Conveying “Fun” Through Communicative Moves of Facial Expressions: Investigating the Theory of Affective Pragmatics

Abstract

According to the theory of affective pragmatics, emotional expressions synchronously convey information of the following four types: expressing the expressor's emotions, committing the expressor to a future course of action, representing world circumstances, and directing other people's behavior. Nevertheless, few reports have described studies examining prioritization of the conveyed information. The present study was conducted to explore how information is conveyed by facial expressions of fun in the context of the presence or absence of another person. Results show that expression of the internal state (fun) is conveyed primarily in comparison to other information, but it is weaker in the state of being with a stranger than in the state of being alone or with a friend. Although directing other people's behavior is the least conveyed information in all conditions, the presence of another person amplified the intensity of directing other people's behavior. Overall, these findings provide new evidence supporting the theory related to emotional expressions.