Facial expressions of emotion and the course of conjugal bereavement

“In general, these findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that positive emotions confer a wide range of benefits during bereavement (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997; Coifman &”

“Bereaved people who express high levels of positive emotion and who show a pattern of emotional avoidance (low levels of distress relative to higher levels of autonomic arousal when talking about the deceased spouse) in interviews 6 months following the loss of a spouse have less grief-related distress and disruption…”

“Bonanno and Keltner (1997) conducted narrative interviews with individuals who had recently experienced the death of a spouse using EMFACS to determine the emotional affect of the participants. Subjects sat alone in a room with two cameras focused on their face for 10 minutes to obtain baseline data. A researcher then…”

“While there are some contexts where the use of suppression could be considered bene fi cial (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997; Mesquita et al., 2014), regular use of this type of response-focused strategy is often regarded as maladaptive (Gross, 2014).”

“The validity of the inte rviewer-rated grie f score was furthe r supporte d in earlie r studie s of the same sample (Bonanno et al., 1995; Bonanno & Keltner, 1997) that showed high corre lations with the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (Faschingbaue r, 1981) , r 5 .64, grie f-speci® c Intrusion on…”

“Some of the mediators and moderators of resilient outcomes have been considered to reside within the cognitive/emotional make up of individuals [14], for example, as seen in those with a tendency towards the expression of positive emotions [14, 17] or those with the ability to derive comfort from their positive memori…”

“Furthermore, actively avoiding thoughts and feelings of grief has been found to lead to positive adjustment rather than to maladjustment through the first five years after bereavement (e.g., Bonanno & Field, 2001; Bonanno & Keltner, 1997; Bonanno, Keltner, Holen, & Horowitz, 1995).”

“Results from previous research suggest that the beneficial effects of smiling and laughing may help people cope better with bereavement [27, 28].”

“It should be noted that acute mourning reactions in the early months of bereavement constitute a risk factor for prolonged mourning at a later stage (Boelen & Lenferink, 2020; Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“Also, the minimization of grief expression reduces the support burden on significant nonfamily others and facilitates ongoing social interaction and social reintegration (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“In the context of bereavement, Bonanno and Keltner (1997) found that negative facial expressions of recently widowed individuals (coded from videotapes) at an initial 6-months postloss assessment were positively associated with later ratings of grief at a 14-month postloss follow-up, even after…”

“…of an insecure attachment to the lost person (Bowlby, 1980), while those employing a social-functional perspective consider CG to evolve from a failure to mobilize sup- 512 OGRODNICZUK ET AL. port from important people in the bereaved person’s social environment (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“In terms of internal factors, interviewees leveraged positive emotion and a sense of humor to deal with adversity and mitigate their levels of stress during attacks (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997; Bonanno, Noll, Putnam, O’Neill, & Trickett, 2003).”

“Bonanno and Keltner (1997) found that genuine laughter and smiling when speaking about the loss of a loved one was associated with positive adjustment during bereavement.”

“…popularity, this hypothesis has not been well supported by current data, which, in fact, suggest that prolonged grief harms rather than facilitates recovery, contrary to the Freudian theory (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997; Nolen-Hoeksema, McBride, & Larson, 1997; Stroebe, 1992; Wortman & Silver, 1989).”

“Foundational evidence for the adaptive function of positive affect is beginning to accrue, however (e.g., Bonanno & Keltner, 1997; Folkman, 1997; Fredrickson et al., 2003; Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004; Zautra, Johnson, & Davis, 2005).”

“For example, Bonanno and Keltner (1997) found facial expressions of negative emotion increased grief intensity, whereas facial expressions of positive emotions lowered grief intensity.”

“Music appeared useful in helping participants integrate positivity into sad times, a process which has been shown to reflect and potentially facilitate resilience and recovery (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“This perspective is supported by recent work with self-help groups to facilitate coping with psychological consequences of life-threatening disease [37] and bereavement [38, 39].”

“ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE published: 27 May 2014 doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00480”

“Concepts such as positive emotion, laughter, and the concept of self-enhancement are now being viewed as important variables in coping with loss (Bonnano & Keltner, 1997; Bonanno, Noll, Putnam, O’Neill & Trickett, 2003; Fredrickson, Tugade, Waugh, & Larkin, 2003).”

“For example, to inhibit the expression of emotions can lead to better long-term adjustment in adverse contexts (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“Anger is a prevalent psychological distresses during conjugal bereavement (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997 ).”

“In discussions with the recently bereaved about their lost loved ones, many individuals exhibited laughter and genuine smiles (Bonanno & Kaltman, 2001; Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“…in PCBD. Careful consideration is required in setting up reclaiming life activities with other people because individuals suffering from PCBD may experience prolonged expressions of anger and sadness, and may have driven away important sources of emotional support (Bonanno and Keltner, 1997).”

