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Ishikawa N, Asahina M, Umeda S. Reactivity of observers' facial skin blood flow depending on others' facial expressions and blushing. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1259928. [PMID: 38130969 PMCID: PMC10733524 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1259928] [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: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Facial skin blood flow (SkBF) has attracted attention as an autonomic indicator because it influences facial colour, which informs others of emotional states, and facial temperature related to social anxiety. Previous studies have examined the facial SkBF in people experiencing emotions; however, facial SkBF changes in the observers of emotions are poorly understood. Our study clarified facial SkBF changes related to observing others' emotions by comparing the changes with other physiological indices. Thirty healthy participants (24 females; mean age: 22.17) observed six types of facial expressions (neutral, angry, and embarrassed expressions with and without facial blushing) and rated the emotional intensity of the other person. We measured their facial SkBF, finger SkBF, and cardiac RR interval as they made their observations. Facial SkBF generally decreased in relation to observing emotional faces (angry and embarrassed faces) and significantly decreased for angry expressions with blushing. None of the participants noticed blushing of facial stimuli. For the RR interval and finger SkBF, there was no variation depending on the observed facial expressions, although there was a general increase related to observation. These results indicated that facial SkBF is sensitive and reactive to emotional faces-especially angry faces with blushing- compared with other autonomic indices. The facial SkBF changes were not related to either RR interval changes or the intensity rating, suggesting that facial SkBF changes may be caused by vasoconstriction and have potential functions for our emotions. The decrease in facial SkBF may have a role in calming observers by preventing them from adopting the same emotional state as a person with intense anger. These findings clarify daily facial SkBF fluctuations and their relationship with our emotional processing in interpersonal situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Ishikawa
- Graduate School of Human Relations, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
- Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masato Asahina
- Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Neurology, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Satoshi Umeda
- Department of Neurology, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan
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Barbosa Escobar F, Velasco C, Motoki K, Byrne DV, Wang QJ. The temperature of emotions. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252408. [PMID: 34081750 PMCID: PMC8174739 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotions and temperature are closely related through embodied processes, and people seem to associate temperature concepts with emotions. While this relationship is often evidenced by everyday language (e.g., cold and warm feelings), what remains missing to date is a systematic study that holistically analyzes how and why people associate specific temperatures with emotions. The present research aimed to investigate the associations between temperature concepts and emotion adjectives on both explicit and implicit levels. In Experiment 1, we evaluated explicit associations between twelve pairs of emotion adjectives derived from the circumplex model of affect, and five different temperature concepts ranging from 0°C to 40°C, based on responses from 403 native speakers of four different languages (English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese). The results of Experiment 1 revealed that, across languages, the temperatures were associated with different regions of the circumplex model. The 0°C and 10°C were associated with negative-valanced, low-arousal emotions, while 20°C was associated with positive-valanced, low-to-medium-arousal emotions. Moreover, 30°C was associated with positive-valanced, high-arousal emotions; and 40°C was associated with high-arousal and either positive- or negative-valanced emotions. In Experiment 2 (N = 102), we explored whether these temperature-emotion associations were also present at the implicit level, by conducting Implicit Association Tests (IATs) with temperature words (cold and hot) and opposing pairs of emotional adjectives for each dimension of valence (Unhappy/Dissatisfied vs. Happy/Satisfied) and arousal (Passive/Quiet vs. Active/Alert) on native English speakers. The results of Experiment 2 revealed that participants held implicit associations between the word hot and positive-valanced and high-arousal emotions. Additionally, the word cold was associated with negative-valanced and low-arousal emotions. These findings provide evidence for the existence of temperature-emotion associations at both explicit and implicit levels across languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Barbosa Escobar
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- * E-mail:
| | - Carlos Velasco
- Department of Marketing, Centre for Multisensory Marketing, BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kosuke Motoki
