How Emotions are Mapped in the Human Body
Topic: Medical Research News
Author: European Research Council, The Academy of Finland and the Aalto University/aivoAALTO project
Published: 2013/12/31 - Updated: 2024/01/21
Publication Type: Informative - Peer-Reviewed: Yes
Contents: Summary - Introduction - Main - Related
Synopsis: Researchers find most common emotions trigger strong bodily sensations and the bodily maps of these sensations were topographically different for different emotions. Awareness of the corresponding bodily changes may subsequently trigger the conscious emotional sensations, such as the feeling of happiness.
Introduction
New research from Aalto University reveals, how emotions are literally experienced through the body. Emotions adjust our mental and also bodily states to cope with the challenges detected in the environment. These sensations arising from the bodily changes are an important feature of our emotional experiences. For example, anxiety may be experienced as pain in the chest, whereas falling in love may trigger warm, pleasurable sensations all over the body.
Main Digest
The 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.
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 color 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 (U.S. Eastern time) in the scientific journal Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America (PNAS).
Attribution/Source(s):
This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its significant relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by European Research Council, The Academy of Finland and the Aalto University/aivoAALTO project , and published on 2013/12/31 (Edit Update: 2024/01/21), the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, European Research Council, The Academy of Finland and the Aalto University/aivoAALTO project can be contacted at Assistant Professor Lauri Nummenmaa, Aalto University and Turku PET Center - www.aalto.fi/en. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.
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Cite This Page (APA): European Research Council, The Academy of Finland and the Aalto University/aivoAALTO project . (2013, December 31 - Last revised: 2024, January 21). How Emotions are Mapped in the Human Body. Disabled World. Retrieved September 7, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/news/research/emotion-map.php
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