Understanding Shame Signals: Functions of Smile and Laughter in the Context of Shame

Abstract

Computational emotion recognition focuses on observable expressions. In the case of highly unpleasant emotions that are rarely displayed openly and mostly unconsciously regulated - such as shame - this approach can be difficult. In previous studies, we found participants to smile and laugh while experiencing shame. Most current approaches interpret smiles and laughter as signals of enjoyment. They neglect the internal emotional experience and the complexity of social signals. We present a planned mixed-methods study that will investigate underlying functions of smiles and laughter in shameful situations and how those reflect in the morphology of expression. Participants' smiles and laughter during shame-eliciting situations will be analyzed using behavioral observations. Semi-structured interviews will investigate their functions. The gained knowledge can improve computational emotion recognition and avoid misinterpretations of smiles and laughter. In the scope of the open science initiative, we describe the planned study in detail with its research questions, hypotheses, design, methods, and analyses.