Emotional Research Articles

The CNN Effect and South Korea’s Humanitarian Response to North Korea: A Media-Driven Policy?

This study explores the intersection of media and policy in inter-Korean relations, focusing on the impact of South Korean media on the government’s response to the North Korean famine. Examining the famine through the “CNN effect” and Robinson’s “policy-media interaction model,” we move beyond simplistic cause-and-effect narratives and assess the media’s potential to drive policy change in a unique context: a divided nation marked by both deep animosity and shared cultural ties. Our analysis reveals that the South Korean media predominantly conveyed informative narratives rather than emotional ones during the coverage of the North Korean famine. We argue that, consistent with the interaction model, the media primarily functioned to solidify societal consensus on humanitarian aid, rather than directly shaping government policy. Robinson’s framework supports this finding, suggesting that media influence diminishes when policy goals are clearly defined, as they were for South Korea’s response to the famine. However, this study also addresses the limitations of Robinson’s model, noting that it may oversimplify media behavior by neglecting crucial cultural, political, and historical factors. Ultimately, this study sheds light on the nuanced dynamics of media, policy, and inter-Korean relations in the face of a humanitarian crisis.

Linking Affect Dynamics and Well-Being: A Novel Methodological Approach for Mental Health.

Emotions are dynamic processes; their variability relates to psychological well-being and psychopathology. Affective alterations have been linked to mental diseases like depression, although little is known about how similar patterns occur in healthy individuals. This study investigates the psychophysiological correlations of emotional processing in healthy subjects, specifically exploring the relationship between depressive traits, cognitive distortions, and facial electromyographic (f-EMG) responses during affective transitions. A cohort of 44 healthy participants underwent f-EMG recording while viewing emotional images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Self-report measures included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Cognitive Distortion Scale (CDS). Higher BDI scores were associated with increased EMG activity in the corrugator muscle during transitions between positive and negative emotional states. Cognitive distortions such as Catastrophizing, All-or-Nothing Thinking, and Minimization showed significant positive correlations with EMG activity, indicating that individuals with higher levels of these distortions experienced greater facial muscle activation during emotional transitions. This study's results indicate that there is a bidirectional correlation between depressed features and cognitive distortions and alterations in facial emotional processing, even in healthy subjects. Facial EMG in the context of dynamic affective transitions has the potential to be used as a non-invasive method for detecting abnormal emotional reactions at an early stage. This might help in identifying individuals who are at risk of developing depression and guide therapies to prevent its advancement.

The underlying mechanisms of the persuasiveness of different types of satirical news messages

ABSTRACT Research into the persuasiveness of satirical news has found mixed results. Two possible explanations lie in the lack of clarity about mechanisms underlying the influence of consuming different types of satirical content. In six experiments (Ntotal = 3,139), we investigated how (different types of) humorous versus nonhumorous (satirical) messages influenced recipients’ cognitive, emotional, and excitative responses and how these responses in turn influenced their attitudes. Results show that attitudes were influenced through recipients’ cognitive and emotional reactions to the stimuli but in opposite directions. This suppressed an overall effect on attitudes: Consuming humorous satirical messages led to more message-agreement because the messages were more humorous, and recipients felt less angry, while this consumption led to less message-agreement because the messages were discounted more, and recipients felt less worried. Our results highlight the importance of distinguishing between different types of satirical news content (humorous vs. nonhumorous) when studying satire’s persuasiveness.

Foreign Language Learners' Uncertainty Experiences and Uncertainty Management.

