Keeping
calm and carrying on is quite difficult to do when startled in unfamiliar
surroundings and even more difficult if the surroundings are unpleasant. A
familiar face is reputed to be reassuring and will make us feel better.
Just
how much does the face effect us when startled, and does it depend on the
relationship, for example, how much difference does looking at a sibling effect
our startle response when compared to when we are gazing at a lover? Guerra et al set about trying to measure the
effects (1). They set about scaring the pants off 54 undergrads (just under
half were men) with a sudden loud blast of white noise while they were relaxing
and looking at portraits flashing up on a screen.
The
degree of startle was measured by the eye-blink response. They also measured
the extent of emotional arousal by measurement of heart rate, skin conductance, muscle signals from around the eyes and the mouth – you smile if you like the
picture and you like pictures of your lover more than of some stranger, which is
even better than a picture of a mutilated face.
So
what were the conclusions after the sudden bursts of noisy excitement? Firstly,
get a loud shock when looking at a familiar face resulted in a markedly reduced startle
response compared to when the students were looking at neutral pictures of
unknowns. Secondly when they were looking at mutilated faces, the sudden loud
noise produced a much stronger startled response.
Positive
emotional arousal (smiles and the heart beating faster), surprise, surprise,
perked up with familiar faces, especially lovers pictures. Men were a bit more
chilled out than the women though – it’s just a guy thing.
The
conclusion is that we are more relaxed and less easily scared when friendly
faces surround us. The authors expect that our neurophysiological responses
will lead to better health outcomes if we have our friends and lovers around us
to look at. I guess it’s good to see some measurements to back up our instincts.
Now how about the same experiment while we’re checking out our Facebook
friends?
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0041631
