Subtle positive facial expression recognition is enhanced by comedy viewing: individual differences in empathy and depressive tendencies

Recognising the subtle signs of positive emotions is essential for trust, cooperation, and social connections. However, everyday barriers such as face masks can hinder this ability. We tested whether a brief positive mood induction via comedy viewing could enhance the recognition of subtle smiles and whether this depended on mask-wearing and individual traits. Fifty-three adults (22 males, 31 females) completed a within-subject experiment, watching either a comedy performance or a neutral weather broadcast, and then judged the valence of morphed facial expressions (10–30% intensity) with or without a mask. Comedy viewing significantly increased positive mood and reduced negative mood. Recognition accuracy for subtle positive expressions improved after comedy for unmasked faces but not for masked faces. Greater perspective-taking and lower depressive mood were associated with greater improvement in exploratory analyses. These results suggest that a short, enjoyable activity, such as watching comedy, may enhance sensitivity to others’ positive emotions, but only when key facial cues are visible.