Uncertainty is unavoidable in life; it is also an indispensable characteristic of educational settings. The process of learning a foreign language naturally involves interaction and coconstruction of knowledge. During this process, students may encounter uncertainty from a variety of sources, including the course, context, friends, or the teacher. Besides, to communicate meaningfully, the mutual effort of both the listener and the speaker is needed to deal with uncertainty. Considering this, the present study makes an effort to comprehend how learners appreciate and manage uncertainty in language learning environments. Although uncertainty is considered a multidisciplinary research topic, a limited number of studies are found in the literature which examine how students experience uncertainty and how they react to it. Regarding foreign language learning, related research focused on a specific form of uncertainty, Tolerance of Ambiguity, which is conceptualized as a cognitive style. In-class pen-and-paper surveys, reflective journals, video recordings, and stimulated recall interviews were the instruments used to gather data. The findings demonstrate that language learners frequently encounter uncertainty during the language learning process due to course-related, cognitive, and social factors, and learners may appreciate uncertainty in both positive and negative ways. Additionally, learners' emotional reactions to uncertainty depend on their positive or negative appraisals of uncertain situations. By recognizing and embracing uncertainty, language learners will adapt to it and be able to handle it through a variety of techniques. The results suggest that learners employ a variety of strategies, such as reducing, maintaining, and resolving uncertainty as well as ignoring uncertainty.

Transformation of jealousy in romantic relationships and its catalysts in digital age

The article studies the process of jealousy transformation in romantic relationships under the influence of digitalization. The author considers such definitions as “digital jealousy”, “digital infidelity”, and “virtual sex”, formulates a definition of digital jealousy, and considers emotional and behavioral reactions when experiencing jealousy under the influence of events and factors of the digital environment. Based on the content analysis results, behavioral markers that can be considered by a partner as evidence of digital infidelity and/or cause digital jealousy have been identified. The specific characteristics of digital jealousy include its existence in conditions of quasi-reality, diffusiveness, deployment in time and space, alienation from the fact of physical infidelity, and virtual representation. The author notes the connection between the intensity of the digital jealousy experience and the subjective significance of virtual space and representation in it. Ambivalence of the digital jealousy experience is expressed by the perception of its occurrence, on the one hand, as a predictor of physical infidelity, and, on the other hand, as a manifestation of crisis in romantic relationships and emotional estrangement of partners. It has been revealed that jealousy in digital space is largely due to a sense of ownership in relation to the time and attention of a partner and is associated with general transformation of romantic relationships in modern society.

Sense of Coherence (SOC) and its Association with Dental Anxiety among Adolescents: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: Sense of coherence is a health generation theory, and also psychological factor. Dental anxiety is a common emotional reaction associated with dental care involving fear, anxiety, or stress related to dental settings. Paucity exists in the scientific literature on SOC an emerging area and its relation to dental anxiety.  Aim: This study aims to assess the association between SOC and dental anxiety n adolescents.  Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 332 healthy adolescents aged between 11-17years who were subjected to a self administered questionnaires which consisted of Antonovsky’s shorter version of SOC scale (SOC-13) and corah’s dental anxiety scale. And the data was statistically analyzed.  Conclusion: 82.80% of the study population presented with a moderate level of SOC and the mean SOC was 50.18±12.77. The prevalence of dental anxiety in the study population was 93.07%. A significant association was found between SOC and dental anxiety (p= 0.049). Our findings suggest that individuals with a stronger SOC may possess better coping mechanisms and a greater ability to manage stressful situations, including dental visits.

"I feel like I'm being talked to like an equal": Diabetes language matters to adults with diabetes, a mixed-methods study.

To explore reactions to and preferences for words/phrases used in communications about diabetes among adults with diabetes and parents of children with diabetes. Eligible adults (aged 18+ years) living with diabetes, or parenting a child with diabetes, were recruited via social media to complete an online cross-sectional, mixed-methods survey. Study-specific items were used to examine 22 commonly used diabetes words/phrases in terms of participants' cognitive perceptions ('helpful', 'respectful', 'accurate', 'harmful', 'judgmental' and 'inaccurate') and emotional reactions ('optimistic', 'motivated', 'supported', 'understood', 'offended', 'blamed', 'distressed' and 'angry'). Open-ended questions invited further feedback on (non-)preferred language and its impact(s). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inductive thematic analysis. Participants (N = 865) included adults with diabetes (type 1: n = 519; type 2: n = 180, other types: n = 48) and parents of children with diabetes (n = 118). Words/phrases most commonly associated with negative perceptions/emotional responses were 'non-compliant' (60% judgmental; 47% felt blamed) and '…good/bad' (54% judgmental; 43% blamed). Positive perceptions were reported for 'managing diabetes' (73% helpful, 47% felt understood), 'person with diabetes' (72% respectful; 49% understood), '…within/outside target range' (60% helpful, 44% understood), and 'condition' (58% respectful; 43% understood). Participants' qualitative responses illuminated perceptions, experiences and impacts across five themes: (1) accuracy and simplicity; (2) identity; (3) blame, judgement and stigma; (4) respect and trust and; (5) support, hope and feeling understood. Themes were consistent across diabetes types. These findings provide novel evidence into (non-)preferred, and potential (negative and positive) impacts of, commonly used diabetes words/phrases, supporting the international #LanguageMatters movement.

