Abstract
Previous studies demonstrated the positive effects of smiling on interpersonal outcomes. The present research examined if enhancing one’s smile in a virtual environment could lead to a more positive communication experience. In the current study, participants’ facial expressions were tracked and mapped on a digital avatar during a real-time dyadic conversation. The avatar’s smile was rendered such that it was either a slightly enhanced version or a veridical version of the participant’s actual smile. Linguistic analyses using the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) revealed that participants who communicated with each other via avatars that exhibited enhanced smiles used more positive words to describe their interaction experience compared to those who communicated via avatars that displayed smiling behavior reflecting the participants’ actual smiles. In addition, self-report measures showed that participants in the ‘enhanced smile’ condition felt more positive affect after the conversation and experienced stronger social presence compared to the ‘normal smile’ condition. These results are particularly striking when considering the fact that most participants (>90%) were unable to detect the smiling manipulation. This is the first study to demonstrate the positive effects of transforming unacquainted individuals’ actual smiling behavior during a real-time avatar-networked conversation.
Highlights
Cyberspace was envisioned to bring “an age of affordable beauty” [1]p3 where transformations to the self would be effortless
Participants in the mouth open-close only condition did not report different levels of social presence from those in the normal smile condition (M = 4.66, SD = .77 vs. M = 4.50, SD = .79, β = .06, p = .56), Research Question 1c. These results suggest that the addition of realistic facial expressions to an avatar do not automatically yield higher perceptions of social presence
The present study found that participants who interacted with each other using avatars that enhanced their actual smiles felt more positive affect and a greater sense of being present with their partner
Summary
Cyberspace was envisioned to bring “an age of affordable beauty” [1]p3 where transformations to the self would be effortless. Within this space, people would be able to freely change their appearance and behavior in ways that best fit their goals. A brief look at the current online sociosphere appears to confirm these early prophesies. People strategically manage their posts on social media to promote desirable aspects of themselves [3]. Individuals even misrepresent certain physical aspects of their actual selves, such as height or weight, on online dating websites to present themselves in a more positive light
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