Narcissistic and dependent traits and behavior in four archetypal 2-person, 2-choice games.

Introduction: The characteristic behaviors we use to define personality pathology arise from specific interpersonal interactions. In an effort to create a laboratory-based context in which behavior might be expected to be influenced by particular personality traits, we used four 2-person, 2-choice games (the Prisoner's Dilemma, Chicken, Leader, and Hero games) to create a simulated interaction and focused specifically on narcissism and dependency. Method: An online sample of 1137 (35% male, M age = 38.46 years, SD age = 13.20) participants completed brief, self-reported measures of trait narcissism and dependency and played one of the four games. Before deciding how to act or react, participants received either no message, a promise to cooperate, or a threat to defect from a (confederate) partner. Results: When receiving no message, those who cooperated in the Prisoner's Dilemma had lower trait narcissism, while those who defected in the Chicken and Leader games had higher trait narcissism. Also with no message, participants who cooperated in the Hero game had higher trait dependency. Promises only affected the relationship between trait narcissism in the Leader game while threats only affected the relationship between trait dependency in the Chicken game. Discussion: These findings add to the limited behavioral research on personality pathology and largely support established interpersonal conceptualizations and models. Future work might extend these findings using even more ecologically valid approaches to explore the behavioral correlates of personality traits that have important implications for interpersonal interactions.

Narcissistic and dependent behaviors in the Battle of the Sexes game.

We used the 2-person, 2-choice Battle of the Sexes game to model dominant and submissive behaviors in individuals with narcissistic and dependent traits in an online sample. In the Battle of the Sexes, participants share an interest in coordinating an outcome (either A or B). However, one player prefers they coordinate on Outcome A, whereas the other prefers they both coordinate on Outcome B. When provoked by a preemptive commitment (Experiment 1), we found that narcissistic traits were positively associated with dominant behavior, whereas dependent traits were positively associated with submissive behavior. In contrast, we found no association between either narcissistic or dependent traits and behavior in a condition without a preemptive commitment (Experiment 2). These findings are consistent with an interpersonal conceptualization of narcissistic and dependent personality disorders, though only when responding to provocation. These findings support the idea that narcissistic and dependent traits can be successfully modeled using economic games. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

In smiles we trust? Smiling in the context of antisocial and borderline personality pathology.

Research suggests that people behave more cooperatively towards those who smile and less cooperatively towards those with personality pathology. Here, we integrated these two lines of research to model the combined effects of smiles and personality pathology on trust. In two experiments, participants read vignettes portraying a person with either borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or no personality pathology. These portrayals were paired with a brief video clip that showed a person with either a neutral expression or a smile. Participants then played a Trust game with the "person" presented using each vignette and video clip combination. In Experiment 1, rates of trust were lower in response to the borderline and antisocial personality disorder vignettes compared with the control vignette. Interestingly, the effect of smiles was dependent upon personality. Although participants were more trusting of smiling confederates portrayed as having borderline personality disorder or no pathology, they were less trusting of confederates portrayed as having antisocial personality disorder if they smiled. In Experiment 2, run with a second set of personality vignettes, rates of trust were lower in response to both personality disorder vignettes and higher in response to smiles with no significant interaction. Together, these results suggest that information regarding both the current emotional state as well as the personality traits of a partner are important for creating trust.

A Novel Test of the Duchenne Marker: Smiles After Botulinum Toxin Treatment for Crow's Feet Wrinkles.

Smiles that vary in muscular configuration also vary in how they are perceived. Previous research suggests that "Duchenne smiles," indicated by the combined actions of the orbicularis oculi (cheek raiser) and the zygomaticus major muscles (lip corner puller), signal enjoyment. This research has compared perceptions of Duchenne smiles with non-Duchenne smiles among individuals voluntarily innervating or inhibiting the orbicularis oculi muscle. Here we used a novel set of highly controlled stimuli: photographs of patients taken before and after receiving botulinum toxin treatment for crow's feet lines that selectively paralyzed the lateral orbicularis oculi muscle and removed visible lateral eye wrinkles, to test perception of smiles. Smiles in which the orbicularis muscle was active (prior to treatment) were rated as more felt, spontaneous, intense, and happier. Post treatment patients looked younger, although not more attractive. We discuss the potential implications of these findings within the context of emotion science and clinical research on botulinum toxin.

Emotional Tears: An Honest Signal of Trustworthiness Increasing Prosocial Behavior?

