We examined the neural correlates of facial attractiveness by presenting pictures of male or female faces (neutral expression) with low/intermediate/high attractiveness to 48 male or female participants while recording their electroencephalogram (EEG). Subjective attractiveness ratings were used to determine the 10% highest, 10% middlemost, and 10% lowest rated faces for each individual participant to allow for high contrast comparisons. These were then split into preferred and dispreferred gender categories. ERP components P1, N1, P2, N2, early posterior negativity (EPN), P300 and late positive potential (LPP) (up until 3000 ms post-stimulus), and the face specific N170 were analysed. A salience effect (attractive/unattractive > intermediate) in an early LPP interval (450–850 ms) and a long-lasting valence related effect (attractive > unattractive) in a late LPP interval (1000–3000 ms) were elicited by the preferred gender faces but not by the dispreferred gender faces. Multi-variate pattern analysis (MVPA)-classifications on whole-brain single-trial EEG patterns further confirmed these salience and valence effects. It is concluded that, facial attractiveness elicits neural responses that are indicative of valenced experiences, but only if these faces are considered relevant. These experiences take time to develop and last well beyond the interval that is commonly explored.
MULTIFILE
Being able to classify experienced emotions by identifying distinct neural responses has tremendous value in both fundamental research (e.g. positive psychology, emotion regulation theory) and in applied settings (clinical, healthcare, commercial). We aimed to decode the neural representation of the experience of two discrete emotions: sadness and disgust, devoid of differences in valence and arousal. In a passive viewing paradigm, we showed emotion evoking images from the International Affective Picture System to participants while recording their EEG. We then selected a subset of those images that were distinct in evoking either sadness or disgust (20 for each), yet were indistinguishable on normative valence and arousal. Event-related potential analysis of 69 participants showed differential responses in the N1 and EPN components and a support-vector machine classifier was able to accurately classify (58%) whole-brain EEG patterns of sadness and disgust experiences. These results support and expand on earlier findings that discrete emotions do have differential neural responses that are not caused by differences in valence or arousal.
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It is commonly assumed that TV commercials successfully influence affective tourism destination image by coupling positive emotions to a destination. In this study we record emotional responses to destination pictures before and after viewing a destination TV commercial from participants’ brains using electroencephalography (EEG). A control group of participants watched the same destination pictures, and an unrelated TV commercial. Emotion-related event-related potential (ERP) components, the P2 and LPP, were derived from the EEG. For the participants that watched the destination TV commercial, the P2 and the LPP were larger in response to destination pictures after compared to before having watched the TV commercial. This effect was not observed in the control group. In a behavioral version of the same experiment, we did not observe any effects in the self-report data. It is concluded that ERP methodology is a useful tool to complement the toolbox of tourism marketing researchers
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In January 2020, Greece, the Republic of Cyprus and Israel signed an agreement to construct the EastMed pipeline, a 1900-kilometer undersea pipeline designed to transport gas from the offshore deposits in the Leviathan field of the southeastern Mediterranean to continental Europe. Designed as Project of Common Interest (PCI) by European Commission since 2013, this pipeline aims to diversify the EU’s energy source, potentially reducing reliance on Russian gas. While progress had stalled, the Russian invasion of Ukraine reignited hopes for its construction. Nonetheless, the United States raised doubts about its viability and distanced itself from what it reportedly labeled a “contentious energy scheme”. Our report aims to assess the prospects of the EastMed pipeline, drawing insights from the energy security scenario analysis by the World Energy Council, Shell, and the Clingendael Institute. Beginning with background information on the project’s geological aspects, EU-driven regulatory framework, key stakeholders, and estimated costs, we’ll craft scenarios around three central storylines: 1) Market and Institutions, focusing on stable geopolitics and regional cooperation, 2) Regions and Empires, emphasizing Geopolitical Tensions, and, 3) Environmental Challenges.
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De Centrale Cliëntenraad van de Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg Eindhoven en de Kempen (GGzE) organiseerde in april 1996 een conferentie over cliëntenparticipatie. Onderwerp van gesprek was hoe die participatie in de individuele behandeling beter tot z'n recht kon komen. Dit heeft geleid tot een cursus waarin hulpverleners getraind worden door cliënt-ervaringsdeskundigen. ln deze bijdrage vertellen de trainers over de opzet von de cursus en hun ervoringen ermee in het afgelopen jaar.
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