Can compassion, happiness and sympathetic concern be differentiated on the basis of facial expression?

ABSTRACT

Recent research has demonstrated the importance of positive emotions, and especially compassion, for well-being. Via two investigations, we set out to determine if facial expressions of happiness, “kind” compassion and sympathetic concern can be distinguished, given limitations of previous research. In investigation one, prototypes of the three expressions were analysed for similarities and differences using the facial action coding system (FACS) by two certified independent coders. Results established that each expression comprised distinct FACS units. Thus, in investigation 2, a new photographic stimulus set was developed using a gender/racially balanced group of actors to pose these expressions of “kind” compassion, happiness, sympathetic concern, and the face in a relaxed/neutral pose. 75 participants were then asked to name the FACS generated expressions using not only forced categorical quantitative ratings but, importantly, free response. Results revealed that kind compassionate facial expressions: (i) engendered words associated with contented and affiliative emotions (although, interestingly, not the word “kind”); (ii) were labelled as compassionate significantly more often than any of the other emotional expressions; but (iii) in common with happiness expressions, engendered happiness word groupings and ratings. Findings have implications for understandings of positive emotions, including specificity of expressions and their veridicality.

KEYWORDS:

• Affiliation
• kind compassion
• free response ratings
• faces
• contented compassion
• positive emotion

Acknowledgements

With particular thanks to Marcello Passarelli (the second FACS coder), and also the staff/students at the Sino-British College, USST, who allowed their photographs to be used as part of Investigation 2. Without all of their various contributions this research would not have been possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The “Shanghai Emotional Facial Expressions” (SEFE) set developed as part of this research is available on request. For access to the SEFE set please email [email protected] and/or [email protected].

2 Note that reports of degrees of freedom have been corrected using Greenhouse-Geisser, given “perceived rating” violated Mauchly’s test of Sphericity.