oculi (a muscle group around the eyes) and the zygomaticus major (a muscle group in the cheeks). Furthermore, following each manipulation, participants rated their experience of the manipulation (i.e., comfort, fatigue, and difficulty), experienced affect (positive and negative), and levels of arousal. Results indicated that the Smile Stick and chopsticks performed equally across all measurements. Device-free smiles were rated as most comfortable but also the most fatiguing, and procured the greatest levels of positive affect and lowest levels of negative affect. Furthermore, device-free smiles resulted in significantly higher levels of both zygomaticus major (by ∼40%) and orbicularis oculi (by ∼15%) muscle activation than either the Smile Stick or chopsticks. The two devices were not different from each other in muscle activation. This study reveals that while device-free smiling procures the greatest changes in muscle activation and affect change, smiling muscle groups are activated by device manipulations, and expected changes in affect do occur, albeit to a lesser degree than device-free smiling. It also indicates that the Smile Stick is an acceptable and comparable alternative to disposable chopsticks.
        Cover page: Contrasting Experimentally Device-Manipulated and Device-Free Smiles.Creative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
        • Article
        • Peer Reviewed
        UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2019)
        Researchers in psychology have long been interested in not only studying smiles, but in examining the downstream effects of experimentally manipulated smiles. To experimentally manipulate smiles unobtrusively, participants typically hold devices (e.g., pens or chopsticks) in their mouths in a manner that activates the muscles involved in smiling. Surprisingly, despite decades of research using these methods, no study has tested to what degree these methods activate the same muscles as more natural, device-free smiles. Our study fills this gap in the literature by contrasting the magnitude of muscle activation in device-free smiles against the popular chopstick/pen manipulation. We also contrast these methods against the Smile Stick, a new device specifically designed to manipulate smiles in a comfortable and hygienic fashion. One hundred fifty-nine participants each participated in three facial expression manipulations that were held for 1 min: smile manipulation via Smile Stick, smile manipulation via chopsticks, and device-free smile. Facial electromyography was used to measure the intensity of the activation of the two main types of muscles involved in genuine, Duchenne smiling: the orbicularis oculi (a muscle group around the eyes) and the zygomaticus major (a muscle group in the cheeks). Furthermore, following each manipulation, participants rated their experience of the manipulation (i.e., comfort, fatigue, and difficulty), experienced affect (positive and negative), and levels of arousal. Results indicated that the Smile Stick and chopsticks performed equally across all measurements. Device-free smiles were rated as most comfortable but also the most fatiguing, and procured the greatest levels of positive affect and lowest levels of negative affect. Furthermore, device-free smiles resulted in significantly higher levels of both zygomaticus major (by ∼40%) and orbicularis oculi (by ∼15%) muscle activation than either the Smile Stick or chopsticks. The two devices were not different from each other in muscle activation. This study reveals that while device-free smiling procures the greatest changes in muscle activation and affect change, smiling muscle groups are activated by device manipulations, and expected changes in affect do occur, albeit to a lesser degree than device-free smiling. It also indicates that the Smile Stick is an acceptable and comparable alternative to disposable chopsticks.
          Cover page: Contrasting Experimentally Device-Manipulated and Device-Free Smiles
          • Article
          • Peer Reviewed
          UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2018)
          OBJECTIVES: This study addresses methodological and theoretical questions about the association between affect and physical health. Specifically, we examine the role of affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect to predict antibody (Ab) levels in response to an influenza vaccination. METHODS: Participants (N=83) received the vaccination and completed daily diary measures of affect four times a day for 13days. At one and four months post-vaccination, blood was collected from the participants to assess Ab levels. RESULTS: Findings indicate that affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect predict an individuals immune response. Those high in mean positive affect (PA) who had more PA variability were more likely to have a lower Ab response in comparison to those who had high mean PA and less PA variability. Although it did not interact with mean negative affect (NA), NA variability on its own was associated with Ab response, whereby those with less NA variability mounted a more robust immune response. CONCLUSION: Affect variability is related to immune response to an influenza vaccination and, in some cases, interacts with mean levels of affect. These oscillations in affective experiences are critical to consider in order to unpack the intricacies of how affect influences health. These findings suggest that future researchers should consider the important role of affect variability on physical health-relevant outcomes as well as examine the moderating effect of mean affect levels.
            • Article
            • Peer Reviewed
            UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2015)
            © 2014 Taylor & Francis Despite the popularity of the ‘pay it forward’ (PIF) concept in textbooks and popular culture, to date, no study has tested the effectiveness of a brief, one-time PIF activity on the well-being of those who do good and those who receive good. To test this, 83 undergraduates (‘givers’) performed random kind acts for 1.5 h. PIF resulted in a wide range of well-being benefits for givers (e.g. greater positive and lower negative affect), with females showing greater positive affect benefits. Receivers of kindness (N = 1014) also benefited as evidenced by greater smiling behavior and more sincere smiles vs. controls (N = 251). Of the 48 receivers who completed a follow-up online questionnaire, the majority indicated that they would also PIF, with almost 40% indicating that they already had. Results indicate that a one-time brief PIF intervention can have broad benefits for those involved.
              Cover page: It’s good to do good and receive good: The impact of a ‘pay it forward’ style kindness intervention on giver and receiver well-being
              • Article
              • Peer Reviewed
              UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2018)
