Embodiment of emotion in schizophrenia in the context of culture

Abstract

Schizophrenia is associated with self-disturbances and anomalous embodiment of emotion such that the distinct patterns of bodily sensations that typically accompany specific emotions are disrupted. Previous evidence indicated that cultural factors might shape the embodiment of emotion and therefore influence the subjective experience of schizophrenia. We investigated embodiment of emotion in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) and matched control participants (CO) from Korea (26 K-SZ and 26 K–CO) and the USA (26 US-SZ and US-26 CO), using a topographical mapping task that requires participants to indicate the locations of bodily sensations that accompany 14 distinct emotions. We found that emotion-related bodily sensations, especially for low-arousal emotions, were diminished in SZ compared to CO in both cultures. Cultural differences emerged in the embodiment of sadness, shame and disgust such that the patterns of bodily sensations associated with these emotions were more similar between SZ and CO in the Korean sample than in the US sample. These findings suggest that emotional embodiment anomalies are present in SZ regardless of culture, supporting the universality of bodily self-disturbances in this population. However, there are culture-specific features of embodied emotional experiences that may be important to consider for future research and treatment. • A topographical mapping task captured typical and atypical bodily sensations of emotions in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) from two distinct cultures (U.S.A. and South Korea). • Bodily sensations of low-arousal emotions were especially diminished in SZ in both cultures. • There were cultural differences in the embodiment of emotions. In Korea, bodily sensation maps (BSMs) of sadness, shame and disgust from SZ and control participants (CO) were very similar. In contrast, these BSMs were very different for SZ and CO in the U.S. • Bodily self-disturbances are salient features of schizophrenia in both cultures but there are also culture-specific differences in embodiment of emotions.