How do our emotional tears affect the way we are treated? We tested whether tears, paired with either a neutral or a sad facial expression, elicited prosocial behavior among perceivers. Participants viewed a video clip depicting a confederate partner with or without tears displaying either a neutral or sad facial expression before making a behavioral decision in one of two economic games. In a Trust game (Experiment 1), participants who played the role of the investor were more likely to share an endowment after viewing a confederate trustee with tears (paired with either a neutral or a sad facial expression) in comparison to a confederate trustee without tears. However, in a Dictator game (Experiment 2), participants who played the role of allocator were no more likely to share an endowment after viewing a confederate recipient with tears (paired with either a neutral or sad facial expression) in comparison to a confederate recipient without tears. Taken together, these findings suggest that tears increase prosocial behavior by increasing trustworthiness as opposed to generally increasing other-regarding altruistic tendencies.

Face Value and Cheap Talk: How Smiles Can Increase or Decrease the Credibility of Our Words.

How do our facial expressions affect the credibility of our words? We test whether smiles, either uninhibited or inhibited, affect the credibility of a written statement. Participants viewed a confederate partner displaying a neutral expression, non-Duchenne smile, Duchenne smile, or controlled smile, paired with a written statement. Participants then made a behavioral decision based on how credible they perceived the confederate's statement to be. Compared to a neutral expression, Experiment 1 found that participants were more likely to believe the confederate's statement when it was paired with a deliberate Duchenne smile and less likely to believe the confederate's statement when it was paired with a deliberate controlled smile. Experiment 2 replicated these findings with spontaneously emitted expressions. These findings provide evidence that uninhibited facial expressions can increase the credibility accompanying statements, while inhibited ones can decrease credibility.

The Communicative Function of Sad Facial Expressions.

What are the communicative functions of sad facial expressions? Research shows that people feel sadness in response to losses but it's unclear whether sad expressions function to communicate losses to others and if so, what makes these signals credible. Here we use economic games to test the hypothesis that sad expressions lend credibility to claims of loss. Participants play the role of either a proposer or recipient in a game with a fictional backstory and real monetary payoffs. The proposers view a (fictional) video of the recipient's character displaying either a neutral or sad expression paired with a claim of loss. The proposer then decided how much money to give to the recipient. In three experiments, we test alternative theories by using situations in which the recipient's losses were uncertain (Experiment 1), the recipient's losses were certain (Experiment 2), or the recipient claims failed gains rather than losses (Experiment 3). Overall, we find that participants gave more money to recipients who displayed sad expressions compared to neutral expressions, but only under conditions of uncertain loss. This finding supports the hypothesis that sad expressions function to increase the credibility of claims of loss.

Effects of Tearing on the Perception of Facial Expressions of Emotion.

What is the function of emotional tearing? Previous work has found a tear effect, which resolves ambiguity in neutral expressions and increases perceptions of sadness in sad expressions. Tearing, however, is associated with a variety of emotional states, and it remains unclear how the tear effect generalizes to other emotion expressions. Here we expand upon previous works by examining ratings of video clips depicting posed facial expressions presented with and without tears. We replicate Provine et al.'s (2009) findings that tearing increases perceptions of sadness in sad expressions. Furthermore, we find that tearing has specific effects on ratings of emotion (happiness, sadness, anger, and fear) and ratings of intensity and valence in neutral, positive, and negative expressions. These results suggest that tearing may serve a specific and independent communicative function, interacting with those of various expressions.

The relationship between childhood adversity and dysphoric inner states among borderline patients followed prospectively for 10 years.

Childhood experiences of abuse and neglect were assessed in relation to dysphoric states among patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) over a 10-year course of prospective follow-up. The Revised Childhood Experiences Questionnaire was administered at baseline to 290 patients meeting DIB-R and DSM-III-R criteria for BPD. The Dysphoric Affect Scale--a 50-item self-report measure of affective and cognitive states thought to be common among and specific to borderline patients--was administered at fives waves of prospective follow-up. Significant predictors of dysphoric states included emotional abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional withdrawal, inconsistent treatment, denial of patient's feelings, lack of a real relationship, placing patient in parental role, and failure to protect patient. This suggests that abusive and neglectful childhood experiences are significant risk factors for severe affective and cognitive difficulties reported by borderline patients and that sexual abuse is neither necessary nor sufficient for the development of these troubling inner states.

The commitment function of angry facial expressions.

