Autobiographically recalled emotional states impact forward gait initiation as a function of motivational direction.

Abstract

The impact of self-generated affective states on self-initiated motor behavior remains unspecified. The purpose of the current study was to determine how self-generated emotional states impact forward gait initiation. Participants recalled past emotional experiences (anger, fear, happy, sad, and neutral), "relived" those emotional memories before gait initiation (GI), and then walked ∼4 m across the laboratory floor. Kinetic and kinematic data revealed GI characteristics consistent with a motivational direction hypothesis. Specifically, participants produced greater posterior-lateral displacement and velocity of their center of pressure (COP) during the initial phase of GI after self-generation of happy and anger emotional states relative to sad ones. During the second phase of GI, greater medial displacement of COP was found during the happy condition compared with sad, greater velocity was occasioned during happy and angry trials compared with sad, and greater velocity was exhibited after happy compared with fear memories. Finally, greater anterior velocity was produced by participants during the final phase of GI for happy and angry memories compared with sad ones. Steady state kinetic and kinematic data when recalling happy and angry memories (longer, faster, and more forceful stepping behavior) followed the anticipatory postural adjustments noted during GI. Together the results from GI and steady state gait provide robust evidence that self-generated emotional states impact forward gait behavior based on motivational direction. Endogenous manipulations of emotional states hold promise for clinical and performance interventions aimed at improving self-initiated movement.

Moved by Emotions: Affective Concepts Representing Personal Life Events Induce Freely Performed Steps in Line With Combined Sagittal and Lateral Space-Valence Associations

“…These findings are also in line with studies examining gait initiation after the presentation of positive and negative stimuli (e.g., Bouman and Stins, 2018). These studies show, for example, a faster forward gait initiation when participants recalled autobiographical emotional memories related to happiness compared to emotional memories related to sadness (e.g., Fawver et al, 2014), faster step velocity when walked toward pleasant pictures with positive emotional content compared to unpleasant pictures with negative emotional content (Naugle et al, 2010) and a slower forward step initiation when angry faces are presented in front of them than when smiling faces were presented (Stins and Beek, 2011).…”

“…This is an important aspect because, for example, it could be plausible for the word "love" or "unfriendly" to stimulate different mental representations depending on personal experiences (e.g., Niedenthal et al, 2009). Moreover, it has been shown that recalling positive or negative personal life experiences may induce gait patterns in line with approachavoidance behaviors (e.g., Fawver et al, 2014). Along with this notion, concepts that have personal affective values would be good candidates for examining whether their processing also resonates with movements of the whole body.…”

From Emotions to Mood Disorders: A Survey on Gait Analysis Methodology

“…Under pleasant stimuli, such as joyful videos/images, increased COP movement was observed during the anticipatory postural adjustment phase of GI [47], [49], [50]. At the same time, an increase in the velocity of the first step [47], [50] and the step length is observed [49], [50]. Similar to happiness, anger resulted in increased COP movement, gait speed, and step length, and posterior-lateral displacement of COP.…”

“…This phase is divided into a movement preparation and a movement execution period [51]. Furthermore, the Center of Pressure (COP), representing the point of the ground reaction force vector, has been identified as a key measure of neuromuscular control during GI [47], [49], [50].…”

“…The measurement of kinematics and kinetics during GI is beneficial for evaluating the relationship between the motor system and emotions [48]. Under pleasant stimuli, such as joyful videos/images, increased COP movement was observed during the anticipatory postural adjustment phase of GI [47], [49], [50]. At the same time, an increase in the velocity of the first step [47], [50] and the step length is observed [49], [50].…”