Communal Narcissism, Smiling, and Interpersonal Closeness Across Phases of Group Interaction: A Leader–Follower Perspective

This thesis examines how communal narcissism is associated with affiliative nonverbal behavior and interpersonal closeness in online group interactions. Specifically, it investigates smiling and smile mimicry as socially regulated affiliative signals within dyads of leaders and followers embedded in small groups. The study builds on the Emotion Mimicry in Context model (Hess & Fischer, 2013, 2014; Hess, 2021), which conceptualizes emotional mimicry as a context-sensitive, goal-directed process influenced by relational motives and situational affordances. The thesis focuses on two overarching models. Model 1 examines leader-driven processes, testing whether leader smiling is associated with follower-perceived closeness and subsequent follower smile mimicry, and whether these associations depend on leaders’ momentary communal narcissism (state communal narcissism) . Model 2 examines follower-driven processes, testing whether follower smile mimicry is associated with leader-perceived closeness and whether this association is moderated by followers’ momentary communal narcissism. Both models are tested separately in affiliative (cooperative) and controversial (antagonistic) interaction contexts to account for systematic differences in emotional norms and affiliative affordances. The analyses use observational, dyadic data derived from questionnaire measures and OpenFace-coded facial behavior collected during structured online group meetings. Group interactions took place in structured online meetings designed to vary in interaction context. Meetings classified as cooperative phase (Meetings 2–3) involved collaborative and socially engaging tasks intended to promote affiliation and group bonding. Meetings classified as antagonistic phase (Meetings 4–5) involved task-based discussions and opinion-oriented exchanges designed to elicit disagreement and mild interpersonal tension.