Empathic Responses to Upper Body Vibratory Stimulation Paired with Emotional Vocal Cues

This study proposes a novel method to enhance empathy toward partner’s emotions using mechanical vibration stimuli applied to the upper body. Such stimuli, designed to increase physiological arousal, have been shown to intensify emotional responses during multimedia experiences. Here, we investigated whether upper-body vibration can also influence empathy when the partner’s emotional cues are present. In the experiment, participants observed an experimenter playing a computer game, while receiving vibration stimuli synchronized with the experimenter’s vocal reactions-such as surprise and excitement-triggered by a footswitch. Fifteen participants experienced two conditions: one with vibration stimuli in synch with the experimenter’s emotional reactions, and one without. Post-experiment questionnaire revealed that vibration stimuli significantly increased participants’ reported empathy, excitement, and tension. These findings suggest that vibration, when paired with emotional vocal cues, can amplify empathy for others’ emotions, offering a novel approach for designing interactive content that fosters richer emotional communication among users.