What function do facial expressions have? We tested the hypothesis that some expressions serve as honest signals of subjective commitments-in particular, that angry faces increase the effectiveness of threats. In an ultimatum game, proposers decided how much money to offer a responder while seeing a film clip depicting an angry or a neutral facial expression, together with a written threat that was either inherently credible (a 50-50 split) or less credible (a demand for 70% of the money). Proposers offered greater amounts in response to the less credible threat when it was accompanied by an angry expression than when it was accompanied by a neutral expression, but were unaffected by the expression when dealing with the credible threat. This finding supports the hypothesis that angry expressions are honest signals that enhance the credibility of threats.

The course of dysphoric affective and cognitive states in borderline personality disorder: a 10-year follow-up study.

The current study aimed to assess dysphoric states among 290 patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and 72 non-borderline axis II comparison subjects other personality disorders, (OPD) over a 10-year course of prospective follow-up. Additionally, we assessed the severity of these states among borderline patients who had and had not recovered both symptomatically and psychosocially. The Dysphoric Affect Scale (DAS) - a 50-item self-report measure of affective and cognitive states thought to be common among borderline patients and specific to the disorder - was administered at five waves of prospective follow-up. Affective and cognitive DAS items were separately analyzed, yielding respective subscores. Borderline patients reported more severe dysphoric states compared to OPD subjects at baseline. However, the severity of affective and cognitive states declined significantly for both groups taken together over 10 years of follow-up. Within the BPD group, recovered subjects reported less severe dysphoric states compared to non-recovered subjects at baseline. Results also showed a significant decline in DAS scores over time, but at a greater rate for recovered subjects. In sum, while the severity of dysphoric states declines significantly over time, inner distress remains an area of vulnerability for borderline subjects. Additionally, the severity and pervasiveness of these states may affect recovery over time.

The Course of Positive Affective and Cognitive States in Borderline Personality Disorder: A 10-year Follow-up Study.

This study had two aims. The first was to identify and define the course of positive affective and cognitive states present in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and compare them to those of comparison subjects with other personality disorders. The second was to compare the positive affective and cognitive states of borderline patients who recovered from BPD to those who did not. Two hundred ninety patients with BPD and 72 non-borderline axis II subjects (OPD) completed the Positive Affect Scale (PAS), a 50-item self-report measure designed to assess positive states thought to be common among and characteristic of BPD over a 10-year course of prospective follow-up. Affective, cognitive, and mixed PAS items were separately analyzed, based on respective subscores. Borderline patients reported positive affective, cognitive, and mixed states less frequently than OPD subjects. Additionally, affective, and cognitive subscores increased significantly for both groups taken together over 10-years of follow-up though at greater rates among borderline patients. Mixed subscores showed a significant increase over time and at similar rates for both groups. Within the BPD group, recovered patients reported more positive affective, cognitive, and mixed states compared to non-recovered patients. Results also showed a significant increase in affective and cognitive states at similar rates for both groups taken together over 10-years of follow-up. Mixed subscores also showed a significant increase for both groups taken over time, though at greater rates among recovered borderline patients. Taken together, these results suggest a characteristic profile of positive states within borderline patients that is far lower than those reported by axis II comparison subjects. They also suggest that this characteristic profile is predictive of recovery of BPD over time.

Positive affective and cognitive states in borderline personality disorder.

The aim of the current study was to compliment previous studies identifying negative states present in borderline personality disorder (BPD) by investigating the presence of positive affective and cognitive states. Ninety-six patients with criteria-defined borderline personality disorder and 24 axis II comparison participants completed the Positive Affect Scale, a 50-item self-report measure designed to assess positive states thought to be characteristic of and discriminating for BPD. Seventeen positive states (4 affective, 10 cognitive, and 3 mixed) were found to be significantly more common among axis II comparison participants than borderline patients. Twelve of these states were common to both borderline patients and axis II comparison participants. Furthermore, four positive states, when co-occurring together, were particularly strongly associated with borderline personality disorder (three negatively and one positively): (a) Fond of myself, (b) That things around me are real, (c) That I've forgiven others, and (d) Assertive. Finally, the overall mean score on the PAS significantly distinguished patients with borderline personality disorder from axis II comparison participants. Taken together, these results suggest that borderline patients are far less likely to report experiencing positive states of an affective, cognitive, and mixed nature than axis II comparison participants. They also suggest that being assertive is a positive state particularly discriminating for borderline personality disorder.

Sexual orientation in males and the evolution of anisogamy.

