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Packheiser J, Sommer L, Wüllner M, Malek IM, Reichart JS, Katona L, Luhmann M, Ocklenburg S. A Comparison of Hugging Frequency and Its Association with Momentary Mood Before and During COVID-19 Using Ecological Momentary Assessment. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2024; 39:951-959. [PMID: 37041685 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2023.2198058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a drastic decrease in human social interactions including social touch. One of the most prevalent forms of touch is hugging. Hugging has been demonstrated to benefit both physical and mental well-being. In the present study, we used an ecological momentary assessment approach to assess the relationship between hugging and momentary mood in two independent cohorts sampled prior or during the pandemic. We found that the frequency of hugging was significantly reduced during the pandemic. Using multilevel modeling, we found a significant positive association between momentary mood and daily hugs. This effect was moderated by the cohort, as individuals during the pandemic showed a stronger positive association compared to the cohort sampled prior to the pandemic. While we have to stress that our results are correlational in nature, they potentially indicate that social touch is more beneficial in times of social distancing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leslie Sommer
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
| | - Maren Wüllner
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
| | - Imke Marlene Malek
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
| | | | - Laura Katona
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
| | | | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Medical School Hamburg
- ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Medical School Hamburg
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2
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Stevens L, Bregulla M, Scheele D. Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch - Neural and endocrine pathways. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 159:105595. [PMID: 38373642 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Trauma can shape the way an individual experiences the world and interacts with other people. Touch is a key component of social interactions, but surprisingly little is known about how trauma exposure influences the processing of social touch. In this review, we examine possible neurobiological pathways through which trauma can influence touch processing and lead to touch aversion and avoidance in trauma-exposed individuals. Emerging evidence indicates that trauma may affect sensory touch thresholds by modulating activity in the primary sensory cortex and posterior insula. Disturbances in multisensory integration and oxytocin reactivity combined with diminished reward-related and anxiolytic responses may induce a bias towards negative appraisal of touch contexts. Furthermore, hippocampus deactivation during social touch may reflect a dissociative state. These changes depend not only on the type and severity of the trauma but also on the features of the touch. We hypothesise that disrupted touch processing may impair social interactions and confer elevated risk for future stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Stevens
- Social Neuroscience, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Madeleine Bregulla
- Social Neuroscience, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Dirk Scheele
- Social Neuroscience, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
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3
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Troncoso A, Soto V, Gomila A, Martínez-Pernía D. Moving beyond the lab: investigating empathy through the Empirical 5E approach. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1119469. [PMID: 37519389 PMCID: PMC10374225 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1119469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathy is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that plays a crucial role in human social interactions. Recent developments in social neuroscience have provided valuable insights into the neural underpinnings and bodily mechanisms underlying empathy. This methodology often prioritizes precision, replicability, internal validity, and confound control. However, fully understanding the complexity of empathy seems unattainable by solely relying on artificial and controlled laboratory settings, while overlooking a comprehensive view of empathy through an ecological experimental approach. In this article, we propose articulating an integrative theoretical and methodological framework based on the 5E approach (the "E"s stand for embodied, embedded, enacted, emotional, and extended perspectives of empathy), highlighting the relevance of studying empathy as an active interaction between embodied agents, embedded in a shared real-world environment. In addition, we illustrate how a novel multimodal approach including mobile brain and body imaging (MoBi) combined with phenomenological methods, and the implementation of interactive paradigms in a natural context, are adequate procedures to study empathy from the 5E approach. In doing so, we present the Empirical 5E approach (E5E) as an integrative scientific framework to bridge brain/body and phenomenological attributes in an interbody interactive setting. Progressing toward an E5E approach can be crucial to understanding empathy in accordance with the complexity of how it is experienced in the real world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Troncoso
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
| | - Vicente Soto
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
| | - Antoni Gomila
- Department of Psychology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - David Martínez-Pernía
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
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4
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Chen W, Ma H, Dong D. Social touch: intertwining with embodied others. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1171062. [PMID: 37397331 PMCID: PMC10309003 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1171062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- Center for Brain, Mind and Education, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
- Department of Psychology, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
- Interdisciplinary Center for Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Huanhuan Ma
- Center for Brain, Mind and Education, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
- Department of Psychology, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
