When the Good Guy Becomes the Bad Boy: Social Information Modulates the Neural, Physiological and Subjective Responses to Emotional Facial Expressions

Abstract

In the past decade, different studies have suggested that high-order factors could influence the perceptual processing of emotional stimuli. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of congruent vs. incongruent social information (positive, negative or no information related to the character of the target) on subjective (perceived and felt valence and arousal), physiological (facial mimicry) as well as on neural (P100 and N170) responses to dynamic emotoional facial expressions (EFE) that varied from neutral to one of the six basic emotions. Across three studies, the results showed (1) reduced valence and arousal evaluation of EFE when associated with incongruent social information (Study 1), (2) increased electromyographical responses (Study 2) and significant modulation of P100 and N170 components (Study 3) when EFE were associated with social (positive and negative) information (vs. no information). These studies revealed that positive or negative social information reduced subjective responses to incongruent EFE and produces a similar neural and physiological boost of the early perceptual processing of EFE irrespective of their congruency. In conclusion, this study suggested that social context (positive or negative) enhances the necessity to be alert to any subsequent cues.