DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DEPRESSED AND NONDEPRESSED INDIVIDUALS IN THE RECOGNITION OF AND RESPONSE TO FACIAL EMOTIONAL CUES

The present study investigated the recognition of, and responses to, f acial expressions of emotion. Participants were all women and consiste d of the following groups: (a) Sixteen depressed college students; (b) 16 nondepressed college students; (c) 16 depressed psychiatric patien ts; and (d) 11 nondepressed psychiatric patients. Results suggest that both depressed groups, relative to the nondepressed college group, ma de more errors in recognizing the facial expressions and reported more freezing or tensing; higher fear and depression reactions; and less c omfort with their own emotional reactions to these expressions and a s tronger desire to change these reactions. Few differences were found b etween the depressed psychiatric patients and the psychiatric control subjects. It is concluded that inappropriate reactions to others' emot ions may maintain or increase depression.