People with facial paralysis are
perceived as being less happy simply because they can't communicate in the
universal language of facial expression, a new study from an Oregon State
University psychology professor shows.
The findings highlight the
important role the face plays in everyday communication and indicates people may
hold a prejudice against those with facial paralysis because of their
disability, said Kathleen Bogart, an assistant professor of psychology in the
College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University.
"People are more wary and
more likely to form a negative impression of someone with a disability,"
Bogart said. "Identifying that stigma is the first step to addressing
it."
Bogart specializes in research
on ableism, or prejudice about disabilities. Much of her work focuses on the
psychosocial implications of facial movement disorders such as facial paralysis
and Parkinson's disease, which affect more than
200,000 Americans each year.
"Facial paralysis is highly
visible," Bogart said. "Everyone notices there's a difference, but
people have no idea why. They don't understand the nature of the
condition."
Some basic facial expressions,
including the smile, are communicated universally across cultures. But people
with facial paralysis or other facial movement disorders may not be able to
participate in that communication because they lack emotional expression and
may seem unresponsive in social situations.
To better understand how those
with facial paralysis are perceived by those without facial paralysis, Bogart
conducted an experiment comparing how emotions are perceived based on different
forms of communication.
About 120 participants, none of
whom had facial paralysis, watched or listened to videos of people with varying
degrees of facial paralysis and were asked to rate the subject's emotions as
the person recounted happy or sad experiences. Participants were assigned to
videos highlighting several communication channels, including video of just the
person's face; video of the person's face and body; or voice-only audio with no
video; as well as combinations of different types of communication.
Those with severe facial
paralysis were rated as less happy than those with milder facial paralysis
across all the different communication types and combinations. Those with
severe facial paralysis were also rated as less sad than those with milder
facial paralysis.
The findings confirmed that
people with facial paralysis experience stigma, but it also confirmed that
people often rely on a combination of communication channels to perceive
emotions, Bogart said.
That's important because people
with facial paralysis can adapt other communication channels, such as tone of
voice or gestures, to enhance their communication ability, she said. Also,
people interacting with someone with facial paralysis can be more watchful of
other communication cues that might indicate emotion, she said.
"It's not all about the
face," Bogart said. "Studies like this tell us more about the way
people communicate, verbally and non-verbally."
Her findings were published
recently in the journal Basic and Applied Social Psychology. Co-authors of the
study are Linda Tickle-Degnen of Tufts University and Nalini Ambady of Stanford
University. The research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes
of Health.
Bogart is now studying ways to
help people with facial paralysis use compensatory strategies to improve
communication. She has developed a social skills workshop for teenagers with
facial paralysis and hopes to do more work like that in the future.
"We know these strategies
work, so let's teach people to use those skills more," she said. "A
lot of people with facial paralysis do just fine, but there are some people who
would like help or support."
Making people aware of the
stigma about facial paralysis and educating them about the causes and effects
is the biggest key to reducing existing misconceptions and prejudices, Bogart
said.
"People need to be able to recognize
facial paralysis, and understand that they may need to pay more attention to
communication cues beyond facial expression," she said.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/282717.php
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