Arousal \u2013 how alert or excited we feel – is a key part of our emotions, yet scientists still don\u2019t fully understand how the brain generates this feeling or how it differs from bodily reactions like sweating or a racing heart.<\/p>\n
Led by Professor Benjamin Becker from HKU\u2019s Department of Psychology, a recent study used AI-driven modelling and advanced brain imaging to identify a unique brain signature that measures emotional intensity across various situations, from seeing a loved one to watching a horror movie. Importantly, the research distinguishes conscious emotional experience from automatic physiological responses.<\/p>\n
This breakthrough not only sheds light on a long-standing debate about the connection between feelings and bodily reactions but also paves the way for advances in emotionally intelligent AI, brain-computer interfaces, and targeted treatments for emotional disorders like anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n
In short, this research offers a better, more precise way to understand how our brains create emotional arousal, and it could help with future studies and applications in understanding emotions.<\/p>\n
The research was recently published in Nature Communications<\/em> in an article titled “A neurofunctional signature of affective arousal generalizes across valence domains and distinguishes subjective experience from autonomic reactivity”<\/em>.<\/p>\n Link to the paper: here<\/a><\/p>\n