Expressions of Interest: Exploring Cognitive Biases in Facial Emotion Processing in Loneliness

The current pilot study aimed to explore cognitive biases in lonely individuals, particularly in facial emotion processing. We recruited 20 participants (60% female, Mage = 36.8 years) to test the feasibility of two online tasks that assess the relationship between loneliness and facial emotion perception and interpretation, using age-matched faces. Task 1 measured the speed of emotion onset perception and decoding accuracy using morphed videos, while Task 2 examined the interpretation of neutral faces using static images. These complementary tasks allowed for a nuanced assessment of temporal dynamics of emotion perception and the interpretation of ambiguous facial emotion cues. Importantly, we controlled for depression, phobia and alexithymia. Loneliness was measured with the UCLA loneliness scale, and feedback on task experience was collected from participants. Findings indicated no significant effect of loneliness on emotion onset perception, however, social phobia and alexithymia emerged as predictors, suggesting these factors may impact on emotional processing in lonely individuals. Additionally, participants interpreted neutral faces as sad significantly more than other emotions, but loneliness did not reach significance. While pilot participants suggested useful changes overall, the study supported the feasibility of this online setup for further investigation into cognitive biases in loneliness.