Dissecting behavioral inertia in shaping different resident participation behaviors in neighborhood regeneration: A quantitative behavioral experiment

Research on resident participation in neighborhood regeneration provides valuable insights for urban policymakers in environmental governance. While previous studies have extensively examined various influencing factors, they often neglect the impact of behavioral inertia. To address this gap, this study conducts a behavioral experiment to quantitatively assess the presence and impact of behavioral inertia on residents' governance and financial participation behaviors. A total of 576 valid survey questionnaires were collected, and conditional logit model and ordered logit model were utilized for analysis. The study reveals that behavioral inertia is indeed observable in residents' governance participation and financial participation behaviors. Furthermore, the findings underscore distinct drivers of behavioral inertia for these two types of participation behaviors, with emotional reactions predominantly influencing governance participation, while short-term thinking largely shapes financial participation. Theoretically, this study uses the innovative concept of “behavioral inertia” to offer a new explanatory framework for aspects of behavior that cannot be solely explained by the attributes of regeneration plans. Furthermore, the behavioral experiments utilized in this study exemplify how the research framework of behavioral science can be applied to the study of urban governance in a broad context internationally. Practically, the research findings provide valuable insights for urban policymakers to tailor measures aimed at promoting resident participation and fostering sustainable urban development.

Interactive robots for personalised multimodal comedy experiments

This research proposes a novel system for personalising humour delivery using interactive robots with AI, natural language processing, and human-robot interaction technologies. The robots can adapt the multimodal content of jokes tactically now and strategically over time based on recording and analyzing each user’s subjective emotional reactions. The study evaluated pragmatic aspects of timing and framing jokes by having the robots try different “comeback tactics” and observing audience response. An ANOVA analysis revealed six distinct response categories. 78 % of participants positively rated the personalized robot comedy across the six scenarios. However, when both robot comedians took a negative tone, only 23 % approved (p < 0.001). Interestingly, audiences validated the robot comedian’s performance (89 % approval) more than the human comedian (54 % approval), a statistically significant difference (p < 0.01). These findings shed light on ideal characteristics for effective human-robot comedy interactions, highlighting the importance of topicality, maintaining a generally positive mood, and the unique strengths of robot performers. The study paves the way for further optimization of personalized, adaptive robot humour systems leveraging multimodal AI capabilities to enhance entertainment experiences tailored to individuals.

Emotional Reactions of Professionals to Challenging Behaviors in People with Intellectual and Developmental Disability.

Professionals working with people with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) can be exposed to challenging behaviors (CBs), which may result in professionals exhibiting emotional reactions that can impact their practices. This study examined these reactions and analyzed how they are influenced by the individual characteristics of people with IDD (gender, age, and level of IDD) and the variables related to CB (type of behavior and its frequency and behavioral function). A total of 125 professionals assessed 293 people with IDD who exhibited CBs. The professionals were asked to complete the Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form, the Emotional Reactions to Challenging Behavior Scale, and the Questions About Behavior Function measure. It was revealed that positive emotional reactions predominated over negative ones. Significant results were found regarding the level of disability and the age of people with IDD. Emotional reactions were related to the severity of CBs, especially self-injurious and aggressive/destructive behavior, as well as certain behavioral functions. The severity of CBs and the age of people with IDD emerge as key predictors of the emotional reactions of professionals. In short, these reactions vary according to different variables, highlighting the importance of interventions that address professionals' emotional needs.

