Approach-withdrawal and cerebral asymmetry: emotional expression and brain physiology: I.

RJ Davidson, P Ekman, CD Saron… - Journal of personality …, 1990 - psycnet.apa.org
RJ Davidson, P Ekman, CD Saron, JA Senulis, WV Friesen
Journal of personality and social psychology, 1990psycnet.apa.org
In this experiment, we combined the measurement of observable facial behavior with
simultaneous measures of brain electrical activity to assess patterns of hemispheric
activation in different regions during the experience of happiness and disgust. Disgust was
found to be associated with right-sided activation in the frontal and anterior temporal regions
compared with the happy condition. Happiness was accompanied by left-sided activation in
the anterior temporal region compared with disgust. No differences in asymmetry were found …
Abstract
In this experiment, we combined the measurement of observable facial behavior with simultaneous measures of brain electrical activity to assess patterns of hemispheric activation in different regions during the experience of happiness and disgust. Disgust was found to be associated with right-sided activation in the frontal and anterior temporal regions compared with the happy condition. Happiness was accompanied by left-sided activation in the anterior temporal region compared with disgust. No differences in asymmetry were found between emotions in the central and parietal regions. When data aggregated across positive films were compared to aggregate negative film data, no reliable differences in brain activity were found. These findings illustrate the utility of using facial behavior to verify the presence of emotion, are consistent with the notion of emotion-specific physiological patterning, and underscore the importance of anterior cerebral asymmetries for emotions associated with approach and withdrawal.(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
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