Abstract
This study examined physiological responses to the feeling of relief ("Ando-kan"). In the previous study by Monchi and Suzuki (in press), two distinctive situations were found to induce the feeling of relief, "relief from tension" and "calmness and relaxation." In the present study, twenty-five female subjects performed imaginary tasks. Each subject chose three situations out of twenty for three imaginary tasks, identified as "relief from tension", "calmness and relaxation" and controlled "daily" situation. Heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), facial electromyographic (fEMG) activities of Corrugator Sepercilli muscle region, and fEMG of Zygomaticus Major muscle region were recorded. In all three conditions, HR decreased by performing the tasks. The activities of Corrugator Supercilli increased in the "relief from tension" condition and the "calmness and relaxation" condition. The results of RR suggested different change patterns by imaginary situations. RR decreased in the "calmness and relaxation" condition, unchanged in the "relief from tension" condition, and increased in the "daily" condition. In general, however, remarkable difference was not found among these three conditions.
