Subtle positive facial expression recognition is enhanced by comedy viewing: individual differences in empathy and depressive tendencies
- 1Graduate School of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science
- 2Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
- 3University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter
Abstract
Recognising the subtle signs of positive emotions is essential for trust, cooperation, and social connections. However, everyday barriers such as face masks can hinder this ability. We tested whether a brief positive mood induction via comedy viewing could enhance the recognition of subtle smiles and whether this depended on mask-wearing and individual traits. Fifty-three adults (22 males, 31 females) completed a within-subject experiment, watching either a comedy performance or a neutral weather broadcast, and then judged the valence of morphed facial expressions (10–30% intensity) with or without a mask. Comedy viewing significantly increased positive mood and reduced negative mood. Recognition accuracy for subtle positive expressions improved after comedy for unmasked faces but not for masked faces. Greater perspective-taking and lower depressive mood were associated with greater improvement in exploratory analyses. These results suggest that a short, enjoyable activity, such as watching comedy, may enhance sensitivity to others’ positive emotions, but only when key facial cues are visible.
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BibTeX
@article{adachi2026subtle,
title = {{Subtle positive facial expression recognition is enhanced by comedy viewing: individual differences in empathy and depressive tendencies}},
author = {Keisuke Adachi and Miyu Kashiwa and Masaumi Shimizu and Masato Okada and Asami Oguro-Ando and Hiroko Ichikawa},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-59955-0},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-59955-0},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Subtle positive facial expression recognition is enhanced by comedy viewing: individual differences in empathy and depressive tendencies
AU - Keisuke Adachi
AU - Miyu Kashiwa
AU - Masaumi Shimizu
AU - Masato Okada
AU - Asami Oguro-Ando
AU - Hiroko Ichikawa
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-59955-0
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-59955-0
AB - Recognising the subtle signs of positive emotions is essential for trust, cooperation, and social connections. However, everyday barriers such as face masks can hinder this ability. We tested whether a brief positive mood induction via comedy viewing could enhance the recognition of subtle smiles and whether this depended on mask-wearing and individual traits. Fifty-three adults (22 males, 31 females) completed a within-subject experiment, watching either a comedy performance or a neutral weather broadcast, and then judged the valence of morphed facial expressions (10–30% intensity) with or without a mask. Comedy viewing significantly increased positive mood and reduced negative mood. Recognition accuracy for subtle positive expressions improved after comedy for unmasked faces but not for masked faces. Greater perspective-taking and lower depressive mood were associated with greater improvement in exploratory analyses. These results suggest that a short, enjoyable activity, such as watching comedy, may enhance sensitivity to others’ positive emotions, but only when key facial cues are visible.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -