Publication
What’s so funny about shame? Functions of smiling and laughing in the context of shame – a mixed method approach
Mirella Hladký
Mastersthesis, FernUniversität Hagen, 2022.
Abstract
Smiling and laughing are commonly associated with the experience of positive emotions.
However, they also occur in negative or unpleasant situation. In previous studies, smiles and
laughter were observed in shameful situations. The present study applies a mixed methods
approach for investigating functions of smiles and laughter in shameful situations and how those
reflect in the morphology of expression. Participants were observed during a shame-eliciting job
interview role play with a virtual agent. In a qualitative post-interview, they elaborated on the
functions of smiles and laughter displayed during the shame-eliciting situations. Results of
qualitative content analysis showed that smiles and laughter serve three main function. They can
serve intrapersonal and interpersonal functions and be a sign of internal emotions. Those
functions can partly be linked to the morphological appearance of smiles. The gained knowledge
can improve computational emotion recognition and avoid misinterpretations of smiles and
laughter.