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The Effects of Social Interaction and Personal Relationships on Facial Expressions

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Abstract

Previous studies have reported that the expression of smiles is facilitated by social interaction between partners. We examined the effects of social interaction and personal relationships on facial expressions in Japan. Pairs of friends and strangers seated next to each other (the no partition condition) or separated by a partition (the partition condition) were shown film clips aimed to elicit either positive or negative affect. Smiles were facilitated in the no partition condition in which participants interacted with each other. Further, the effect of social interaction on frowns differed depending on whether pairs were friends or strangers.

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Acknowledgement

We thank Mr. Junichi Ohnishi, an undergraduate student at Doshisha University, for help in carrying out this research.

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Correspondence to Kyoko Yamamoto.

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Yamamoto, K., Suzuki, N. The Effects of Social Interaction and Personal Relationships on Facial Expressions. J Nonverbal Behav 30, 167–179 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-006-0015-1

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