The Psychophysiology of 'Yes, And' vs. 'Yes, But': The Effect of Acceptance, Rejection and Repetition during Improvised Dialogue

This study examined how acceptance, rejection, and repetition of social feedback shape implicit physiological responses and subjective stress evaluations in a naturalistic, fictional setting. Thirty-nine student teachers performed dyadic “Yes, And” (acceptance) and “Yes, But” (rejection) theatre improvisation exercises while heart rate (HR), electrodermal activity (EDA), skin conductance responses (SCR), facial muscle activity (zygomaticus major and corrugator supercilii), and electrocortical activity indexed by frontal alpha asymmetry (FAAS), as well as self-reported stress were recorded. Across all improvised dialogue exercises, transient HR deceleration indicated a robust orienting response, while rejection elicited anticipatory HR slowing before stimulus onset, suggesting threat-related preparation. Zygomaticus major activity was higher in acceptance than rejection. Zygomaticus major activity, pre-stimulus HR, and self-reported stress decreased with repeated exercise. Together, the findings of this psychophysiological investigation of the “Yes, And” principle of theatre improvisation demonstrated that fictional social interactions evoke psychophysiological responses, and that repeated exposure of improvisation exercises can partially attenuate them. These findings contribute to improvisation pedagogy and experimental paradigms in social neuroscience, and may also be applied to therapeutic applications by mapping how social encounters modulate embodied responses and self-reported stress in a fictional, psychologically safe context.