Effects of Emotional Expressions on Eye Gaze Discrimination and Attentional Cuing

Recent evidence has shown that our emotional facial expressions evolved to functionally benefit the expression’s sender, in particular fear increasing and disgust decreasing sensory acquisition. Using schematic eyes only that lack emotional content, but taken from actual participant fear and disgust expressions, we examined the functional action resonance hypothesis that adaptive benefits are also conferred to the expression’s receiver. Participants’ eye gaze discrimination was enhanced when viewing wider, “fear” eyes versus narrower, “disgust” eyes (Experiment 1). Using a gaze cuing paradigm, task facilitation by way of faster responses to target was found when viewing wider versus narrower eyes (Experiment 2). Contrary to our hypothesis, a null attention modulation for wider versus narrower eyes was found (Experiments 2 and 3). Nonetheless, the evidence is argued for the functional action resonance hypothesis.