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<p>Pain signals immediate bodily threats. Its nonverbal expression often blends elements of other affective states, including emotions. Observers may perceive these states through the shared affective dimension of unpleasantness. However, no study has examined how the perceived unpleasantness of pain and negative emotions is prioritized when conveyed within the same facial sequence. This study examined how observers integrate facial configurations of pain and negative emotions (anger and sadness) by measuring perceived unpleasantness. It was hypothesized that facial sequences involving pain and negative emotions would be perceived as more unpleasant than those combining only emotions, regardless of their arousal. Sixty-three healthy participants (43&#xa0;women, 23.52 ± 4.08&#xa0;years old) watched a series of dynamic virtual agents transitioning from a short contextual facial configuration (667&#xa0;ms) to a longer target configuration (1,333&#xa0;ms). They then rated the unpleasantness perceived from the sequence. The results indicated that, although anger is associated with higher arousal than sadness, sequences combining anger or sadness contexts with a pain target elicited comparable levels of perceived unpleasantness. Moreover, sequences combining a pain context with anger or sadness targets were rated as more unpleasant than emotion-only sequences. These findings suggest that pain may be more salient or function as a more relevant signal than some negative emotions when embedded in facial sequences. Such evidence challenges the idea that all affective states contribute equally to the perception of another’s unpleasantness. This study highlights the importance of examining how multiple affective states are communicated over time.</p>

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Pain Outweighs Negative Emotions in the Perception of Facial Configuration Sequences

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月21日

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  • Marie-Hélène Tessier,
  • Audrey Marcoux,
  • Philip L. Jackson

摘要

Pain signals immediate bodily threats. Its nonverbal expression often blends elements of other affective states, including emotions. Observers may perceive these states through the shared affective dimension of unpleasantness. However, no study has examined how the perceived unpleasantness of pain and negative emotions is prioritized when conveyed within the same facial sequence. This study examined how observers integrate facial configurations of pain and negative emotions (anger and sadness) by measuring perceived unpleasantness. It was hypothesized that facial sequences involving pain and negative emotions would be perceived as more unpleasant than those combining only emotions, regardless of their arousal. Sixty-three healthy participants (43 women, 23.52 ± 4.08 years old) watched a series of dynamic virtual agents transitioning from a short contextual facial configuration (667 ms) to a longer target configuration (1,333 ms). They then rated the unpleasantness perceived from the sequence. The results indicated that, although anger is associated with higher arousal than sadness, sequences combining anger or sadness contexts with a pain target elicited comparable levels of perceived unpleasantness. Moreover, sequences combining a pain context with anger or sadness targets were rated as more unpleasant than emotion-only sequences. These findings suggest that pain may be more salient or function as a more relevant signal than some negative emotions when embedded in facial sequences. Such evidence challenges the idea that all affective states contribute equally to the perception of another’s unpleasantness. This study highlights the importance of examining how multiple affective states are communicated over time.