Proposal for determining valence and arousal thresholds: Compromised pleasure threshold, unpleasure threshold, and arousal threshold

Abstract

Individuals' emotions have been studied for nearly half a century, but the literature has not advanced to the point of estimating the intensity of a stimulus capable of influencing valence and arousal. The aim of this study was to elucidate three new thresholds: the valence thresholds, represented by the compromised pleasure threshold (CPT) and unpleasure threshold (UT), and the arousal threshold (AT). Valence and arousal ratings were obtained through the affective slider (AS), and CPT, UT, and AT were determined for images of moldy Brazilian carrot cake. Results showed CPT occurs after 1.9 days of deterioration and the AT is reached after 10.5 days of deterioration. The moldy carrot cake was valenced negatively, in the low-arousal region.The methodology was shown to be appropriate for measuring emotion thresholds, which highlights its potential to generate deeper understanding of consumers' perceptions of valence and arousal. Practical ApplicationsWhen it comes to emotion-driven food choices, emotion thresholds methodology can help in the monitoring of unhealthy food choices, because it will be able to provide thresholds corresponding to variables capable of significantly influencing the consumer's mood. Likewise, they may also be useful to industry, public policymakers, and health professionals, in order to facilitate the identification of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that improve the mood of the consumer. Mitigation efforts can focus on the relationship between eating disorders and negative emotional states, which affect CPT, UT, and AT and, in turn, decision-making. We propose that identifying the psychophysiological reactions to comforting stimuli allows us to examine differences in food processing cues among individuals with eating disorders (e.g., compulsive eating, anorexia, and bulimia), and how they shape emotion thresholds. This creates opportunities for psychoeducational interventions and improvements in decision-making.