Experiences of pregnancy loss in fathers of existing children: A qualitative study

This study explores the experiences of fathers of existing children following pregnancy loss. Participants were 12 Israeli men who experienced pregnancy loss and had other children at the time. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Four themes were generated through thematic analysis. The first was “emotional reactions”: fathers described emotional disengagement after the loss. The second was “taking on a functional role”: fathers assumed a functional role as supporters in their familial relationships. The third was “acknowledged at home but disenfranchised elsewhere”: fathers felt their grief was unacknowledged by people around them. The fourth was “the relationship with the baby”: fathers struggled to define the loss. They were able to connect with memories and pain of the loss through their re-engagement with their other children. Findings suggest that fathers feel grief that is disenfranchized by society. These findings highlight a need for individual and group interventions to support fathers in their grief.

Body Aware: Adolescents' and Young Adults' Lived Experiences of Body Awareness.

Paying attention to body sensations has been associated with many positive outcomes such as increased subjective well-being, enhanced emotion regulation, and reduced symptom reports. Furthermore, body awareness has an important therapeutic utility in the treatment of various psychological ailments. Despite its importance in mental health, there is very little research on body awareness during adolescence and young adulthood - important developmental periods characterized by bodily changes and the development of one's relationship to one's body. Therefore, the present qualitative study sought to explore how body awareness is understood, experienced, and described by adolescents and young adults. Four online focus groups were conducted with young people between the ages of 14 and 24 (N = 20). Thematic analyses revealed a multidimensional and highly contextualized understanding and experience of body awareness in this age group. In general, young people reported mainly attending to intense and unpleasant body sensations with a particular attitude (e.g., accepting or avoidant) depending on the type of sensation, leading to a variety of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral reactions to these sensations. These processes were embedded in an underlying schema of beliefs about body awareness and an overarching physical and socio-cultural context. Results further revealed a more nuanced experience and understanding of body awareness in women and in young adults. The present findings can be used as a foundation for the development of body awareness theoretical frameworks and self-report instruments for youth and can aid the generating of hypotheses for future research on body awareness in this age group.

Contamination in Trypophobia: investigating the role of disgust

ABSTRACT Trypophobia is a relatively common aversion to clusters of holes. There is no consensus yet on which emotions are involved in Trypophobia nor in its functional utility. This report investigates the role of disgust using contamination tasks in two studies, which contrast people with an aversion to trypophobic stimuli to those without. In Study 1, participants reported their emotional reactions to imagined contamination of trypophobic images. In Study 2, participants evaluated physically present trypophobic, disgust, fear, and control stimuli. The capacity of these stimuli to contaminate other objects was established using a chain of contagion task. Across both studies, contamination was present, however, only those with an aversion to trypophobic stimuli evidenced contamination on the chain of contagion task, a hallmark of disgust responding. Elevated levels were not only reported for disgust, but also alongside fear/anxiety. Participant reports suggest an underlying disease avoidance mechanism in Trypophobia, with trypophobic participants demonstrating an exaggerated response to such stimuli involving disgust and fear/anxiety, which is also seen in small animal phobia, BII, and C-OCD. Implications, particularly for treatment are discussed.

Reaction to Disease and Coping Strategies in Stressful Situations among Psoriasis Patients: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: In the contemporary world, a cult of perfection is being created, and deviations from such an ideal image are becoming socially unacceptable. A particular situation arises when a defect or symptoms of a disease appear on the skin, which, in the case of people suffering from psoriasis, are a source of stress, dissatisfaction with the disease, and a reduction in quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess whether the quality of life related to the occurrence of psoriasis and the level of acceptance of the disease affect coping strategies in stressful situations. Methods: The study involved 111 people with common psoriasis (46.8% women and 53.2% men). Inclusion criteria were as follows: a diagnosis of common psoriasis for at least 0.5 years, no other types of psoriasis, no mental illnesses, and an informed consent of the respondent to participate in the study. In order to compile the research input, a proprietary questionnaire was used along with the following standardised tools: the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). Results: The duration of the disease in the studied population varied and ranged from 0.5 years to over 50 years. Most respondents showed relatively low DLQI scores, with an average value of 10.8 points. In stressful situations (CISS), the respondents primarily used a strategy based on rational thinking (Task-oriented coping), with approximately 54 points on average; followed by an avoidant style (Avoidance-oriented coping), with approximately 50 points on average; and least often an emotional style (Emotion-oriented coping), with approximately 46 points on average. The average level of disease acceptance (AIS) in the studied group equalled approximately 26 points. Conclusions: Psoriatic lesions on the torso caused less rational behaviour in stressful situations (a decrease in the Task-oriented coping) in women but had the opposite result in men, whereas psoriatic lesions on the head stimulated the use of Task-oriented coping in women but had the opposite result in men. The higher the acceptance of the disease (AIS) presented by the respondents, the less often they used an emotional strategy (Emotion-oriented coping) in stressful situations. The higher the quality of life (DLQI) was, the lower the values of Emotion-oriented coping were noted.

