Emotional processing is enhanced in peri-hand space

Abstract

The space near the hands, or peri-hand space is a critical multisensory-motor interface between people and the environment. Recent studies have shown that visual processing near the hands is altered compared with stimuli far from the hands. Some results suggest that the changes may be mediated by brain mechanisms involved in evaluating emotional stimuli. Here we show direct evidence for that proposal: we found that both the emotional Stroop effect and the Late Positive Potential (LPP) to unpleasant visual stimuli were enhanced near the hands compared to far from the hands. The results reveal enhanced processing of unpleasant stimuli in peri-hand space, which may facilitate the response to potentially dangerous stimuli.