The priming effect of interoception on savoring positive emotion: An EEG study

Interoception has been reported to be associated with the experience of negative emotions. However, its contribution to positive emotion-particularly its role in savoring positive emotion-remains less well understood, and the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms are not fully characterized. Using electroencephalography (EEG), the present study examined whether priming interoceptive attention would influence the savoring of positive emotions and explored the associated neurophysiological patterns. Twenty-nine participants completed an interoceptive priming task (IPT). The results indicated that interoceptive attention was associated with enhanced subjective emotional experiences and a reduction in late positive potential amplitude at centro-parietal sites during the savoring of positive emotions. Additionally, increased alpha power in occipital regions was observed while viewing positive pictures, whereas elevated beta power in right-frontal regions emerged when savoring positive emotions. Together, these findings indicate that interoceptive attention strengthens subjective positive feelings and modulates neural activity during positive emotion savoring, providing deeper insight into how interoception facilitates savoring.