Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Charles Darwin proposed that facial expressions are an evolutionary adaptation for communication. He argued that these expressions are not influenced by culture but are universal across species. For example, a snarling expression with exposed teeth signals a threat in many animals, including humans. Darwin also suggested that displaying an emotion can intensify the feeling. Smiling, for example, could enhance one's sense of happiness. This idea laid the foundation for understanding the role of...

The Influence of Affect on Cognition

The Influence of Affect on Cognition

Positive affect significantly influences cognitive processes, including evaluation, memory, creativity, and social judgments. Compared to negative affect, positive emotional states promote more favorable interpretations of stimuli, cognitive flexibility, and heuristic processing. These effects highlight emotions' powerful role in shaping how individuals perceive, remember, and interact with the world.Influence on Evaluation and AttributionWhen individuals experience positive affect, they are...

Nonconscious Mimicry

Nonconscious Mimicry

Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.

The Influence of Cognition on Affect

The Influence of Cognition on Affect

Cognition plays a pivotal role in shaping emotional experiences, as demonstrated by Schachter and Singer’s two-factor theory of emotion. According to this model, emotion arises from a combination of physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation. The body’s physiological response to stimuli is ambiguous and only gains emotional significance through cognitive labeling. For instance, an increased heart rate and adrenaline surge while standing near an attractive person may be interpreted as...

Sympathetic Activation

Sympathetic Activation

The sympathetic division can influence tissues and organs by releasing norepinephrine at peripheral synapses and distributing epinephrine and norepinephrine through the bloodstream. In times of crisis or stress, sympathetic activation occurs, which is regulated by sympathetic centers in the hypothalamus. As a result, sympathetic activation prepares the body for physical exertion, rapid ATP production, and heightened alertness, allowing individuals to respond effectively to challenging or...

Role of Affect in Interpersonal Attraction

Role of Affect in Interpersonal Attraction

Affect plays a crucial role in shaping interpersonal evaluations and perceptions. Emotions influence how individuals judge and respond to others, often determining whether interactions are viewed positively or negatively. This effect can manifest directly through interactions with the person in question or indirectly via associations with unrelated emotional experiences.Direct Effects of Affect on AttractionAffect directly influences interpersonal attraction when a person’s behavior elicits...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

An Audience Facilitates Facial Feedback: A Social-Context Hypothesis Reconciling Original Study and Nonreplication.

Psychological reports·2023

Same author

A mobile approach-avoidance task.

Behavior research methods·2020

Same author

Experimentally induced awe does not affect implicit and explicit time perception.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2019

Same author

Shared states: using MVPA to test neural overlap between self-focused emotion imagery and other-focused emotion understanding.

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience·2017

Same author

Competition elicits arousal and affect.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2017

Same author

Replication Requires Psychological Rather than Statistical Hypotheses: The Case of Eye Movements Enhancing Word Recollection.

Frontiers in psychology·2017

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans

Published on: March 15, 2019

Gamma flicker elicits positive affect without awareness.

Bram T Heerebout¹, A E Yoram Tap, Mark Rotteveel

¹Department of Psychology, Brain and Cognition Program, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Consciousness and Cognition

|August 14, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

High-frequency gamma oscillations, simulated in artificial neural networks, appear to code for positive affect and attention. This study found 50 Hz flicker enhanced positive evaluations and approach behaviors, supporting the Affect-Gamma hypothesis.

More Related Videos

Tickling, a Technique for Inducing Positive Affect When Handling Rats

Tickling, a Technique for Inducing Positive Affect When Handling Rats

Published on: May 8, 2018

Investigating Migraine-Like Behavior Using Light Aversion in Mice

Investigating Migraine-Like Behavior Using Light Aversion in Mice

Published on: August 11, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans

Published on: March 15, 2019

Tickling, a Technique for Inducing Positive Affect When Handling Rats

Tickling, a Technique for Inducing Positive Affect When Handling Rats

Published on: May 8, 2018

Investigating Migraine-Like Behavior Using Light Aversion in Mice

Investigating Migraine-Like Behavior Using Light Aversion in Mice

Published on: August 11, 2021

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

High-frequency oscillations are implicated as a neural code for positive affect and attention.
Gamma band oscillations (e.g., 50 Hz flicker) are known to influence attentional switching.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if 50 Hz visual flicker can elicit positive affect and influence approach-avoidance behaviors.
To explore the role of gamma oscillations in affective processing and attention.

Main Methods:

Participants performed an approach-avoidance task involving a three-faces display preceded by 50 Hz, 25 Hz, or 0 Hz flicker.
Task involved deciding target gender (Block 1) or subjective valence (Block 2), serving as implicit affective measures.
Flicker detection accuracy was assessed (Block 3).

Main Results:

Explicit evaluation of faces was more positive following 50 Hz flicker compared to 25 Hz or 0 Hz.
50 Hz flicker facilitated approach reactions and inhibited avoidance reactions.
Attentional switching was enhanced by 50 Hz flicker, while only 25 Hz flicker was reliably detected.

Conclusions:

Invisible 50 Hz gamma flicker can induce positive affect and modulate approach-avoidance behaviors.
Findings support the Affect-Gamma hypothesis, suggesting gamma oscillations may code for positive affect in biological neural networks.
Gamma oscillations play a role in both affective experience and attentional processing.