It is generally accepted that the emotionsBoth positive and negative symptoms are contagious.Faced with the tears of a loved one, we feel sadness; faced with someone's uncontrollable laughter, we are overcome by the desire to laugh in turn.
Emotional mimicry, or "mirroring," strengthens social relationships
Researchers in neuroscience and psychology have studied this emotional mechanism called "mirroring," as well as the potential neural networks responsible for this mimicry. Currently, research has proven the existence of mirror neurons In monkeys, this phenomenon is found in the F5 premotor region, but the presence of similar neurons in humans remains controversial. Experts agree, however, on the existence of a "mirror system," coupling cortical regions linked to perception and those linked to action, which would explain this frequently observed phenomenon of mimicry.
Several hypotheses have been put forward regarding the role of this system: improved understanding of actions, development of empathy, precision of language—all elements contributing to the strengthening of social relationships. However, the effects of this mimicry continue to be explored.
It is within this framework that psychology researchers from SWPS University in Warsaw (Poland) and Humboldt University in Berlin (Germany) investigated the role of emotional mimicry in attributing specific personality traits to others. They considered several factors: the emotional significance of the facial expression, the context of the evaluation, and the personality traits being evaluated. The results were published in the journal Emotion of theAmerican Psychological Association.
“ The intensity of mimicry predicts the degree of trust.
In this experiment, 62 participants rated the trustworthiness, self-confidence, and attractiveness of individuals displaying various facial expressions in short video clips. Simultaneously, the participants' facial muscle activity was measured using electromyography. Prior to this, participants completed a questionnaire designed to create social affinities with some of the individuals they were about to observe.
Measurement of facial reactions using electromyography showed that participants were more inclined to imitate joy than sadness or anger, and this was more frequent with people with whom they had formed a social bond. Furthermore, these experiments confirmed that the participants had a better opinion of smiling people: they found them more attractive, more confident and more reliable.
And more specifically: " The intensity of mimicry predicts the degree of trust that participants place in the people they imitate. In other words, the more a person imitates another's smile, the more they will trust them.explains psychology professor Michał Olszanowski, the first author of this work.
“ To some extent, this study confirms the common observation that expressing positive emotions can lead to more positive attitudes toward a given person. From a scientific perspective, these results expand our understanding of the role of emotional mimicry in social interactions., concludes Michał Olszanowski.
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