Abstract
Patients with psychosomatic disorder frequently experience alexisomia, which means they have difficulty identifying and describing bodily sensations (Ikemi, 1977). Several studies have reported changes in bodily sensations, including internal perception (proprioception), during negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, and so on. However, few studies have examined changes in bodily sensations during positive emotions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to elucidate changes in bodily sensations during positive and negative emotions. Stimuli consisted of seven emotionally-laden film clips: three were used to elicit negative emotions (NEGAs), three were used to elicit positive emotions (POSIs), and the remaining clip was neutral (NEUT). Thirty-one male and female students (aged 19-24 years) viewed these clips in random order. Participants rated the bodily changes they experienced while watching each clip on the 28-item Autonomic Perception Questionnaire-Revised (APQ-R), which relies on a five-point Likert scale. The analysis of APQ-R data revealed the following: 1) The NEGAs induced significantly greater changes in bodily perceptions than did the POSIs or the NEUT; 2) Changes in bodily perceptions spread to all parts of the body while participants watched the NEGAs, and 3) Changes involving cardiac and respiratory perceptions were significantly more pronounced while participants watched the POSIs, which may have been caused by humorous scenes. It is necessary to develop a new questionnaire that is more sensitive than the APQ-R to bodily changes during positive emotions.
