Unconscious facial reactions to emotional facial expressions were studied by Ulf Dimberg, Monika Thunberg, and Kurt Elmehed. The study used the backward-masking technique to expose participants to happy, neutral, and angry faces without their conscious awareness. Despite this, participants showed distinct facial muscle reactions corresponding to the emotional expressions. The zygomatic major muscle showed increased activity for happy faces, while the corrugator supercilii muscle showed increased activity for angry faces. These reactions occurred without conscious awareness, indicating that emotional responses can be triggered unconsciously. The study supports the idea that emotional face-to-face communication can occur on an unconscious level. The results suggest that facial expressions are controlled by automatic affect programs that can be triggered independently of conscious cognitive processes. The study also found that the amygdala plays a crucial role in the unconscious processing of emotional stimuli. The findings support the facial-feedback hypothesis, which suggests that facial muscle activity is essential for emotional experience. The study highlights the importance of unconscious facial reactions in emotional communication and the role of the amygdala in processing emotional stimuli.Unconscious facial reactions to emotional facial expressions were studied by Ulf Dimberg, Monika Thunberg, and Kurt Elmehed. The study used the backward-masking technique to expose participants to happy, neutral, and angry faces without their conscious awareness. Despite this, participants showed distinct facial muscle reactions corresponding to the emotional expressions. The zygomatic major muscle showed increased activity for happy faces, while the corrugator supercilii muscle showed increased activity for angry faces. These reactions occurred without conscious awareness, indicating that emotional responses can be triggered unconsciously. The study supports the idea that emotional face-to-face communication can occur on an unconscious level. The results suggest that facial expressions are controlled by automatic affect programs that can be triggered independently of conscious cognitive processes. The study also found that the amygdala plays a crucial role in the unconscious processing of emotional stimuli. The findings support the facial-feedback hypothesis, which suggests that facial muscle activity is essential for emotional experience. The study highlights the importance of unconscious facial reactions in emotional communication and the role of the amygdala in processing emotional stimuli.