Facial expressions and emotional experience during social interaction in autism and schizophrenia

Blunted affect is a transdiagnostic feature that impairs social functioning across psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia and autism. We quantified facial expression patterns and subjective emotional experience during standardized social interaction in 38 individuals with schizophrenia, 16 autistic adults, and 39 neurotypical adults using automated facial expression analysis. During social interaction, individuals with schizophrenia displayed more neutral expressions and reduced valence and arousal compared to neurotypical adults, whereas autistic adults showed typical facial expressions but subjectively experienced lower positive affect. These findings highlight distinct emotional profiles in schizophrenia and autism within social interactions, with blunted facial affect characterizing schizophrenia and reduced subjective positive affect characterizing autism.