Imagined events with specific emotional valence produce specific patterns of facial EMG activity

36 subjects' facial electromyographic (EMG) activity at the zygomatic, corrugator, and levator labii (superioris/alaeque nasi) muscle regions were recorded while they were acting self-generated emotions of happiness, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise. Analysis showed that the EMG acti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Perceptual and motor skills 2003-12, Vol.97 (3 Pt 2), p.1091-1099
Main Authors: Hu, Senqi, Wan, Hongwei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Affect
Anxiety
Electromyography - instrumentation
Face
Facial Muscles - innervation
Female
Humans
Imagination
Male
Visualization
Zygoma
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Summary:36 subjects' facial electromyographic (EMG) activity at the zygomatic, corrugator, and levator labii (superioris/alaeque nasi) muscle regions were recorded while they were acting self-generated emotions of happiness, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise. Analysis showed that the EMG activity at the levator labii region generated significantly higher power than those at the corrugator region while acting out disgust, the EMG activity at the zygomatic region generated significantly higher power than those at corrugator region while acting out happiness and surprise, and the EMG activity at the corrugator region generated significantly higher power than those at zygomatic and levator labii regions while acting out anger, sadness, and fear. It was concluded that the negative self-generated emotions were associated with increased EMG activity of corrugator muscles and positive self-acting emotions with increased EMG activity of zygomatic muscles.
ISSN:0031-5125
1558-688X
DOI:10.2466/PMS.97.8.1091-1099