              OBJECTIVES:This study addresses methodological and theoretical questions about the association between affect and physical health. Specifically, we examine the role of affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect to predict antibody (Ab) levels in response to an influenza vaccination. METHODS:Participants (N=83) received the vaccination and completed daily diary measures of affect four times a day for 13days. At one and four months post-vaccination, blood was collected from the participants to assess Ab levels. RESULTS:Findings indicate that affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect predict an individual's immune response. Those high in mean positive affect (PA) who had more PA variability were more likely to have a lower Ab response in comparison to those who had high mean PA and less PA variability. Although it did not interact with mean negative affect (NA), NA variability on its own was associated with Ab response, whereby those with less NA variability mounted a more robust immune response. CONCLUSION:Affect variability is related to immune response to an influenza vaccination and, in some cases, interacts with mean levels of affect. These oscillations in affective experiences are critical to consider in order to unpack the intricacies of how affect influences health. These findings suggest that future researchers should consider the important role of affect variability on physical health-relevant outcomes as well as examine the moderating effect of mean affect levels.
                Cover page: When is affect variability bad for health? The association between affect variability and immune response to the influenza vaccinationCreative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
                • Article
                • Peer Reviewed
                UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2019)
                How people remember feeling in the past informs future decisions; however, memory for past emotion is subject to a number of biases. Previous research on choice blindness has shown that people often fail to notice when they are exposed to misinformation about their own decisions, preferences, and memories. This type of misinformation can influence how they later remember past events. In the present study, we examined the memory blindness effect in a new domain: memory for pain. Participants (N = 269) underwent a cold-pressor task and rated how much pain, distress, and positive and negative affect they had experienced. Later, participants were shown their pain ratings and asked to explain them. Some of the participants were shown lower pain ratings than they had actually made. In a second session, participants recalled how painful the task had been and how much distress and positive and negative affect they remembered experiencing. The results indicated that the majority of participants who were exposed to misinformation failed to detect the manipulation, and subsequently remembered the task as being less painful. The participants in the misinformation condition were not overall more willing to repeat the study tasks, but the participants who recalled less distress, less negative affect, and more positive affect were more willing to repeat the study tasks again in a future experiment. These results demonstrate the malleability of memory for painful experiences and that willingness to repeat aversive experiences may depend more on memory for affective reactions to the original experience than on memory for the physical pain itself.
                  Cover page: Misremembering pain: A memory blindness approach to adding a better end.
                  • Article
                  • Peer Reviewed
                  UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2023)
                  The natural process of mimicking the facial expressions of others is well established, as are the deficits in this reflexive behavior for individuals with clinical disorders such as depression. This study examines the extent of this deficit in non-clinical individuals with high transient negative mood, and whether it extends to both automatic and effortful emotion expression behavior. One hundred and thirty-six participants were shown happy, sad, and neutral faces, while electromyography (EMG) recorded facial muscle responses. Automatic (reflexive) mimicry was assessed while participants simply viewed facially expressive photographs, while effortful mimicry was monitored when individuals were told to intentionally copy the expressions in the photographs. Results indicated that high levels of negative mood were primarily associated with deficits in effortful mimicry of happy expressions, although some similar evidence was found in automatic mimicry of happy faces. Surprisingly, there were also ties between negative moods and inaccuracies in effortful mimicry of sad expressions (but not automatic mimicry). Inaccurate automatic and effortful mimicry were also tied with lower self-reported social support and greater loneliness. These results indicate that even in healthy individuals, transient and minor changes in negative mood are tied to deficiencies in facial mimicry at both the automatic and effortful level.
                    Cover page: The association of negative mood with automatic and effortful facial expression mimicry.
                    • Article
                    • Peer Reviewed
                    UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2023)

                    Objective

                    There is a need for a brief affect scale that also encompasses different components of affect relevant for researchers interested in physiological and health outcomes. The Subcomponents of Affect Scale (SAS) meets this need. This 18-item scale has nine positive and nine negative affect items encompassing six subscales (calm, well-being, vigour, depression, anxiety, anger). Previous research using the SAS has demonstrated its predictive validity, but no work has tested its subscale structure or longitudinal validity.

                    Design

                    Data from the Common Cold Project in which individuals (N = 610) completed the SAS over the course of seven days were used.

                    Results

                    Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated the reliability of the subscale structure of the SAS across seven days (positive affect subscale structure: CFIs ≥ 0.98; negative affect subscale structure: CFIs ≥ 0.94 with day 6 CFI = 0.91) and tests of factorial invariance showed the scale is valid to use over time.

                    Conclusions

                    These results confirm the psychometric validity of the subscale structure of the SAS and imply that the subscales can be used longitudinally, allowing for its use in health research as well as non-health research that can benefit from its subscale structure and longitudinal capabilities.
                      Cover page: The subcomponents of affect scale (SAS): validating a widely used affect scaleCreative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
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