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McDonald B, Reiter AMF, Kanske P. Theater-based interventions as a means of reducing social isolation and loneliness, facilitating successful aging, and strengthening social cognition in older adults. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1364509. [PMID: 39006549 PMCID: PMC11240220 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1364509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brennan McDonald
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Saxony, Germany
| | - Andrea M F Reiter
- German Center of Prevention Research on Mental Health, Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Clinic and Polyclinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany
| | - Philipp Kanske
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Saxony, Germany
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Berceanu AI, Papasteri C, Sofonea A, Boldasu R, Nita D, Poalelungi C, Froemke R, Carcea I. Oxytocin predicts positive affect gains in a role-play interaction. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1258254. [PMID: 38873527 PMCID: PMC11169887 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1258254] [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: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Role-play, a key creative process in theatre, is used in therapeutic interventions to improve social skills, emotion regulation, and memory. Although role-play is widely used as a psychotherapeutic technique, its mechanisms of action are not fully understood. Methods Our study introduces a standardized controlled procedure for promoting role-play in the laboratory based on the portrayal of a fictional persona and examines its effects on anxiety, affect, prosocial attitudes, and salivary oxytocin dynamics in 38 participants. Results In our experiment, role-play significantly increased positive affect and prosocial attitudes and decreased anxiety compared to a control condition. Basal salivary oxytocin levels predicted higher gains in positive affect following role-play, suggesting a specific moderating effect of oxytocin. The fictional persona used in the procedure was rated as very happy by subjects, creating a positive social context for the role-play social interaction. Discussions We propose that the observed moderation effect of oxytocin in our study is specific to the role-play condition due to the capacity of role-play to generate an affective regulatory context based on congruency toward the emotional state of the fictional persona. Our findings indicate that basal oxytocin levels could predict specific outcomes of role-play in therapeutical setting. We discuss several psychological and biological mechanisms that could account for the observed effects of role-play and how oxytocin could act as a substrate for them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru I. Berceanu
- Cognitive Development and Applied Psychology through Immersive Experiences, LDCAPEI, CINETic Centre, National University of Theatre and Film I. L. Caragiale, Bucharest, Romania
- Department for Animation and Interactivity, National University of Theatre and Film I. L. Caragiale, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Claudiu Papasteri
- Cognitive Development and Applied Psychology through Immersive Experiences, LDCAPEI, CINETic Centre, National University of Theatre and Film I. L. Caragiale, Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Alexandra Sofonea
- Cognitive Development and Applied Psychology through Immersive Experiences, LDCAPEI, CINETic Centre, National University of Theatre and Film I. L. Caragiale, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Romina Boldasu
- Acting Department Theatre Faculty, National University of Theatre and Film I. L. Caragiale, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Diana Nita
- Cognitive Development and Applied Psychology through Immersive Experiences, LDCAPEI, CINETic Centre, National University of Theatre and Film I. L. Caragiale, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Cătălina Poalelungi
- Cognitive Development and Applied Psychology through Immersive Experiences, LDCAPEI, CINETic Centre, National University of Theatre and Film I. L. Caragiale, Bucharest, Romania
- National Institute of Endocrinology C. I. Parhon, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Robert Froemke
- Cognitive Development and Applied Psychology through Immersive Experiences, LDCAPEI, CINETic Centre, National University of Theatre and Film I. L. Caragiale, Bucharest, Romania
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular, School of Medicine, New York University, NY, United States
| | - Ioana Carcea
- Cognitive Development and Applied Psychology through Immersive Experiences, LDCAPEI, CINETic Centre, National University of Theatre and Film I. L. Caragiale, Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, Brain Health Institute, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, United States
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Sofia G, Mager C, Brunel L, Noel AS. Theater practice and interpersonal synchronization behaviors: a pilot study comparing actors and non-actors. