Anger superiority effect

The anger superiority effect states that it is easier to detect angry faces than happy faces in a crowd of neutral ones. This idea was said to have evolved over phylogenic development because it is beneficial to be able to quickly detect a threat in a given environment. Niedenthal et al. cite recent research that questions the hidden perceptual versus emotional factors that might account for this so-called anger superiority effect. In congruence with the findings of this research, Niedenthal et al. tested the anger superiority effect using a neural analyzes of human faces in two different simulations in order to separate emotional and perceptual processes. What they found was that perceptual bias is causing a faster, more accurate identification of anger faces.