How might homosexual orientation have evolved and been maintained? Several adaptationist explanations have been examined in attempt to reconcile the presence of same-sex sexual behaviors with traditional selection-based theory, showing little empirical support. The current paper presents a novel adaptationist explanation for the evolution and maintenance of same-sex sexual behaviors in males, both between- and within-species, related to the evolution of anisogamy. Under conditions of isogamy, sexual reproduction occurs between individuals with gametes of similar morphology. With the evolution of anisogamy came greater specificity on the types of individuals that would produce offspring when mated with (i.e. those with opposing gamete sizes). It is suggested that with this evolutionary change, a specified psychological adaptation orienting individuals primarily towards mating partners with newly opposing gamete sizes was then selected for. It is thus hypothesized that sexual orientation will vary along the anisogamy-isogamy continuum, with homosexual orientation being associated with closer approximations towards isogamy. This hypothesis leads to two specific predictions. First, in comparisons between species, the presence of same-sex sexual behaviors will be more likely to occur as sperm to egg ratios approach 1:1. Second, in comparisons within species, those individuals with greater sperm lengths will be more likely to exhibit same-sex sexual behaviors than those with lesser sperm lengths. Examination of the present hypothesis stands to greatly increase our knowledge of the selective forces shaping both biological and psychological evolution.

All Smiles are Not Created Equal: Morphology and Timing of Smiles Perceived as Amused, Polite, and Embarrassed/Nervous.

We investigated the correspondence between perceived meanings of smiles and their morphological and dynamic characteristics. Morphological characteristics included co-activation of Orbicularis oculi (AU 6), smile controls, mouth opening, amplitude, and asymmetry of amplitude. Dynamic characteristics included duration, onset and offset velocity, asymmetry of velocity, and head movements. Smile characteristics were measured using the Facial Action Coding System (Ekman, Friesen, & Hager, 2002) and Automated Facial Image Analysis (Cohn & Kanade, 2007). Observers judged 122 smiles as amused, embarrassed, nervous, polite, or other. Fifty-three smiles met criteria for classification as perceived amused, embarrassed/nervous, or polite. In comparison with perceived polite, perceived amused more often included AU 6, open mouth, smile controls, larger amplitude, larger maximum onset and offset velocity, and longer duration. In comparison with perceived embarrassed/nervous, perceived amused more often included AU 6, lower maximum offset velocity, and smaller forward head pitch. In comparison with perceived polite, perceived embarrassed more often included mouth opening and smile controls, larger amplitude, and greater forward head pitch. Occurrence of the AU 6 in perceived embarrassed/nervous and polite smiles questions the assumption that AU 6 with a smile is sufficient to communicate felt enjoyment. By comparing three perceptually distinct types of smiles, we found that perceived smile meanings were related to specific variation in smile morphological and dynamic characteristics.

Anger, preoccupied attachment, and domain disorganization in borderline personality disorder.

Emotional dysregulation and attachment insecurity have been reported in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Domain disorganization, evidenced in poor regulation of emotions and behaviors in relation to the demands of different social domains, may be a distinguishing feature of BPD. Understanding the interplay between these factors may be critical for identifying interacting processes in BPD and potential subtypes of BPD. Therefore, we examined the joint and interactive effects of anger, preoccupied attachment, and domain disorganization on BPD traits in a clinical sample of 128 psychiatric patients. The results suggest that these factors contribute to BPD both independently and in interaction, even when controlling for other personality disorder traits and Axis I symptoms. In regression analyses, the interaction between anger and domain disorganization predicted BPD traits. In recursive partitioning analyses, two possible paths to BPD were identified: high anger combined with high domain disorganization and low anger combined with preoccupied attachment. These results may suggest possible subtypes of BPD or possible mechanisms by which BPD traits are established and maintained.

Impact of depression on response to comedy: a dynamic facial coding analysis.

Individuals suffering from depression show diminished facial responses to positive stimuli. Recent cognitive research suggests that depressed individuals may appraise emotional stimuli differently than do nondepressed persons. Prior studies do not indicate whether depressed individuals respond differently when they encounter positive stimuli that are difficult to avoid. The authors investigated dynamic responses of individuals varying in both history of major depressive disorder (MDD) and current depressive symptomatology (N = 116) to robust positive stimuli. The Facial Action Coding System (Ekman & Friesen, 1978) was used to measure affect-related responses to a comedy clip. Participants reporting current depressive symptomatology were more likely to evince affect-related shifts in expression following the clip than were those without current symptomatology. This effect of current symptomatology emerged even when the contrast focused only on individuals with a history of MDD. Specifically, persons with current depressive symptomatology were more likely than those without current symptomatology to control their initial smiles with negative affect-related expressions. These findings suggest that integration of emotion science and social cognition may yield important advances for understanding depression.