Syncing Minds Beyond the Face

It is estimated that around 1-3% of the population is on the autism spectrum, including around 90,000 individuals in Austria. Autistic people often find it difficult to recognize and communicate emotions, which not only impacts their social life but also has an impact on navigating through education and work environment, as well as on their broader well-being. However, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the extent and mechanism of emotion communication in autistic individuals. We suggest that this is especially due to two outstanding research needs: First, there is a need to explore multiple forms of emotion expression beyond facial expression-based stimuli. Reading emotions through facial expressions is the most universally used method to measure emotion recognition ability. However, autism is also related to altered face processing, reduced eye contact, and increased social anxiety, which raises a question of how much of the results that are found using facial expressions represent altered emotion recognition and how much is due to other factors. Second, despite the interpersonal nature of communicating emotions, there is currently limited research on the actual interpersonal process and sender-receiver interactions in social contexts that considers the synchrony between bodies/brains. This project will address these outstanding needs through a unique interdisciplinary approach by bringing together experts in empirical aesthetics (PI Matthew Pelowski) and clinical social neuroscience (Giorgia Silani), with early career researchers (Young Ah Kim) and international research and societal partners. To understand the process of emotion communication beyond facial expressions, we will apply an alternative medium of emotion expression: Visual art. Visual art can evoke strong emotional reactions in the viewer without the direct presence of another person. Further, some people on the spectrum who find it difficult to understand other peoples emotions in everyday life still report having intense emotional experiences when engaging with artworks, which highlights the potential of art in facilitating communication of emotion. Therefore, this study will explore how autistic and non-autistic people express and perceive emotions through visual art compared to facial expressions. Further, this study will investigate how the brains and the bodies of the expresser and the perceiver interact when communicating emotions using mobile brain imaging (fNIRS: functional near-infrared spectroscopy) and physiological measurements (electrodermal activity). The project will not only advance the theoretical understanding of the neuropsychological process of emotion communication but also apply this in a real-world setting to investigate whether engaging with artworks created by autistic artists can reduce negative stigma and promote prosocial attitude towards autistic people, as well as how art- based interventions can benefit people on the spectrum.