FACS coding of televised darts players reveals different facial behavior before successful and unsuccessful performances

The main objective of the present research was to use FACS on the televised pre-performance facial behavior of professional darts players to investigate if the facial behavior differed between successful and unsuccessful performances. A secondary goal of this study was to test if manual facial coding differed from automated coding using Noldus FaceReader. Therefore, a random sampling methodology was utilized to assemble video clips of the facial behavior of all players immediately before throwing darts in the 2017 World darts Championship in two performance categories, poor and good performance (10 clips per players respectively). Two FACS-certified coders blind to performance condition coded the activation intensity of 20 distinct muscle groups in the face (i.e., action units) and were compared to Noldus FaceReader output. Results showed very limited facial muscle movements in the videos across both performance categories and hardly any correlation between FACS and FaceReader data. However, multivariate data analysis of the FACS data revealed less intense action unit activity before good performance vs. poor performance. More specifically, successful darts performance was associated with lower muscle activity around the eyes and the mouth. These findings are discussed in light of previous literature suggesting that the face can be indicative of levels of arousal and anxiety and that low levels of arousal and anxiety prior to fine sensorimotor coordination are associated with performance in these situations.