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1335393. [PMID: 38529019 PMCID: PMC10961450 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1335393] [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: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent studies in the field of theater studies no longer view theater as an object, but rather as a dynamic relationship between actors and spectators. In an embodied and situated perspective of cognition, imagination emerges as a product of this dynamic. This study aims to investigate whether acting practice enhances someone's abilities to set up an effective relationship with others and allows the individual to better manage not only the relationship itself, but also her/his own feelings and those of her/his partner. Eighty two healthy Italian adults, with no communication disorders, including 43 actors (Mage = 25.4; S.D. = 3.64) and 39 non-actors (Mage = 24.1 = S.D. = 4.17) completed a joint verbal production task named Random Sequence Generation (RSG) task. Initially, participants performed the task individually. Subsequently, in a second phase, they worked in pairs with another participant, taking turns to contribute to a shared sequence. Pairings were predetermined to ensure a balanced mix of actors and non-actors, and to prevent participants from having prior relationships. Following the task, subjects were queried about their sense of presence, and, their perception of entitativity with their partner. We observed a replication of previous studies, showing higher RSG scores and reduced repetition in the paired condition, indicative of coupling and synchronization behavior. Within pairs, the level of the sense of presence of both partners was positively correlated. Furthermore, an interaction effect between the sense of presence and acting experience on the perception of entitativity was observed. Specifically, actors described perceived entitativity with their partners when their sense of presence was heightened, whereas non-actors experienced a decrease in perceived entitativity with their partners under similar circumstances. We discuss the results and limitations of the study, suggesting the effect of artistic practice on the development of a sort of dual-task ability which enables actors to organize their sensations and actions while sustaining a meaningful connection with others. This research represents an interdisciplinary collaboration between theater studies and cognitive sciences, highlighting the value of a multidisciplinary approach to research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Sofia
- Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Anne-Sophie Noel
- UMR5189 Histoire et Sources des Mondes Antiques (HiSoMA), Lyon, France
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Zielinski-Nicolson KL, Roberts N, Boag S. Does ASMR propensity reflect a mentally flexible mindset? Exploring the relationship between ASMR propensity, transliminality, emotional contagion, schizotypal traits, roleplaying ability, and creativity. Conscious Cogn 2023; 113:103546. [PMID: 37356323 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103546] [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: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is an alternative state of consciousness characterised by changes in affect, feelings of relaxation, and tingling sensations on the body. Online videos designed to stimulate ASMR in viewers have become increasingly popular. Although there is evidence that ASMR may improve sleep, emotion regulation, and relaxation, the current understanding of ASMR propensity remains limited. This study examined whether a mentally flexible cognitive style may underlie the ability to experience ASMR. Undergraduate students (N = 376) completed an online survey involving a series of self-report questionnaires and two performance-based creative ability tasks. Findings did not provide support for an overall mentally flexible mindset, however, transliminality, emotional contagion susceptibility, positive schizotypal traits, and roleplaying ability all significantly positively predicted ASMR propensity. These findings suggest that ASMR propensity represents several possible underlying cognitive styles relating to enhanced imagination and perceptual ability, and cannot be simply characterised by mental flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalie Roberts
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Simon Boag
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
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Sun J, Okada T. Interaction in acting training and its different manifestations in novice and professional actors. Front Psychol 2023; 13:949209. [PMID: 36698579 PMCID: PMC9869025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.949209] [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: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to identify the characteristics of interactions during acting training and the underlying intrapersonal changes evoked by a training process that emphasizes paying attention to a partner (the Meisner technique). This was operationalized by conducting a post-hoc analysis and categorizing the utterances made by novice and professional actors during acting training based on video and audio recordings. In Study 1, novice participants tended to change their way of communication as the course progressed, decreasing the number of utterances that simply described the partner's behavior and increasing those that speculated about the partner's inner state. We then used a different focus placed on the interaction, as implied by the different kinds of utterances used, to describe the divergences between novice and professional actors regarding their interaction characteristics. In Study 2, results showed that while professional actors devoted themselves more to the connection with their partner and demonstrated more balanced communication, novice actors relied on general inference to speculate about others' affective states. By comparing the characteristics of the utterances between novice and professional actors as they played different roles or made switches (i.e., changing from passive to active utterance in communication), this study suggests that an important impact of acting training on social abilities relates to its potential to increase the levels of involvement in on-going interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyan Sun
- Department of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan,*Correspondence: Jingyan Sun, ✉
| | - Takeshi Okada
- Department of Educational Psychology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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