- Department of Food Science and Business, Miyagi University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Derek Victor Byrne
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Qian Janice Wang
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Ioannou S, Morris P, Hassanain H, Baker M, Alkattan F, Almakadma AH, Raddaoui L. Under the skin: Exploring 2-month-olds' thermal reactions in different social interactions with mother and stranger. INFANCY 2021; 26:352-368. [PMID: 33645890 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Physiological adaptations to external stressors can reveal socio-cognitive health in infancy. With the use of thermal imaging and behavioural analyses, the current study examined the arousal markers accompanying infants' interactions with a familiar and an unfamiliar person. To address the current research question, the mother and a complete stranger interacted with 2 to 3 month-old infants (N= 10, 2 boys)in three different conditions: Neutral, Play, and Compliment. Behavioral analyses showed that overall gaze was longer to the Stranger compared to the Mother independent of condition. Physiological findings showed that skin temperature was significantly higher with the stranger independent of condition. The regions of the face that passed the significance threshold included the maxillary area, the nose, and the forehead. Both behavioral and physiological findings emphasize the ability of the infant to distinguish between a familiar and an unfamiliar person. Most importantly, however thermal imaging has proven to be a promising tool in physiologically differentiating between variable social conditions in very young infants opening up a new experimental portal for identifying healthy physiological development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanos Ioannou
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Medicine, Al Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Paul Morris
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Hala Hassanain
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Medicine, Al Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marc Baker
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Faisal Alkattan
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Medicine, Al Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdul Hakim Almakadma
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Medicine, Al Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lama Raddaoui
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Medicine, Al Faisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Marqués-Sánchez P, Liébana-Presa C, Benítez-Andrades JA, Gundín-Gallego R, Álvarez-Barrio L, Rodríguez-Gonzálvez P. Thermal Infrared Imaging to Evaluate Emotional Competences in Nursing Students: A First Approach through a Case Study. SENSORS 2020; 20:s20092502. [PMID: 32354094 PMCID: PMC7248891 DOI: 10.3390/s20092502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
During university studies of nursing, it is important to develop emotional skills for their impact on academic performance and the quality of patient care. Thermography is a technology that could be applied during nursing training to evaluate emotional skills. The objective is to evaluate the effect of thermography as the tool for monitoring and improving emotional skills in student nurses through a case study. The student was subjected to different emotions. The stimuli applied were video and music. The process consisted of measuring the facial temperatures during each emotion and stimulus in three phases: acclimatization, stimulus, and response. Thermographic data acquisition was performed with an FLIR E6 camera. The analysis was complemented with the environmental data (temperature and humidity). With the video stimulus, the start and final forehead temperature from testing phases, showed a different behavior between the positive (joy: 34.5 °C-34.5 °C) and negative (anger: 36.1 °C-35.1 °C) emotions during the acclimatization phase, different from the increase experienced in the stimulus (joy: 34.7 °C-35.0 °C and anger: 35.0 °C-35.0 °C) and response phases (joy: 35.0 °C-35.0 °C and anger: 34.8 °C-35.0 °C). With the music stimulus, the emotions showed different patterns in each phase (joy: 34.2 °C-33.9 °C-33.4 °C and anger: 33.8 °C-33.4 °C-33.8 °C). Whenever the subject is exposed to a stimulus, there is a thermal bodily response. All of the facial areas follow a common thermal pattern in response to the stimulus, with the exception of the nose. Thermography is a technique suitable for the stimulation practices in emotional skills, given that it is non-invasive, it is quantifiable, and easy to access.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Marqués-Sánchez
- SALBIS Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Campus of Ponferrada, University of León, 24401 Ponferrada, Spain;
| | - Cristina Liébana-Presa
- SALBIS Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Campus of Ponferrada, University of León, 24401 Ponferrada, Spain;
- Correspondence:
| | - José Alberto Benítez-Andrades
- SALBIS Research Group, Department of Electric, Systems and Automatics Engineering, University of León, 24071 León, Spain;
| | | | - Lorena Álvarez-Barrio
- Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Campus of Ponferrada, University of León, 24401 Ponferrada, Spain;
| | - Pablo Rodríguez-Gonzálvez
