AUDIENCE EFFECTS ON SOLITARY FACES DURING IMAGERY - DISPLAYING TO THE PEOPLE IN YOUR HEAD

Subjects imagined situations in which they reported enjoying themselves either alone or with others. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded bilaterally from regions overlying the zygomatic major muscles responsible for smiling. Controlling for equal rated happiness in the two conditions, subjects showed more smiling in high-sociality than low-sociality imagery. In confirming "imaginary audience effects" during imagery, these data corroborate hypotheses that solitary facial displays are mediated by the presence of imaginary interactants, and suggest caution in employing them as measures of felt emotion. © 1990 Human Sciences Press.