Let the Avatar Brighten Your Smile: Effects of Enhancing Facial Expressions in Virtual Environments

Previous studies demonstrated the positive effects of smiling on interpersonal outcomes. The present research examined if enhancing one’s smile in a virtual environment could lead to a more positive communication experience. In the current study, participants’ facial expressions were tracked and mapped on a digital avatar during a real-time dyadic conversation. The avatar’s smile was rendered such that it was either a slightly enhanced version or a veridical version of the participant’s actual smile. Linguistic analyses using the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) revealed that participants who communicated with each other via avatars that exhibited enhanced smiles used more positive words to describe their interaction experience compared to those who communicated via avatars that displayed smiling behavior reflecting the participants’ actual smiles. In addition, self-report measures showed that participants in the ‘enhanced smile’ condition felt more positive affect after the conversation and experienced stronger social presence compared to the ‘normal smile’ condition. These results are particularly striking when considering the fact that most participants (>90%) were unable to detect the smiling manipulation. This is the first study to demonstrate the positive effects of transforming unacquainted individuals’ actual smiling behavior during a real-time avatar-networked conversation.

既往研究已证实，微笑对人际互动结果具有积极作用。本研究旨在探究虚拟环境中强化个体微笑是否能够带来更优质的沟通体验。在本项研究中，研究人员在实时双人对话场景下，追踪参与者的面部表情并将其映射至数字化身（digital avatar）之上。该化身的微笑将被渲染为两种模式：一是参与者真实微笑的小幅增强版本，二是与参与者真实微笑完全一致的复刻版本。借助语言查询词计数（Linguistic Inquiry Word Count, LIWC）开展的语言学分析显示，与通过展现复刻自身真实微笑的化身进行交流的参与者相比，通过展现增强版微笑的化身沟通的参与者，在描述互动体验时使用了更多积极词汇。此外，自我报告测量结果表明，相较于"标准微笑"组的参与者，"增强微笑"组的参与者在对话结束后体验到了更积极的情绪，并感受到更强的社会临场感（social presence）。尤为值得关注的是，绝大多数参与者（占比超90%）并未察觉微笑被强化的操作，这使得本研究结果更具说服力。本研究首次证实，在实时网络化化身对话场景中，调整陌生人的真实微笑行为可带来积极影响。