Introduction: Facial expressions of emotions are one of the most important tools for trustworthiness judgment among fellowmen, leading to stabilized social interactions. The goal of the current research was to compare judgment bias of individuals with high and low social anxiety relative to various dynamic facial expressions of emotions in different emotional intensity levels. Method: sixty students of Zanjan University were selected and assigned to high and low social anxiety groups based on their scores on the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation (BFNE) scale, and performed the task of Biased Judgment relative to dynamic facial emotional expressions. Data were analyzed using the mixed analysis of variance. Results: Participants by high levels of social anxiety showed more judgment bias than those by low levels of social anxiety group, and evaluated all of emotional expressions as more untrustworthiness. The faces’ untrustworthiness judgment threshold began at lower intensity in this group, relative to low social anxiety group. The threshold of judgment bias at angry and disgusted emotions in high social anxiety group began at zero intensity (neutral expression) and the bias was enhanced with increasing emotional intensity, but in low social anxiety group. This bias threshold began at 40% intensity. Conclusion: Biased judgment in relation to subtle facial emotions cues and distrust to these cues are among the important factors in etiology and continuation of social anxiety disorder. Therefore, using intervention methods for biased judgment reduction and increment trust to others in social interaction will have effects in anxiety symptoms reduction and quick treatment process.                                                               

Keywords: Social anxiety, Judgment bias, Trustworthiness, Facial expressions of emotion

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