The effect of script-driven emotional imagery on postural control in healthy individuals

Objective: Although emotions and postural control are strongly intertwined, more research is necessary to understand this intricate relationship. Therefore, we examined the effect of script-driven emotional imagery on postural control in healthy individuals. Methods: Forty-four healthy participants (50 % female, median age=27) imagined three emotional imagery scripts (hostile, acceptance, relaxation) in upright standing without visual input while center of pressure (CoP) was measured (mean sway, sway velocity, and standard deviation in antero-posterior and medio-lateral directions, and sway path and area). After each script, valence, arousal, and dominance were rated with the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) to check whether emotion induction was successful. Effects of emotional imagery on CoP and SAM were analyzed through mixed models. Results: Emotions were successfully induced; participants felt less pleasant (p < 0.0001), more aroused (p < 0.0001), and less in control (p < 0.0001) during hostile compared to acceptance and relaxation scripts. Inducing emotions did not affect CoP (p > 0.05), with the exception of antero-posterior CoP sway, which was significantly smaller during relaxation compared to acceptance scripts (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Although emotions were successfully induced, they minimally affected postural control in healthy individuals. Significance: These findings suggest that healthy individuals may adopt flexible postural compensation strategies to successfully adjust for emotion-induced perturbations.