| | - Da Dong
- Center for Brain, Mind and Education, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
- Department of Psychology, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
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5
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El Basbasse Y, Packheiser J, Peterburs J, Maymon C, Güntürkün O, Grimshaw G, Ocklenburg S. Walk the plank! Using mobile electroencephalography to investigate emotional lateralization of immersive fear in virtual reality. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221239. [PMID: 37266038 PMCID: PMC10230188 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Most studies on emotion processing induce emotions through images or films. However, this method lacks ecological validity, limiting generalization to real-life emotion processing. More realistic paradigms using virtual reality (VR) may be better suited to investigate authentic emotional states and their neuronal correlates. This pre-registered study examines the neuronal underpinnings of naturalistic fear, measured using mobile electroencephalography (EEG). Seventy-five healthy participants walked across a virtual plank which extended from the side of a skyscraper-either 80 storeys up (the negative condition) or at street level (the neutral condition). Subjective ratings showed that the negative condition induced feelings of fear. Following the VR experience, participants passively viewed negative and neutral images from the international affective picture system (IAPS) outside of VR. We compared frontal alpha asymmetry between the plank and IAPS task and across valence of the conditions. Asymmetry indices in the plank task revealed greater right-hemispheric lateralization during the negative VR condition, relative to the neutral VR condition and to IAPS viewing. Within the IAPS task, no significant asymmetries were detected. In summary, our findings indicate that immersive technologies such as VR can advance emotion research by providing more ecologically valid ways to induce emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmin El Basbasse
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Julian Packheiser
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Social Brain Lab, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jutta Peterburs
- Institute for Systems Medicine & Department of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - Christopher Maymon
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany
- Research Center One Health Ruhr, Research Alliance Ruhr, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Gina Grimshaw
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
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6
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Eckstein M, Stößel G, Gerchen MF, Bilek E, Kirsch P, Ditzen B. Neural responses to instructed positive couple interaction: an fMRI study on compliment sharing. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:7059379. [PMID: 36852857 PMCID: PMC9976881 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Love is probably the most fascinating feeling that a person ever experiences. However, little is known about what is happening in the brains of a romantic couple-the central and most salient relationship during adult age-while they are particularly tender and exchanging loving words with one another. To gain insight into nearly natural couple interaction, we collected data from N = 84 individuals (including N = 43 heterosexual couples) simultaneously in two functional magnetic resonance imaging scanners, while they sent and received compliments, i.e. short messages about what they liked about each other and their relationship. Activation patterns during compliment sharing in the individuals revealed a broad pattern of activated brain areas known to be involved in empathy and reward processing. Notably, the ventral striatum, including parts of the putamen, was activated particularly when selecting messages for the partner. This provides initial evidence that giving a verbal treat to a romantic partner seems to involve neural reward circuitry in the basal ganglia. These results can have important implications for the neurobiological mechanisms protecting and stabilizing romantic relationships, which build a highly relevant aspect of human life and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Eckstein
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Bergheimer Str. 20, Heidelberg, 69115, Germany
| | - Gabriela Stößel
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim 68159, Germany
| | - Martin Fungisai Gerchen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim 68159, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Heidelberg/Mannheim, Mannheim 68159, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69115, Germany
| | - Edda Bilek
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim 68159, Germany
| | - Peter Kirsch
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim 68159, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Heidelberg/Mannheim, Mannheim 68159, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69115, Germany
| | - Beate Ditzen
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Bergheimer Str. 20, Heidelberg, 69115, Germany.,Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69115, Germany
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7
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Berretz G, Dutschke C, Leonard E, Packheiser J. Ewww-Investigating the neural basis of disgust in response to naturalistic and pictorial nauseating stimuli. Front Psychiatry 2023; 13:1054224. [PMID: 36756635 PMCID: PMC9899807 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1054224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotion induction in psychological and neuroscientific research has been mostly done by presenting participants with picture or film material. However, it is debatable whether this passive approach to emotion induction results in an affective state comparable to real-life emotions, and if the neural correlates of emotion processing are ecologically valid. To investigate the appropriateness of pictures for the induction of emotions, we presented 56 participants in a within-subjects design with naturalistic disgusting and neutral stimuli as well as with pictures of said stimulus material while recording continuous EEG data. We calculated asymmetry indices (AIs) for alpha power as an index of emotion processing and emotion regulation at the F3/4, F5/6, F7/8, and O1/2 electrode pairs. Participants reported higher disgust ratings for disgusting naturalistic compared to disgusting pictorial stimuli. Investigating changes in the EEG signal in participants with a pronounced disgust response (n = 38), we found smaller AIs for naturalistic stimuli compared to pictures. Moreover, in this disgusted sub-sample, there were smaller AIs in response to naturalistic disgusting stimuli compared to pictorial disgusting and neutral stimuli at the O1/2 electrode pair indicating stronger activation of the right relative to the left hemisphere by naturalistic stimuli. As the right hemisphere has been shown to display dominance in processing negative and withdrawal-associated emotions, this might indicate that naturalistic stimuli are more appropriate for the induction of emotions than picture stimuli. To improve the validity of results from emotion induction, future research should incorporate stimulus material that is as naturalistic as possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesa Berretz
