Mask wearing increases eye involvement during smiling: a facial EMG study

The use of face masks has become ubiquitous. Although mask wearing is a convenient way to reduce the spread of disease, it is important to know how the mask affects our communication via facial expression. For example, when we are wearing the mask and meet a friend, are our facial expressions different compared to when we are not? We investigated the effect of face mask wearing on facial expression, including the area around the eyes. We measured surface electromyography from zygomaticus major, orbicularis oculi, and depressor anguli oris muscles, when people smiled and talked with or without a mask. Only the actions of the orbicularis oculi were facilitated by wearing the mask. We thus concluded that mask wearing may increase the recruitment of the eyes during smiling. In other words, we can express joy and happiness even when wearing a face mask.

Presence of Cheek Dimples and Absence of Palmaris Longus - An Anatomical Correlation from Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka

BACKGROUND Palmaris longus (PL) tendon agenesis varies from 5 % to 30 % in different ethnic groups worldwide. Its agenesis is associated with decreased wrist grip, pinch grip, presence of cheek dimples, difference of prevalence of agenesis with gender and handedness and with flexor carpi superficialis tendon. Student and general population surveys done in previous studies shows the association between these variables. The purpose of this study was to find out the association between the presence of cheek dimples with absence of palmaris long tendon. METHODS We examined 1200 medical and allied health students (600 males, 600 females) aged 18 - 24 years to assess the incidence of palmaris longus absence and the presence of cheek and chin dimples. The presence or absence of palmaris longus was assessed by clinical inspection using standard tests. The effectiveness of these’ standard tests’ is also tested along with wrist strength and pinch strength. RESULTS 163 students had PL agenesis. One hundred and twenty-one subjects had unilateral absence of palmaris longus (13.5 %). The tendon was absent bilaterally in 42 subjects (3.5) 77 students had either unilateral or bilateral cheek dimples out of 163 PL agenesis. The Mishra’s test is found to be most effective for properly defining the PL at wrist. CONCLUSIONS Prevalence of absence of palmaris longus is around 13.5 %. Unilateral agenesis of PL is 10 %. Absence of palmaris longus has strong association to presence of cheek dimples. Up to 45 % of PL agenesis will show either unilateral or bilateral cheek dimples. Studies on cheek dimples, panniculus carnosus are very scanty in literature; more studies might reveal interesting correlation. The grip strength of the wrist is unaffected due to palmaris longus agenesis; however, the pinch grip of 4th finger with thumb appears to be certainly decreased. Mishra’s test proves to be the best in demonstrating the PL. A radiant smile displaying the cheek dimples, has 50 % possibility of absence of PL. KEYWORDS Palmaris Longus Agenesis, Cheek Dimples, Bifid Zygomaticus Major, Panniculus Carnosus, Chin Dimples

Eyes Compensate Smile When Wearing Mask

The use of face masks has become ubiquitous. Although mask wearing is a convenient way to reduce the spread of disease, it is important to know how the mask affects our communication via facial expression. For example, when we are wearing the mask and meet a friend, are our facial expressions different compared to when we are not? We investigated the effect of face mask wearing on facial expression, including the area around the eyes. We measured surface electromyography from zygomaticus major, orbicularis oculi, and depressor anguli oris, when people smiled and talked with or without the mask. We found that only orbicularis oculi were facilitated by wearing the mask. We thus concluded that mask wearing increases the use of eye smiling as a form of communication. In other words, we can express joy and happiness even when wearing the mask using eye smiling.

Dance to the Music: The Effects of Moving on Emotional Responsiveness

In the current study I examined whether interpretive movement to music enhances emotional experience of the music, in dancers and non-dancers. Participants interacted with a series of musical excerpts, varying in valence and arousal, by either sitting still (still condition), moving arms up and down to the beat of the music (constrained condition), or gesturing their arms freely to the music (free condition), allowing for creative interpretation. Physiological and self-reported emotional responses to these songs were compared post-interaction. I found that after free gesturing, experienced dancers had polarized valence and arousal ratings towards happy vs. sad excerpts as opposed to after still and constrained conditions. Similar results were obtained of skin conductance (sweat) and zygomaticus major (smiling) responses. Non-dancers showed no difference in ratings or physiological responses between interaction conditions. This suggests that the effects of movement on emotional responsiveness to music are mediated by dance training.