- Department of Mining, Surveying and Structure, Campus of Ponferrada, University of León, 24401 Ponferrada, Spain;
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Seidel J, Bockhop F, Mitkovski M, Martin S, Ronnenberg A, Krueger‐Burg D, Schneider K, Röhse H, Wüstefeld L, Cosi F, Bröking K, Schacht A, Ehrenreich H. Vascular response to social cognitive performance measured by infrared thermography: A translational study from mouse to man. FASEB Bioadv 2020; 2:18-32. [PMID: 32123854 PMCID: PMC6996302 DOI: 10.1096/fba.2019-00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
To assess complex social recognition in mice, we previously developed the SocioBox paradigm. Unexpectedly, 4 weeks after performing in the SocioBox, mice displayed robust social avoidance during Y-maze sociability testing. This unique "sociophobia" acquisition could be documented in independent cohorts. We therefore employed infrared thermography as a non-invasive method of stress-monitoring during SocioBox testing (presentation of five other mice) versus empty box. A higher Centralization Index (body/tail temperature) in the SocioBox correlated negatively with social recognition memory and, after 4 weeks, with social preference in the Y-maze. Assuming that social stimuli might be associated with characteristic thermo-responses, we exposed healthy men (N = 103) with a comparably high intelligence level to a standardized test session including two cognitive tests with or without social component (face versus pattern recognition). In some analogy to the Centralization Index (within-subject measure) used in mice, the Reference Index (ratio nose/malar cheek temperature) was introduced to determine the autonomic facial response/flushing during social recognition testing. Whereas cognitive performance and salivary cortisol were comparable across human subjects and tests, the Face Recognition Test was associated with a characteristic Reference Index profile. Infrared thermography may have potential for discriminating disturbed social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Seidel
- Clinical NeuroscienceMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
| | - Fabian Bockhop
- Clinical NeuroscienceMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
| | - Miso Mitkovski
- Light Microscopy FacilityMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
| | - Sabine Martin
- Clinical NeuroscienceMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
| | - Anja Ronnenberg
- Clinical NeuroscienceMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
| | - Dilja Krueger‐Burg
- Department of Molecular NeurobiologyMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
| | - Katharina Schneider
- Light Microscopy FacilityMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
| | - Heiko Röhse
- Light Microscopy FacilityMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
| | - Liane Wüstefeld
- Clinical NeuroscienceMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
| | - Filippo Cosi
- Biomedical Physics GroupMax Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self‐OrganizationGöttingenGermany
| | - Kai Bröking
- Light Microscopy FacilityMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
| | - Annekathrin Schacht
- Department of Affective Neuroscience and PsychophysiologyGeorg‐Elias‐Müller‐Institute of PsychologyGeorg‐August UniversityGöttingenGermany
| | - Hannelore Ehrenreich
- Clinical NeuroscienceMax Planck Institute of Experimental MedicineGöttingenGermany
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Children with facial paralysis due to Moebius syndrome exhibit reduced autonomic modulation during emotion processing. J Neurodev Disord 2019; 11:12. [PMID: 31291910 PMCID: PMC6617955 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-019-9272-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Facial mimicry is crucial in the recognition of others' emotional state. Thus, the observation of others' facial expressions activates the same neural representation of that affective state in the observer, along with related autonomic and somatic responses. What happens, therefore, when someone cannot mimic others' facial expressions? METHODS We investigated whether psychophysiological emotional responses to others' facial expressions were impaired in 13 children (9 years) with Moebius syndrome (MBS), an extremely rare neurological disorder (1/250,000 live births) characterized by congenital facial paralysis. We inspected autonomic responses and vagal regulation through facial cutaneous thermal variations and by the computation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). These parameters provide measures of emotional arousal and show the autonomic adaptation to others' social cues. Physiological responses in children with MBS were recorded during dynamic facial expression observation and were compared to those of a control group (16 non-affected children, 9 years). RESULTS There were significant group effects on thermal patterns and RSA, with lower values in children with MBS. We also observed a mild deficit in emotion recognition in these patients. CONCLUSION Results support "embodied" theory, whereby the congenital inability to produce facial expressions induces alterations in the processing of facial expression of emotions. Such alterations may constitute a risk for emotion dysregulation.
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