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Canan Dutschke
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Elodie Leonard
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Julian Packheiser
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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8
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Schöne B, Kisker J, Lange L, Gruber T, Sylvester S, Osinsky R. The reality of virtual reality. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1093014. [PMID: 36874824 PMCID: PMC9975753 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1093014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) has become a popular tool for investigating human behavior and brain functions. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether VR constitutes an actual form of reality or is more like an advanced simulation. Determining the nature of VR has been mostly achieved by self-reported presence measurements, defined as the feeling of being submerged in the experience. However, subjective measurements might be prone to bias and, most importantly, do not allow for a comparison with real-life experiences. Here, we show that real-life and VR height exposures using 3D-360° videos are mostly indistinguishable on a psychophysiological level (EEG and HRV), while both differ from a conventional 2D laboratory setting. Using a fire truck, three groups of participants experienced a real-life (N = 25), a virtual (N = 24), or a 2D laboratory (N = 25) height exposure. Behavioral and psychophysiological results suggest that identical exogenous and endogenous cognitive as well as emotional mechanisms are deployed to process the real-life and virtual experience. Specifically, alpha- and theta-band oscillations in line with heart rate variability, indexing vigilance, and anxiety were barely indistinguishable between those two conditions, while they differed significantly from the laboratory setup. Sensory processing, as reflected by beta-band oscillations, exhibits a different pattern for all conditions, indicating further room for improving VR on a haptic level. In conclusion, the study shows that contemporary photorealistic VR setups are technologically capable of mimicking reality, thus paving the way for the investigation of real-world cognitive and emotional processes under controlled laboratory conditions. For a video summary, see https://youtu.be/fPIrIajpfiA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Schöne
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Joanna Kisker
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Leon Lange
- Differential Psychology and Personality Research, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Thomas Gruber
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Sophia Sylvester
- Semantic Information Systems Research Group, Institute of Computer Science, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Roman Osinsky
- Differential Psychology and Personality Research, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
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9
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Testing of Behavioural Asymmetries as Markers for Brain Lateralization of Emotional States in Pet Dogs: A Critical Review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 143:104950. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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10
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Pfeifer LS, Heyers K, Berretz G, Metzen D, Packheiser J, Ocklenburg S. Broadening the scope: Increasing phenotype diversity in laterality research. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:1048388. [PMID: 36386787 PMCID: PMC9650052 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1048388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lena Sophie Pfeifer
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty for Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Katrin Heyers
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty for Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, Institute of Psychology, School of Human Sciences, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Gesa Berretz
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty for Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Dorothea Metzen
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty for Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Julian Packheiser
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty for Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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11
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The Association of Embracing with Daily Mood and General Life Satisfaction: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study. JOURNAL OF NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 46:519-536. [PMID: 35967989 PMCID: PMC9362016 DOI: 10.1007/s10919-022-00411-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Embracing has several positive health effects, such as lowering blood pressure and decreasing infection risk. However, its association with general life satisfaction and daily mood has not been researched in detail. Here, we used a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) approach to monitor the daily number of embraces and daily mood in a sample of 94 adults over the course of seven days. We found that embracing frequency differed slightly over the week, with embracing occurring more frequently on weekends than on weekdays. We also found that higher daily embracing frequencies were associated with better daily mood using multilevel modeling. Only singles benefitted from increases in average embracing regarding their life satisfaction, whereas individuals in a relationship were unaffected by their embracing tendencies. Although our results are strictly correlational and do not indicate any direction or causality, embraces may be important for daily mood and general life satisfaction, but their efficacy seems to depend on relationship status.
