From the eye to the heart: eye contact triggers emotion simulation

Smiles are complex facial expressions that carry multiple meanings. Recent literature suggests that deep processing of smiles via embodied simulation can be triggered by achieved eye contact. Three studies supported this prediction. In Study 1, participants rated the emotional impact of portraits, which varied in eye contact and smiling. Smiling portraits that achieved eye contact were more emotionally impactful than smiling portraits that did not achieve eye contact. In Study 2, participants saw photographs of smiles in which eye contact was manipulated. The same smile of the same individual caused more positive emotion and higher ratings of authenticity when eye contact was achieved than when it was not. In Study 3, participants' facial EMG was recorded. Activity over the zygomatic major (i.e. smile) muscle was greater when participants observed smiles that achieved eye contact compared to smiles that did not. These results support the role of eye contact as a trigger of embodied simulation. Implications for human-machine interactions are discussed.