On the relative impact of facial features and surroundings: A comparison of the influence of within-face and external context on emotion communication

Contextual factors shape the perception and evaluation of emotional expressions. However, whereas some authors argue that context strongly determines the interpretation of emotions, others consider context to be less essential. Yet not all contexts are the same and the discussion often lacks reflections on the pathway through which different contexts may influence emotion perception. To address this issue, we propose potential pathways through which two often studied context cues (“within-face” and “external”) influence emotion perception. For this, 400 participants encountered individuals differing in age or ethnic background (within-face features) who showed happiness or distress in pleasant or unpleasant surroundings (external features).Within-face features significantly influenced emotion decoding, an effect partially mediated by closeness to familiar groups (cognitive-motivational route). Notably, these effects were stronger for age- than for ethnic background-related cues, suggesting that not all forms of within-face features operate equally and that conclusions should be drawn cautiously. No direct effects of external features (i.e., the surrounding or place) emerged. However, indirect effects were evident via an affective route: emotions induced by the place influenced emotion perception, and a cognitive-motivational route: pleasant environments fostered other-oriented mindsets, increasing the motivation to decode others' emotions. These findings highlight the central role of within-face features in emotion interpretation and suggest that external context influences may be more subtle and indirect than often assumed.