The Feeling Before Activation: Anticipation, Embodied Temporality, and Silent Ritual

Sensory experiences are most often studied from the moment a stimulus is activated and consciously perceived. Yet, a significant part of lived experience unfolds before any effective activation occurs. This working paper examines the pre-activation phase as a sensory experience in its own right, grounded in anticipation, memory, lived temporality, and bodily embodiment. Drawing on an interdisciplinary framework combining cognitive sciences, phenomenology, and design studies, the paper argues that the feeling before activation constitutes an autonomous experiential space. Recognizing this phase opens new perspectives for understanding silent, non-manifest, and deeply embodied sensory experiences.