Audible smiles and frowns affect speech comprehension

Motor resonance processes are involved both in language comprehension and in affect perception. Therefore we predict that listeners understand spoken affective words slower, if the phonetic form of a word is incongruent with its affective meaning. A language comprehension study involving an interference paradigm confirmed this prediction. This interference suggests that affective phonetic cues contribute to language comprehension. A perceived smile or frown affects the listener, and hearing an incongruent smile or frown impedes our comprehension of spoken words.

► Smiles and frowns may interfere with speech production and comprehension. ► Speech synthesis of words with positive and with negative meaning. ► Formants shifted up or down to simulate smiling and frowning. ► Incongruent smiling or frowning impedes speech comprehension. ► Interference due to motor mimicry of smiling and frowning gestures.