Frontal brain asymmetry and affective flexibility in an emotional contagion paradigm

This study was aimed at examining the relation of an individual's EEG asymmetry in the lateral frontal cortex, assessed in resting conditions, to affective flexibility. An auditory paradigm was used to induce negative (sad) and positive (cheerful) affective states, and state‐dependent shifts of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychophysiology 2012-04, Vol.49 (4), p.489-498
Main Authors: Papousek, Ilona, Reiser, Eva M., Weber, Bernhard, Freudenthaler, H. Harald, Schulter, Günter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Stimulation
Adaptation, Psychological - physiology
Adolescent
Adult
Affect - physiology
Anatomy & physiology
Asymmetry
Brain
Cortex (auditory)
Cortex (frontal)
Data Interpretation, Statistical
EEG
Electroencephalography
Emotional behavior
Emotions
Emotions - physiology
Female
Frontal Lobe - physiology
Functional Laterality - physiology
Hemispheric asymmetry
Humans
Male
Negative affect
Physiological psychology
Positive affect
Recovery
Responsivity
Young Adult
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Summary:This study was aimed at examining the relation of an individual's EEG asymmetry in the lateral frontal cortex, assessed in resting conditions, to affective flexibility. An auditory paradigm was used to induce negative (sad) and positive (cheerful) affective states, and state‐dependent shifts of dorsolateral EEG asymmetry in response to and after the emotional provocations were observed. A Left > Right activation pattern at rest was associated with a shift to the right during negative and a shift to the left during positive stimulation, and efficient recovery after negative stimulation. Right > Left participants appeared unresponsive to both sounds. Distinct and differentiated responses to provocation with negative and positive affect and efficient recovery suggest that Left > Right prefrontal activity at rest is related to a flexible pattern of affective responding, which has been linked to adaptive emotional processing in the relevant literature.
ISSN:0048-5772
1469-8986
1540-5958
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01324.x