“Another study showed that positive facial expressions while talking about the deceased spouse 6 months postloss was inversely related to PGD levels 14 and 25 months postloss (Bonanno and Keltner, 1997).”

“They may think that when they do express deep emotions they risk discomfort and withdrawal from members of their support network, such as their adult children (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“Keltner and Bonanno (1997) showed that increases in the number of DSs in bereaved persons were associated with greater enjoyment and reduced anger over time, presumably indexing their return to their CPM set points (see also Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“We pitted these contrasting hypotheses against one another in a longitudinal study of midlife conjugal bereavement ( Bonanno & Keltner, 1997 ).”

“Although we have focused on the more playful, upbeat aspect of laughter, it can be used to ridicule and belittle outgroups (LaFave & Mannell, 1976), to improve one’s health (Bennett, Zeller, Rosenberg, & McCann, 2003), and to overcome grief ( Bonanno & Keltner, 1997 ).”

“We pitted these contrasting hypotheses against one another in a longitudinal study of individuals whose spouses had died in midlife (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“In fact, the experience of positive emotions may be a key ingredient in resilient functioning post-disaster (Bonanno and Keltner 1997; Fredrickson et al. 2003).”

“Where it has been studied separately, control or avoidance of emotions has been shown to be beneficial Bonanno Keltner, Holen & Horowitz (1995); Bonanno & Keltner (1997) 74.”

“…Levenson, 1998), smile when experiencing disgust (Ansfield, 2007), smile when embarrassed (Ambadar, Cohn, & Reed, 2009), laugh when they are angry (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997), display aggressive-types of expressions when they are feeling tender care (Aragón et al., 2015), cry when overwhelmed with…”

“Bonanno and Keltner (1997) found expressions of anger and contempt during an interview about the lost loved one predicted higher levels of grief at 14 months post-loss, whereas anger predicted poorer report of health at both 14 and 25 months post-loss.”

“Bonanno and colleagues found that higher levels of negative emotions early in bereavement predict more chronic (complicated) grief (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“In addition, researchers have observed that emotion dysregulation evidenced during interviews about loss are associated with PGD symptoms (Bonanno et al., 2007; Parkes, 1986), including the prospective prediction of grief difficulties a year into the future (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“This may help people to consider the negative event and its implications, and to redirect their goals (e.g., Bonanno & Keltner, 1997; Frijda, 1987; Lazarus, 1991).”

“The FACS is used to study many different emotional processes, including pain expressions in infants (Grunau & Craig, 1987), cognitive-affective states during learning (Craig, D’Mello, Witherspoon, & Graesser, 2008), and the course of grief after loss of a spouse (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“…blunting (Miller, Combs, & Kruus, 1993), emphasized in the coping literature, with the longstanding debate concerning the role of working through (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997; Wortman & Silver, 1989), testify to the basic divide between suppression and processing/expression in psychopathological…”

“This is in accord with previous studies in References [23], [8], and [4].”

“Interestingly, the expression of positive emotions related to a loss may lead to a more adaptive course of recovery (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997) and reduce physical health problems (King & Miner, 2000).”

“In line with this idea, expressions of joy and amusement, such as smiling and laughter, were found to be common in a sample who were mourning the death of a spouse 6 months prior, and these emotional expressions of joy were a predictor of recovery from the sadness of grief (Bonanno & Keltner, 1997).”

“In one study, expressions of negative emotion (particularly anger) during a narrative interview predicted increased grief at 14 months and poorer health at 25 months ( Bonanno & Keltner, 1997 ).”

“…facial expressions of emotion during bereavement have documented that bereaved individuals who are able to utilize positive emotions early after a loss are more likely to show reduced grief and depression at later points in bereavement (Bonanno and Keltner, 1997; Keltner and Bonanno, 1997).”

“Specifically, when parents are faced with multiple life changes simultaneously, or even simply one major life event (e.g., loss of a spouse), they may experience increases in negative affect resulting in increased negative emotional expression (Bonanno and Keltner 1997).”

“Research reveals that elevated emotions are associated with improved physical health, which in turn improves psychological health (6-9).”

“E-mail: ernestina@labpsitec.es emotions, together with plans and goals predicted greater well-being 12 months post-bereavement (e.g., Bonanno & Keltner, 1997; Fredrickson et al., 2003; Keltner & Bonanno, 1997; Stein, Folkman, Trabasso, & Richards, 1997).”

“Bonnano & Keltner (1997) suggests that acknowledging positive feelings may have an adaptive function in the grief process, which would be an interesting aspect to follow-up in further studies [7].”