"Have we met before?" : the effects of facial expressions and attractiveness on face recognition

Abstract

This paper explores how the ability to recognize faces might be influenced by the emotional expression on the target person’s face, or how attractive they are. It discusses the existing studies which had provided interesting insights as to how basic expressions and facial attractiveness may affect face recognition. However, most studies centered around Western cultures, hence limiting its relevance to people from other cultures. This paper seeks to understand three factors: (i) The effect of expressions on recognition, (ii) The effect of attractiveness on recognition, and (iii) Cultural influences on these effects. It aims to understand if people from different cultures have a similar understanding of basic facial expressions, or able to judge attractiveness in the same way as Westerners.