Empathetic Responses and Emotional Arousal in a Cooperative Game using Vibratory Biofeedback

Mechanical vibration applied to the upper body effectively elicits physiological arousal and arousal-related emotions in emotionally charged contexts such as movies. Moreover, vibratory stimuli triggered by one’s own electrophysiological signals are suitable for interactive content such as video games. In previous work, this biofeedback framework was extended to dyadic settings in which vibratory feedback was mutually triggered by a partner’s physiological arousal; however, emotional effects were not confirmed. In this study, we redesigned the experimental protocol, including the gamified task and the questionnaire assessing empathy toward the confederate. Eight participants were paired and played a cooperative action game under a mutually vibratory biofeedback condition. Post-experiment questionnaires indicated that participants reported higher levels of tension, excitement, and arousal when vibratory biofeedback was present. Furthermore, they gave higher ratings for both the cognitive and emotional components of empathy. These findings suggest that the proposed biofeedback scheme may serve as an effective method for enhancing shared emotional experiences and interpersonal empathy in interactive content.