Preliminary Study on Gender Differences in EEG-Based Emotional Responses in Virtual Architectural Environments

In traditional cultural perceptions of gender, women are stereotyped as being more “emotional” than men. Although significant progress has been made in studying gender differences in emotional responses over the past few decades, there is still no consistent conclusion as to whether women are more emotional than men. In this study, we investigated gender differences in emotional responses between two groups of students (10 males and 10 females) in the same architectural environment, particularly in a digital cultural tourism scenario. Participants viewed the “Time Tunnel” of the ancient city of Qingzhou through VR simulation. Brainwave evoked potentials were recorded using wearable EEG devices. The results showed that females typically reported stronger emotional responses, as evidenced by higher arousal, lower potency, and stronger avoidance motivation. In contrast, males exhibited higher potency, lower arousal, and stronger comfort. The findings suggest that males have a more positive emotional response in virtual digital environments, whereas females are more sensitive and vulnerable to such environments, experiencing some discomfort. These findings can be used to guide the design and adaptation of virtual built environments.