Multiple Arousal Theory and Daily-Life Electrodermal Activity Asymmetry

Abstract

Using "big data" from sensors worn continuously outside the lab, researchers have observed patterns of objective physiology that challenge some of the long-standing theoretical concepts of emotion and its measurement. One challenge is that emotional arousal, when measured as sympathetic nervous system activation through electrodermal activity, can sometimes differ significantly across the two halves of the upper body. We show that traditional measures on only one side may lead to misjudgment of arousal. This article presents daily life and controlled study data, as well as existing evidence from neuroscience, supporting the influence of multiple emotional substrates in the brain causing innervation on different sides of the body. We describe how a theory of multiple arousals explains the asymmetric EDA findings. Keywordsaffective computing, ambulatory measurement, electrodermal activity (EDA), emotional arousal, idiographic research, sympathetic nervous system (SNS)

Comment: Looking for Affective Meaning in “Multiple Arousal” Theory: A Comment to Picard, Fedor, and Ayzenberg

“…Arousal, autonomic, electrodermal, emotion, psychophysiology Comment Picard et al (2016) review an extensive literature on the application of electrodermal activity (EDA) in psychophysiology and the theoretical foundations for its utilization in emotion research as a measure of arousal. Additionally, the authors Corresponding author: Greg J. Norman, Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, 5848 South University Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.…”

“…Though each theory differed in its mental state labeling as well as physiological responses all share the general approach of differentiating "good" from "bad" arousal. Taken together these theories help situate the Picard et al (2016) findings and suggest other physiological parameters that have differentiated benign from malignant arousal such as cardiovascular indicators, adrenal or anabolic hormones, and shifts in frontal cortical symmetry.…”

“…These questions are a small sampling of the questions that might guide future work on asymmetric EDA that would be of tremendous interest to affective scientists. Picard et al (2016) outline a novel response profile of asymmetric EDA responses that might be linked to negative affective states. Existing psychophysiological theory helps situate this work in the larger literature and points to possible overlapping physiological systems that might co-occur with right-dominated EDA responses.…”

Comment: What Does Left–Right Autonomic Asymmetry Signify?

“…

AbstractThe situation-dependent lateralization of sympathetic electrodermal arousal during real-life stress (Picard, Fedor, & Ayzenberg, 2016) may challenge a unitary notion of arousal, and call into question the practice of unilateral electrodermal recording, but there are broader implications. Here we consider a potential relationship between stress-induced lateralized shifts in electrodermal activity, and a theory concerning lateralized emotion-induced cardiac arrhythmia.

…”

“…Moreover, electrodermal biofeedback training might assist in mitigating pathological asymmetrical autonomic stress responses. Picard et al (2016) provide case studies, laboratory data, and a description of a theory they term "multiple arousal theory" detailing asymmetric electrodermal responses co-occurring with intense, and, possibly, threatening experiences. There is potential value in two key messages in Picard and colleagues' article: (a) the extended use of dry electrodermal activity (EDA) sensors for long-term wear that could be integrated with experience sampling to examine dynamic changes in physiological responses along with affective states, and (b) the novel observation that asymmetric EDA might be a concomitant with meaningful affective states.…”