Dance to the Music: The Effects of Moving on Emotional Responsiveness

In the current study I examined whether interpretive movement to music enhances emotional experience of the music, in dancers and non-dancers. Participants interacted with a series of musical excerpts, varying in valence and arousal, by either sitting still (still condition), moving arms up and down to the beat of the music (constrained condition), or gesturing their arms freely to the music (free condition), allowing for creative interpretation. Physiological and self-reported emotional responses to these songs were compared post-interaction. I found that after free gesturing, experienced dancers had polarized valence and arousal ratings towards happy vs. sad excerpts as opposed to after still and constrained conditions. Similar results were obtained of skin conductance (sweat) and zygomaticus major (smiling) responses. Non-dancers showed no difference in ratings or physiological responses between interaction conditions. This suggests that the effects of movement on emotional responsiveness to music are mediated by dance training.

Facial Muscles Reactions to Other Person’s Facial Expressions of Pain

The aim of this study was to record facial electromiograms (EMG) while subjects were viewing facial expressions of different pain levels (no-pain, medium pain and very painful) and to find objective criteria for measuring pain expressed in human’s face. The study involved 18 students with age 21 years. The magnitude of the EMG response of m. corrugator supercilii depended on voluntary performed facial pain expression in the subjects. EMG responses of voluntary performed facial pain expressions to mirrored pain reactions were detected at two time span intervals: 200–300 ms after stimulation in m. zygomaticus major, and 400–500 ms after stimulation in m. corrugator supercilii. These differences disappear after 1300 ms. In the second time interval, differences in EMG responses of both muscle groups occur 1600 ms after stimulus presentation, but disappear differently: 3100 ms after stimulation in m. zygomaticus major and 4000 ms in m. corrugator supercilii. Constant responding with “medium pain” expression when recognizing faces of different pain expressions have an effect on the voluntary EMG responses of individual subjects. Images with emotional expression “no pain” reduce m. corrugator supercilii activity and increase m. zygomaticus major activity for those observers.

Pictures of social interaction prompt a sustained increase of the smile expression and induce sociability

Viewing pictures of social interaction can facilitate approach behaviors. We conducted two studies to investigate if social interaction cues, empathy, and/or social touch modulate facial electromyographic (EMG) reactivity (as evidenced by the zygomaticus major and corrugator supercilii muscles) and mood states. We presented bonding pictures (depicting social interaction) and control pictures (without social interaction) while continuously recording zygomatic and corrugator EMG activities. In both studies, picture blocks were paired by valence and arousal. All participants were college students. In study 1, participants (n = 80, 47 women) read relevant priming texts immediately before viewing each block of 14 pictures. In study 2, participants did not read (n = 82, 63 women) priming texts before each block of 28 pictures. In study 1 and study 2, participants also completed mood states questionnaires to assess sociability and altruistic behavior. Empathy and social touch frequency were also assessed by self-reported questionnaires. In both studies, bonding pictures increased the zygomatic activity and the self-reported sociability feeling compared to control pictures. Only in study 2, bonding pictures decreased median corrugator activity compared to control pictures. We concluded that social interaction cues were efficient to increase sociability and prompt a sustained smile expression regardless of priming texts.

Studi Korelasi Sinyal Motorik Otot Wajah dan Sinyal Suara Ucap pada Artikulasi Fonem Vokal

Perubahan bentuk artikulator memiliki pengaruh pada suara ucap yang dihasilkan, sehingga setiap fonem memiliki karakteristik pola artikulasi yang berbeda. Penelitian ini meninjau hubungan otot artikulator wajah dengan sinyal suara ucap yang dihasilkan pada proses artikulasi fonem vokal. Digunakan 4 elektroda untuk merekam sinyal otot yang diletakkan pada otot depressor anguli oris dan zygomaticus major berdasarkan hasil analisa optical flow citra wajah saat mengucapkan fonem vokal. Dilakukan korelasi silang pada setiap pasang envelope sinyal EMG untuk mengetahui kecenderungan bentuk artikulator pada proses artikulasi. Diperoleh hasil bahwa setiap responden memiliki kecenderungan pola kontraksi pada otot artikulator yang unik, dan terdapat sinkronisasi untuk keempat titik artikulator yang ditandai dengan rendahnya nilai delay hasil korelasi silang untuk keempat pasang elektroda. Selain itu, dilakukan pula analisis total energi kontraksi yang dibutuhkan untuk menggerakkan, menahan serta mengembalikan posisi artikulator pada proses artikulasi. Berdasarkan analisa perbandingan energi, diperoleh hasil bahwa kontribusi otot depressor anguli oris lebih dominan dibandingkan otot zygomaticus major pada proses artikulasi fonem vokal.