#563: Shame in Motion: Emotional Mimicry and the Influence of Perfectionism and Imposter Phenomenon

This study investigated how dispositional shame proneness, in conjunction with related traits of perfectionism and imposter phenomenon modulates emotional mimicry of positive and negative facial expressions. Emotional mimicry is central to social functioning, and self-conscious emotions like shame were hypothesized to influence mimicry responses. Participants completed three trait scales and viewed 46 static images (26 negative, 16 positive, and 4 neutral) while iMotions recorded mimicry. Contrary to the hypothesis, shame proneness was not related to differences in emotional mimicry between positive and negative stimuli. This lack of effect is discussed within the social-functional mimicry framework. We argue that static, non-interactive stimuli fail to engage the social-regulatory system that shame proneness typically influences.