Exploring the Temporal Dynamics of Facial Mimicry in Emotion Processing Using Action Units

Facial mimicry—the automatic, unconscious imitation of others' expressions—is vital for emotional understanding. This study investigates how mimicry differs across emotions using Face Action Units from videos and participants' responses. Dynamic Time Warping quantified the temporal alignment between participants' and stimuli's facial expressions, revealing significant emotional variations. Post-hoc tests indicated greater mimicry for 'Fear' than 'Happy' and reduced mimicry for 'Anger' compared to 'Fear'. The mimicry correlations with personality traits like Extraversion and Agreeableness were significant, showcasing subtle yet meaningful connections. These findings suggest specific emotions evoke stronger mimicry, with personality traits playing a secondary role in emotional alignment.
Notably, our results highlight how personality-linked mimicry mechanisms extend beyond interpersonal communication to affective computing applications, such as remote human-human interactions and human-virtual-agent scenarios. Insights from temporal facial mimicry—e.g., designing digital agents that adaptively mirror user expressions—enable developers to create empathetic, personalized systems, enhancing emotional resonance and user engagement.