FACIAL EXPRESSIONS IN HOLLYWOOD PORTRAYAL OF EMOTION

Much theory and research on emotion are based on the facial expression s of amateurs asked to pose for still photographs. The theory of facia l affect programs (FAPs; P. Ekman, 1972) was proposed to account for t he resulting expressions, most of which are patterns consisting of dis tinguishable parts. In the present study, 4 Hollywood films noted for fine acting and realism were examined for the facial expressions that accompany a basic emotion. In keeping with the theory of FAPs, profess ional actors judged as happy were found smiling in 97% (Duchenne smili ng in 74%) of cases. In contrast, actors judged as surprised, afraid, angry disgusted, or sad rarely showed the predicted pattern (found in 0 to 31% of cases). Typically they used one or two parts from the full pattern. If these films represent real life, these findings favor a t heory that assumes separable parts (e.g., components theory) over the older theory of FAPs.