The face of schadenfreude: Differentiation of joy and schadenfreude by electromyography
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Standard
In: Cognition and Emotion, Vol. 29, No. 6, 18.08.2015, p. 1117-1125.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - The face of schadenfreude
T2 - Differentiation of joy and schadenfreude by electromyography
AU - Boecker, Lea
AU - Likowski, Katja U.
AU - Pauli, Paul
AU - Weyers, Peter
PY - 2015/8/18
Y1 - 2015/8/18
N2 - The present study investigated whether the facial expression of the social emotion schadenfreude, the pleasant emotion which arises in response to another's misfortune, can be differentiated from the facial expression of joy. Schadenfreude was induced by videos displaying unsuccessful penalty shots of Dutch soccer players and joy by successful penalty shots of German soccer players. Thirty-two participants watched videos while the activity of four facial muscles was recorded electromyographically. Furthermore, they judged each stimulus according to valence, arousal, joy, schadenfreude and sadness. Electromyography (EMG) results revealed that schadenfreude expressions did not differ from joy with regard to involved muscles (increase of Musculus zygomaticus major and M. orbicularis oculi activity, decrease of M. corrugator supercilii activity, no activity change of M. frontalis medialis). Furthermore, facial reactions developed fast in both conditions and EMG indicated stronger reactions in the schadenfreude condition, but according to ratings participants felt more pleasure in the joy condition.
AB - The present study investigated whether the facial expression of the social emotion schadenfreude, the pleasant emotion which arises in response to another's misfortune, can be differentiated from the facial expression of joy. Schadenfreude was induced by videos displaying unsuccessful penalty shots of Dutch soccer players and joy by successful penalty shots of German soccer players. Thirty-two participants watched videos while the activity of four facial muscles was recorded electromyographically. Furthermore, they judged each stimulus according to valence, arousal, joy, schadenfreude and sadness. Electromyography (EMG) results revealed that schadenfreude expressions did not differ from joy with regard to involved muscles (increase of Musculus zygomaticus major and M. orbicularis oculi activity, decrease of M. corrugator supercilii activity, no activity change of M. frontalis medialis). Furthermore, facial reactions developed fast in both conditions and EMG indicated stronger reactions in the schadenfreude condition, but according to ratings participants felt more pleasure in the joy condition.
KW - Psychology
KW - Electromyography
KW - Emotion
KW - Facial expression
KW - Joy
KW - Schadenfreude
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84932195460&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02699931.2014.966063
DO - 10.1080/02699931.2014.966063
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 25297966
VL - 29
SP - 1117
EP - 1125
JO - Cognition and Emotion
JF - Cognition and Emotion
SN - 0269-9931
IS - 6
ER -