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12
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Rodway P, Schepman A. Who goes where in couples and pairs? Effects of sex and handedness on side preferences in human dyads. Laterality 2022; 27:415-442. [PMID: 35729774 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2022.2090573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that inter-individual interaction among conspecifics can cause population-level lateralization. Male-female and mother-infant dyads of several non-human species show lateralised position preferences, but such preferences have rarely been examined in humans. We observed 430 male-female human pairs and found a significant bias for males to walk on the right side of the pair. A survey measured side preferences in 93 left-handed and 92 right-handed women, and 96 left-handed and 99 right-handed men. When walking, and when sitting on a bench, males showed a significant side preference determined by their handedness, with left-handed men preferring to be on their partner's left side and right-handed men preferring to be on their partner's right side. Women did not show significant side preferences. When men are with their partner they show a preference for the side that facilitates the use of their dominant hand. We discuss possible reasons for the side preference, including males prefering to occupy the optimal "fight ready" side, and the influence of sex and handedness on the strength and direction of emotion lateralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Rodway
- School of Psychology, University of Chester, Chester, United Kingdom
| | - Astrid Schepman
- School of Psychology, University of Chester, Chester, United Kingdom
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13
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Romantic partner embraces reduce cortisol release after acute stress induction in women but not in men. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266887. [PMID: 35584124 PMCID: PMC9116618 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is omnipresent in our everyday lives. It is therefore critical to identify potential stress-buffering behaviors that can help to prevent the negative effects of acute stress in daily life. Massages, a form of social touch, are an effective buffer against both the endocrinological and sympathetic stress response in women. However, for other forms of social touch, potential stress-buffering effects have not been investigated in detail. Furthermore, the possible stress-buffering effects of social touch on men have not been researched so far. The present study focused on embracing, one of the most common forms of social touch across many cultures. We used a short-term embrace between romantic partners as a social touch intervention prior to the induction of acute stress via the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test. Women who embraced their partner prior to being stressed showed a reduced cortisol response compared to a control group in which no embrace occurred. No stress-buffering effect could be observed in men. No differences between the embrace and control group were observed regarding sympathetic nervous system activation measured via blood pressure or subjective affect ratings. These findings suggest that in women, short-term embraces prior to stressful social situations such as examinations or stressful interviews can reduce the cortisol response in that situation.
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14
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Ocklenburg S, Packheiser J, Hidalgo-Gadea G. Social touch in the age of computational ethology: Embracing as a multidimensional and complex behaviour. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03051-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSocial affective touch is an important aspect of close relationships in humans. It has been also observed in many non-human primate species. Despite the high relevance of behaviours like embraces for personal wellbeing and mental health, they remain vastly under-investigated in psychology. This may be because psychology often relies on a limited repertoire of behavioural measurements such as error rates and reaction time measurements. These are, however, insufficient to capture the multidimensional complexity of highly interactive dyadic behaviours like embraces. Based on recent advances in computational ethology in animal models, the rapidly emerging field of human computational ethology utilizes an accessible repertoire of machine learning methods to track and quantify complex natural behaviours. We highlight how such techniques can be utilized to investigate social touch and which preliminary conditions, motor aspects and higher-level interactions need to be considered. Ultimately, integration of computational ethology with mobile neuroscience techniques such as ultraportable EEG systems will allow for an ecologically valid investigation of social affective touch in humans that will advance psychological research of emotions.
