Which theory states that facial expressions can influence the experience of emotion?

• A. Incentive Theory
• B. Facial Feedback Hypothesis
• C. Lewin's Motivational Conflicts Theory
• D. Homeostasis

Answer: (B)

Facial expressions can shape how we feel. The idea here is that the movements of our facial muscles send feedback to the brain that can alter our emotional experience. When you smile, the muscle activity associated with that expression sends signals that tend to amplify positive feelings; when you hold a neutral or negative face, those signals can lessen or color the emotion you experience. This is the core idea of the facial feedback hypothesis: our facial expressions don’t just reflect emotion, they help create or modulate it.

In contrast, incentive theory explains motivation by external rewards or punishments, not how facial cues influence emotion. Lewin’s motivational conflicts theory focuses on internal conflicts between competing motives, and homeostasis is about maintaining internal balance. None of these describe how facial muscle activity can feed back to shape emotional experience the way the facial feedback hypothesis does.