The effects of the differences between friendly and unfriendly communication on brain activity

Abstract

We studied the influence exerted on subjectsʼbrain activity by a therapistʼs friendly/unfriendly nonverbal communication in a physical therapy setting. Subjects and Methods: Subjects were 12 healthy adult males. Subjects first relaxed with their eyes open for two minutes, then watched a video in either the friendly or unfriendly condition,and then relaxed with their eyes open for another two minutes. Results: During the friendly condition, significantly higher neural activity was observed in areas including the medial frontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus. During the unfriendly condition, significantly higher neural activity was observed in areas including the insula, amygdala, and parietal association area. Conclusions: During the friendly condition, neural activity was observed in brain areas related to sustained relaxation, desire, and motivation, whereas in the unfriendly condition, neural activity was observed in brain areas related to persistence of negative emotions, anxiety, and painful stimuli. These results suggestthatdifferencesin nonverbal communication play a role in functional differences in neural activity related to social interactions.