"When You're in It, It Feels Like It's Everything": Medical Students' Experience of Failure and Remediation in the United States and the Netherlands.

Medical training institutions worldwide must be prepared to remediate struggling learners, but there is little empirical evidence around learners' perspectives on remediation efforts. Research shows that emotion has a significant effect on learning, but it has not been well studied in remediation in medical education. Given the high stakes of remediation, understanding more about learners' emotional experience could lead to improvements in remediation programs. This study aimed to explore medical students' emotional experience of failure and remediation to offer opportunities to improve remediation. This study is a thematic analysis of data collected from July to September 2022 from one-to-one interviews with students from 4 institutions (2 in the United States and 2 in the Netherlands) who had not met expectations on 1 or more medical school assessment(s). Interview questions explored students' experiences with learning of and responding to a performance that was below expected standards, with probes around any mentions of emotions. Fourteen students participated: 9 from schools in the United States and 5 from schools in the Netherlands. The students perceived the failure and remediation event to be highly significant, reflecting negatively on their suitability for a career as a physician. We identified 5 themes: (1) shame was pervasive and only retrospectively perceived as unwarranted; (2) self-doubt was common and weighty; (3) resentment, blame, and other external-facing emotions were present but softened over time; (4) worry and stress related to perceived career effect differed across countries; and (5) students had mixed emotional reactions to the remediation process. Medical students have strong emotional responses to failure and remediation. Expecting and considering emotions such as shame, self-doubt, and anger could help educators design better remediation programs. Differences across countries may be at least partially explained by different degrees of time variability and flexibility within the curricula.

The authenticity dilemma: towards a theory on the conditions and effects of authentic learning

A highly authentic learning setting is likely to trigger positive motivational and emotional reactions due to its emphasis on promoting the acquisition of knowledge that is connected and transferable to real-world phenomena outside the learning environment. However, a high level of authenticity is usually accompanied by a high level of complexity due to the complexity inherent in the real world. This complexity can be overwhelming for learners and can hamper or even prevent cognitive learning outcomes. Consequently, to help learners cope with this complexity, they need some kind of instructional support. By building a high level of support into the learning setting in order to promote cognitive learning outcomes, the level of authenticity and thereby the effects of authenticity on motivational outcomes may, however, in turn be reduced. In the present conceptual paper, we refer to this tension between authenticity and complexity, on the one hand, and instructional support, on the other hand, as the “authenticity dilemma”. Based on existing empirical evidence from previous studies, we (1) outline this dilemma, (2) discuss ways to reconceptualize it, and (3) derive implications regarding the conditions and effects of authentic learning. Finally, we discuss the findings of the studies included in the special issue “Perspectives on Authentic Learning” through the lens of the authenticity dilemma.

Nitric oxide-signalling affects panic-like defensive behaviour and defensive antinociception neuromodulation in the prelimbic cerebral cortex

