Cultural variation in hemifacial asymmetry of emotion expressions

Photographs of hemifacial composites (left-left, right-right and normal pre sentation, right-left) of three cultures (Japanese, Oriental Indian and Nor th American) displaying six emotions (happy, sad, fear, anger, surprise, di sgust) and a neutral state were administered successively (one by one) as w ell as simultaneously (three hemifacial photographs of an expression at a t ime) to observers for judgment on a 5-point scale in terms of distinctivene ss of expression. Observers' judgments were treated with a culture of expre ssor x sex of expressor x facial presentation x emotion category mixed fact orial ANOVA. Cultures did not vary for their distinctiveness of facial expr essions, suggesting universality in this respect. Culture-specificity was, however, observed with respect to hemifacial asymmetry and valence of emoti on expressions: (1) Japanese showed a right hemifacial bias for positive an d left hemifacial bias for negative emotions; Indians and North Americans s howed left hemifacial bias for all emotions, and (2) negative emotion expre ssions were least distinctly identifiable in Japanese faces followed by Ind ian and North American faces.