Reduced facial expression and social context in major depression: discrepancies between facial muscle activity and self-reported emotion

The expression of emotion is determined by emotion and the presence and abs ence of others, i.e. social context. The present study examined social cont ext differences in facial muscle activity and self-reported emotion of 11 m ajor depressed and 11 non-depressed patients. Subjects were asked to imagin e happy and sad situations with and without visualizing other people. Facia l muscle activity over the brow and cheek region was reduced in depressed c ompared to non-depressed patients during happy and sad imagery whereas self -reported emotion showed no group differences. In both subject groups, happ y imagery induced increased smiling and self-reported happiness whereas sad imagery induced increased frowning and self-reported sadness. Smiling and self-reported happiness were increased during happy-social compared to happ y-solitary imagery in both groups. In contrast, frowning showed a lack of s ocial contest differences. although self-reported sadness was increased dur ing sad-social vs. sad-solitary imagery in both groups. Reduced facial musc le activity in depression may indicate psychomotor retardation whereas the lack of social context differences in frowning may suggest social disengage ment and an inhibition of sad facial expression in the presence of others. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.