Rationale: The prelimbic division (PrL) of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a key structure in panic. Objectives: To evaluate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in defensive behaviour and antinociception. Methods: Either Nω-propyl-L-arginine (NPLA) or Carboxy-PTIO was microinjected in the PrL cortex, followed by hypothalamic treatment with bicuculline. The exploratory behaviours, defensive reactions and defensive antinociception were recorded. Encephalic c-Fos protein was immunolabelled after escape behaviour. Results: NPLA (an inhibition of nNOs) decreased panic-like responses and innate fear-induced antinociception. The c-PTIO (a membrane-impermeable NO scavenger) decreased the escape behaviour. PrL cortex pre-treatment with c-PTIO at all doses decreased defensive antinociception. c-Fos protein was labelled in neocortical areas, limbic system, and mesencephalic structures. Conclusion: The NPLA and c-PTIO in the PrL/mPFC decreased the escape behaviour and defensive antinociception organised by medial hypothalamic nuclei. The oriented escape behaviour recruits neocortical areas, limbic system, and mesencephalic structures. These findings suggest that the organisation of defensive antinociception recruits NO-signalling mechanisms within the PrL cortex. Furthermore, the present findings also support the role of NO as a retrograde messenger in the PrL cortex during panic-like emotional reactions.

Unexpected judgments: the role of gender identity and provocation on blame and affect in a mock jury paradigm

IntroductionPanic defenses are a form of legal defense positing that a defendant is less culpable for their crime because of an extreme emotional reaction. However, limited research has examined the use of panic defenses when the victim is a transgender individual.MethodsIn two studies (Total N = 995) previously existing scales and vignettes were used to evaluate perceptions of panic defenses when the victim was a transgender woman, transgender man, or a gay man. Study 1 (N = 557) used a 2 (sexual provocation or non-sexual provocation) x 3 (transgender woman, transgender man, or gay man victim) design to evaluate perceptions of victim blame, negative affect, and perception that the crime was a hate crime.ResultsContrary to demographic data trends, Study 1 found that transgender women were rated more positively as victims, were blamed less than transgender men or gay men, and that the crime was more likely to be labeled as a hate crime. Study 2 (N = 438) was a replication of Study 1. While the results were largely non-significant, the trend in means was in the same direction as the findings of Study 1.DiscussionWe argue that these findings, despite not being in line with broader data on the topic, are important evidence that anti-transgender research, particularly in mock jury settings, may need to reimagine existing designs and vignettes to understand rates of violence and discrimination toward transgender communities.

„Grafika komputerowa” – nauczyciel i uczeń w cyfrowym świecie obrazów. Notatki pedagogiczne

In the era of visual culture, the reception and creation of images becomes an inseparable element of everyday life. Unfortunately, as research shows, both students and teachers suffer from a shortage of skills related to the creation of graphic messages legible in the form (aesthetic) and content. Despite the hypertectuality of the young generation, they also appear as digital immigration as defined by Prensky.In this paper, I focus on indicating the theoretical and historical foundations of computer graphics and its types, i.e. raster and vector graphics. In school practice, both of these graphic areas are poorly understood and often used inadequately (or not at all, e.g. vector graphics) for didactic needs. Getting to know the graphic software and its capacities will allow both teachers and students to function adequately to the digital times and will sensitize them to the possible visual manipulation of reality, i.e. presenting lies as truth, half-truth or “true facts” that often cause extreme emotional reactions.

Cochlear-implant simulated spectral degradation attenuates emotional responses to environmental sounds

Objective Cochlear implants (CI) provide users with a spectrally degraded acoustic signal that could impact their auditory emotional experiences. This study evaluated the effects of CI-simulated spectral degradation on emotional valence and arousal elicited by environmental sounds. Design Thirty emotionally evocative sounds were filtered through a noise-band vocoder. Participants rated the perceived valence and arousal elicited by each of the full-spectrum and vocoded stimuli. These ratings were compared across acoustic conditions (full-spectrum, vocoded) and as a function of stimulus type (unpleasant, neutral, pleasant). Study Sample Twenty-five young adults (age 19 to 34 years) with normal hearing. Results Emotional responses were less extreme for spectrally degraded (i.e., vocoded) sounds than for full-spectrum sounds. Specifically, spectrally degraded stimuli were perceived as more negative and less arousing than full-spectrum stimuli. Conclusion By meticulously replicating CI spectral degradation while controlling for variables that are confounded within CI users, these findings indicate that CI spectral degradation can compress the range of sound-induced emotion independent of hearing loss and other idiosyncratic device- or person-level variables. Future work will characterize emotional reactions to sound in CI users via objective, psychoacoustic, and subjective measures.