Emotions on Wrinkled Faces Difficult to Read for Younger People

Wrinkles can make it more difficult for a younger person to judge the emotions of older people, according to a recent study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. It seems that age-related changes can create the illusion of facial expressions – so that wrinkles and folds can interfere with the perception of emotions.

The study involved 65 college students who were asked to view computer-generated faces:

• three men and three women
• some young (19–21) and some old (76–83)
• displaying neutral, happy, sad, or angry expressions

The participants rated the expressions on the computer-generated faces on a scale from 1 to 7.

Younger People Find It Hard to Judge Wrinkled Faces

They were most accurate in recognizing an angry expression, but least accurate in judging sadness in the older faces. Happy faces in older people were perceived as showing less overall emotion than the younger people’s faces.

Why the confusion? Facial expressions on older faces are perceived differently and less clearly than on younger faces. This is because the wrinkles on older faces create confusing signals. “In the case of the older expresser, the anger is seen as mixed with other emotions,” according to lead author Dr. Ursula Hess. “Clearly it makes a difference whether you think someone is just angry or someone is both angry and sad.”

Older People Have More Experience Judging Wrinkled Faces

Dr. Hess says that the results would have been quite different if the study participants had been closer in age to the older faces. As we age, we get more experience in recognizing the emotions in older faces. Even though the signals are less clear, we develop better judgment over the course of our lives. We can also read other signals, such as posture and movement, which you simply can’t see in a computer-generated photo.

Many people who have facial rejuvenation report similar results after their treatments. After an eyelid surgery, facelift, or even a Juvederm treatment, people find that their faces are clearer and more expressive than they have been in years.