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15
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Exploring brain activity for positive and negative emotions by means of EEG microstates. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3404. [PMID: 35233057 PMCID: PMC8888606 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07403-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Microstate analysis applied to electroencephalographic signals (EEG) allows both temporal and spatial imaging exploration and represents the activity across the scalp. Despite its potential usefulness in understanding brain activity during a specific task, it has been mostly exploited at rest. We extracted EEG microstates during the presentation of emotional expressions, presented either unilaterally (a face in one visual hemifield) or bilaterally (two faces, one in each hemifield). Results revealed four specific microstate’s topographies: (i) M1 involves the temporal areas, mainly in the right hemisphere, with a higher occurrence for stimuli presented in the left than in the right visual field; (ii) M2 is localized in the left temporal cortex, with higher occurrence and coverage for unilateral than bilateral presentations; (iii) M3, with a bilateral temporo-parietal localization, shows higher coverage for bilateral than unilateral presentation; (iv) M4, mainly localized in the right fronto-parietal areas and possibly representing the hemispheric specialization for the peculiar stimulus category, shows higher occurrence and coverage for unilateral stimuli presented in the left than in the right visual field. These results suggest that microstate analysis is a valid tool to explore the cerebral response to emotions and can add new insights on the cerebral functioning, with respect to other EEG markers.
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16
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Towards real-world neuroscience using mobile EEG and augmented reality. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2291. [PMID: 35145166 PMCID: PMC8831466 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06296-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Our visual environment impacts multiple aspects of cognition including perception, attention and memory, yet most studies traditionally remove or control the external environment. As a result, we have a limited understanding of neurocognitive processes beyond the controlled lab environment. Here, we aim to study neural processes in real-world environments, while also maintaining a degree of control over perception. To achieve this, we combined mobile EEG (mEEG) and augmented reality (AR), which allows us to place virtual objects into the real world. We validated this AR and mEEG approach using a well-characterised cognitive response-the face inversion effect. Participants viewed upright and inverted faces in three EEG tasks (1) a lab-based computer task, (2) walking through an indoor environment while seeing face photographs, and (3) walking through an indoor environment while seeing virtual faces. We find greater low frequency EEG activity for inverted compared to upright faces in all experimental tasks, demonstrating that cognitively relevant signals can be extracted from mEEG and AR paradigms. This was established in both an epoch-based analysis aligned to face events, and a GLM-based approach that incorporates continuous EEG signals and face perception states. Together, this research helps pave the way to exploring neurocognitive processes in real-world environments while maintaining experimental control using AR.
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A short review on emotion processing: a lateralized network of neuronal networks. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:673-684. [PMID: 34216271 PMCID: PMC8844151 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02331-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Emotions are valenced mental responses and associated physiological reactions that occur spontaneously and automatically in response to internal or external stimuli, and can influence our behavior, and can themselves be modulated to a certain degree voluntarily or by external stimuli. They are subserved by large-scale integrated neuronal networks with epicenters in the amygdala and the hippocampus, and which overlap in the anterior cingulate cortex. Although emotion processing is accepted as being lateralized, the specific role of each hemisphere remains an issue of controversy, and two major hypotheses have been proposed. In the right-hemispheric dominance hypothesis, all emotions are thought to be processed in the right hemisphere, independent of their valence or of the emotional feeling being processed. In the valence lateralization hypothesis, the left is thought to be dominant for the processing of positively valenced stimuli, or of stimuli inducing approach behaviors, whereas negatively valenced stimuli, or stimuli inducing withdrawal behaviors, would be processed in the right hemisphere. More recent research points at the existence of multiple interrelated networks, each associated with the processing of a specific component of emotion generation, i.e., its generation, perception, and regulation. It has thus been proposed to move from hypotheses supporting an overall hemispheric specialization for emotion processing toward dynamic models incorporating multiple interrelated networks which do not necessarily share the same lateralization patterns.
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Stomp M, d’Ingeo S, Henry S, Cousillas H, Hausberger M. Brain activity reflects (chronic) welfare state: Evidence from individual electroencephalography profiles in an animal model. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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