Related data for: Can’t fight seeing sadness in tears: Measuring the implicit association between tears and sadness

Research on emotion perception has shown that visible tears can enhance the perception of sadness. However, it is unclear whether the perception of sadness from visible tears can happen automatically. We used the Implicit Association Test (IAT), a measure based on reaction time, to test the implicit association of tears and sadness in two studies. Study 1 (N = 58) measured the association using sadness (negative affect) or non-sadness (positive affect) words and images of neutral expressions with or without tears. In Study 2 (N = 54), neutral expressions were replaced with anger, disgust, fear, surprise, and happiness expressions with or without tears. Results from both studies revealed a strong tendency among participants to automatically associate tears with sadness and negative affect. These findings complemented past research that relied on self-reports in showing that the perception of sadness from visible tears can occur implicitly as well.