Emohance: Arousal Enhancement for Gamification using Heart-Beat-Like Vibratory Biofeedback

Vibratory stimulation applied to the thoracoabdominal region modulates arousal-related emotions during affective experiences, whereas its effects on low-arousal emotions such as calmness and relief have remained unclear. This study examined whether heart-beat-like vibratory stimulation could promote relaxation. Participants played an action videogame while receiving vibratory stimulation to the thoracoabdominal region, delivered in synchrony with their skin conductance responses. In the control condition, no vibration was administered. A within-participant experiment with eight individuals revealed that subjective ratings of excitement, impatience, and frustration were higher in the vibration condition. In contrast, subjective calmness scores were significantly lower with vibration, contradicting our initial hypothesis. These findings suggest that the relaxation effect of heart-beat-like vibratory stimulation is minimal.