How Emotions Are
Mapped in the Body
Researchers
found that the most common emotions trigger strong bodily sensations, and the
bodily maps of these sensations were topographically different for different emotions.
The sensation patterns were, however, consistent across different West European
and East Asian cultures, highlighting that emotions and their corresponding
bodily sensation patterns have a biological basis.
"Emotions
adjust not only our mental, but also our bodily states. This way the prepare us
to react swiftly to the dangers, but also to the opportunities such as
pleasurable social interactions present in the environment. Awareness of the
corresponding bodily changes may subsequently trigger the conscious emotional
sensations, such as the feeling of happiness," tells assistant professor
Lauri Nummenmaa from Aalto University.
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| Mood ring: big fad in the 1970s |
"The
findings have major implications for our understanding of the functions of
emotions and their bodily basis. On the other hand, the results help us to
understand different emotional disorders and provide novel tools for their
diagnosis."
The
research was carried out on line, and over 700 individuals from Finland, Sweden
and Taiwan took part in the study. The researchers induced different emotional
states in their Finnish and Taiwanese participants.
Subsequently the
participants were shown with pictures of human bodies on a computer, and asked
to colour the bodily regions whose activity they felt increasing or decreasing.
The
research was funded by European Research Council (ERC), The Academy of Finland
and the Aalto University (aivoAALTO project)
The
results were published on 31 December, 2013 in the scientific journal Proceedings
of The National Academy of Sciences.
Story Source:
The
above story is based on materials provided
by Aalto University.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further
information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
1.
L. Nummenmaa, E.
Glerean, R. Hari, J. K. Hietanen. Bodily maps of emotions. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1321664111
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Aalto University (2013, December 31). How emotions are mapped in
the body. ScienceDaily.
Retrieved January 2, 2014, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131231094353.htm
