How Do People Perceive the Disclosure of Emotion?

The purpose of the current study was to examine how individuals high or low in social anxiety perceive the disclosure of anxiety as compared to the disclosure of other emotions, and how one’s own level of social anxiety influences these perceptions. Participants low (n = 78) or high (n = 83) in social anxiety watched one of four videos in which the target individual either did not disclose an emotion, disclosed feeling anxious, disclosed feeling sad, or disclosed feeling happy. Participants then rated the target individual on various characteristics. It was found that participants rated the target individual who disclosed anxiety as more awkward and less socially skilled, as compared to when she did not disclose an emotion. No differences were found among ratings of the target individual who disclosed other emotions; hence, it appears that these negative judgments may be specific to the disclosure of anxiety when one does not appear anxious.