Abstract
Recent research revealed that emotional content can be successfully decoded from human dance movement. Most previous studies made use of videos of actors or dancers portraying emotions through choreography. The current study applies emotion induction techniques and free movement in order to examine the recognition of emotional content from dance. Observers (N = 30) watched a set of silent videos showing depersonalized avatars of dancers moving to an emotionally neutral musical stimulus after emotions of either sadness or happiness had been induced. Each of the video clips consisted of two dance performances which were presented side-by-side and were played simultaneously; one of a dancer in the happy condition and one of the same individual in the sad condition. After every film clip, the observers were asked to make forced-choices concerning the emotional state of the dancer. Results revealed that observers were able to identify the emotional state of the dancers with a high degree of accuracy. Moreover, emotions were more often recognized for female dancers than for their male counterparts. In addition, the results of eye tracking measurements unveiled that observers primarily focus on movements of the chest when decoding emotional information from dance movement. The findings of our study show that not merely portrayed emotions, but also induced emotions can be successfully recognized from free dance movement.
Highlights
Emotions color all aspects of our daily life
We examine whether observers are able to decode induced emotions from free dance movement
The selection criterion was based on the condition of being aged between 20 and 35 years of age, as it is known that emotion recognition is not fully matured until early teenage years and it is believed that the duration of negative emotional states decreases with age [33]
Summary
Emotions color all aspects of our daily life They are essential to our social relationships, psychological well-being, cognitive functioning, moral sensitivity, and other important developmental processes [1]. Other studies have shown how emotions may successfully be recognized from bodily expression, especially from particular parts of the body such as the trunk [12], the arms [12], [13], and the hands [14]. Both children and adults have been proved to master the ability to decode emotions from full body movements [14]–[20]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
