Changes in facial expression recognition and well-being over time
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21504862 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marie Huc (0009-0005-7363-1668, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal), Katie Bush (0000-0001-8362-1141, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal), Lindsay Berrigan (0000-0002-1359-8967, St. Francis Xavier University), Sylvia Cox (McGill University), S Y Cox (Dawson College), Natalia Jaworska (0000-0001-5643-8210, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-8 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cognition & Emotion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0269-9931 • E-ISSN: 1464-0600 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02699931.2026.2700437 |
| PMID | 42418703 |
| OpenAlex | W7167733807 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
Facial occlusion effects on emotion recognition are well-documented; however, improvements in recognition over time and relations with mental health changes remain unclear. This longitudinal study examined changes in recognition of occluded emotional faces and mental health features in a Canadian cohort (N = 128). After 3–4 months, participants showed greater accuracy in recognising most expressions and faster reaction time (RT) for fearful but slower RT for surprised faces. More daily “masked interactions” were related to slower RT for happy and sad faces but higher accuracy, suggesting a speed-accuracy trade-off. Increased depression symptoms were associated with greater accuracy for masked happy faces, while increased anxiety was associated with greater accuracy for happy and neutral faces. This study emphasises complex relations between masked emotion recognition and mental well-being, which can inform strategies for coping with social interaction restrictions
Cognition · Facial expression · Facial expression recognition · Facial recognition system · Emotion and Mood Recognition · Face Recognition and Perception · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
A Short-Form Measure of Loneliness
The NimStim set of facial expressions
Gorilla in our midst
Wearing Face Masks Strongly Confuses Counterparts in Reading Emotions
A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The PHQ-9
Duration of face mask exposure matters
Covid-19 and psychiatric disorders
Fearful face detection sensitivity in healthy adults correlates with anxiety-related traits
A Global Measure of Perceived Stress
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |