An ERP study on the understanding of the distinction between real and apparent emotions

To ensure successful social interactions, we must appropriately understand the distinction between apparent and real emotions. Here, we used event-related potential (ERP) methodology to examine the neural correlates of adults' decoding of another's apparent and real emotions. Participants were asked to judge whether the protagonist's apparent emotion (facial expression) was consistent with the real emotion (inner experience). The “false happiness” and “real sadness” stimuli elicited smaller P2 amplitudes than “real happiness” and “false sadness”. Similarly, compared to “real happiness” and “false sadness”, “false happiness” and “real sadness” stimuli elicited more negative deflections on the N200 and N300 components. These results indicate that the human brain does not simply detect emotion by facial expressions, but is capable of evaluating the context and deducing that person's true state of mind.

► The timecourse required to distinguish between real and apparent facial emotions was examined. ► Positive experiences elicited larger P2 values than negative experiences. ► Negative experiences evoked more negative N200 values than positive experiences. ► The brain is capable of decoding a person's true state of mind at an early stage.