Emohance: Enhancing Emotional Arousal in Interactive Content via Real-Time Vibratory Feedback

Delivering mechanical vibratory stimuli to the upper body in synchronization with audiovisual content can enhance emotional experiences. Previous studies on emotion amplification have primarily focused on videos with predetermined emotional content and timing. This study extends the application to interactive content, where the emotional narrative dynamically changes based on user interaction. We propose a novel approach that provides real-time vibratory feedback to the thoracoabdominal region in response to increases in a user’s skin conductance response (SCR), thereby amplifying emotional arousal. A total of 27 participants were involved in the study, engaging in two distinct types of games: an action game and a suspense-puzzle game. Using a within-participants design, we compared conditions with and without vibratory feedback during gameplay. The results showed a significant increase in self-reported emotional arousal with vibratory feedback. In the action game, subjective frustration and excitement were significantly enhanced, while in the puzzle game, tension was amplified. Additionally, in the action game, the number of peaks and variability of SCR signals increased significantly under the vibratory feedback condition. These findings establish a foundation for technologies aimed at augmenting human emotional experiences during interactive content engagement.