Abstract
Emotions affect some biological functions on the skin. In fact, it has been reported in various studies that negative emotions cause worse skin conditions. The relationship between positive emotions and skin conditions, however, has remained unclear. Previously, the efficacy of skincare has been discussed mostly from the dermatological point of view, such as active ingredients and formulation technologies. On the other hand, various emotional changes occur during the process of using cosmetics, and they could also relate to skin conditions. Based on the assumption that positive emotions improve skin conditions, we examined whether the pleasant touch of softly touching the whole face with the palms of both hands, i.e. a hand-press, leads to good skin appearance by using the sensual visual assessment. First, we found that the skin appearance score for “Smoothness” changed positively with performance of the hand-press and it led to favorable skin scores in other aspects of appearance, such as “No dryness” and “Clarity”. Next, we investigated skin appearance influenced by positive emotions resulting from the hand-press method. In the second trial, all participants performed the hand-press. Based on the positive emotions score, participants were divided into high-score and low-score groups; then the extent of change in skin appearance was compared between them. In the high-score group, the scores for “Radiance”, “Moisture”, “No dryness”, “No dullness” and “Less yellowness” were significantly higher than in the other, with a marginally significant difference for “Clarity”. These results showed that a positive state of mind generates better skin condition, indicating that a psychological approach is useful for improving skin condition in a different manner than a purely dermatological approach.
