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Psychophysiological correlates of affects in human olfaction
1Laboratoire de neurosciences et systèmes sensoriels, CNRS UMR 5020, université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1, 50, avenue Tony-Garnier, 69366 cedex 7, Lyon, France. bensafi@olfac.univ-lyon1.fr
Neurophysiologie Clinique = Clinical Neurophysiology
|December 20, 2002
Summary
This study links olfactory pleasantness and arousal to physiological responses like facial muscle activity and skin conductance. Specific emotions like disgust and joy were distinguished by facial EMG.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- Affective responses to environments are primarily characterized by pleasantness and arousal.
- Facial electromyographic (EMG) activity and skin conductance (SC) are established physiological measures linked to pleasantness and arousal in visual and auditory contexts.
- Olfactory responses, however, require further investigation regarding their peripheral physiological correlates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the covariation between peripheral physiological measures and the dimensions of pleasantness and arousal in olfaction.
- To examine the influence of odor intensity on facial and autonomic variations.
- To determine if odors can evoke specific verbally reported emotions and induce distinct peripheral response patterns.
Main Methods:
- Participants were exposed to 12 distinct odors.
- Facial and autonomic parameters were continuously recorded.
- Odor intensity, pleasantness, and arousal were assessed, alongside verbally reported emotions (joy, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, sadness, neutral).
Main Results:
- Olfactory pleasantness negatively correlated with facial corrugator muscle activity, while arousal positively correlated with skin conductance.
- No significant relationships were found between physiological changes and perceived odor intensity.
- Emotions of "disgust" and "joy" were most frequently reported, with facial EMG activity differentiating these from each other and from a neutral state.
Conclusions:
- Peripheral physiological measures, specifically facial EMG and skin conductance, reflect pleasantness and arousal dimensions in olfaction, mirroring findings in other sensory modalities.
- Distinct emotional states like "disgust" and "joy" can be physiologically differentiated through facial EMG patterns.
- The findings support the hypothesis of two distinct brain systems (defensive and appetitive) influencing affective responses, each capable of modulating arousal levels.