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Journal of Psychiatric Research Feb 2020Recent conceptual frameworks propose anhedonia reflects abnormalities in the temporal dynamics of positive emotion in schizophrenia, characterized by intact consummatory... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
Recent conceptual frameworks propose anhedonia reflects abnormalities in the temporal dynamics of positive emotion in schizophrenia, characterized by intact consummatory and impaired anticipatory pleasure. A comprehensive meta-analysis can directly test this theory using self-report data.
METHOD
A meta-analysis was performed on studies reporting Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS) data from healthy controls and schizophrenia or schizotypy groups. The TEPS was examined as it contains subscales to measure both consummatory and anticipatory pleasure separately. Statistical heterogeneity and study bias were examined. Meta-regressions evaluated moderators.
RESULTS
53 studies were retrieved (7,797 participants). Results revealed small effect sizes for comparisons of combined schizophrenia/schizotypy and control groups for both consummatory and anticipatory pleasure. Within-group comparisons of pleasure conditions were nonsignificant. The percentage of male schizophrenia/schizotypy participants significantly moderated anticipatory and consummatory pleasure for the combined sample and schizotypy alone; male participants were found to report reduced pleasure. There was only minor evidence of bias; sensitivity analysis confirmed result robustness. Exploratory outlier removal for schizophrenia within-group pleasure comparisons revealed a statistically significant difference between reported anticipatory and consummatory pleasure, with consummatory pleasure reduced relative to anticipatory (i.e., in the opposite direction of the majority of experimental research findings).
CONCLUSIONS
These findings provided only modest support for the temporal dynamics of positive emotion conceptualization because they revealed no evidence for: 1) specific anticipatory pleasure deficits in schizophrenia-spectrum participants compared to controls; 2) significant reductions in anticipatory pleasure relative to consummatory pleasure in schizophrenia-spectrum participants.
Topics: Anhedonia; Anticipation, Psychological; Humans; Pleasure; Schizophrenia; Schizotypal Personality Disorder
PubMed: 31783235
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.11.007 -
General Dentistry 2023
Topics: Humans; Goals; Pleasure
PubMed: 36825964
DOI: No ID Found -
The Journal of Neuroscience : the... Nov 2019Music ranks among the greatest human pleasures. It consistently engages the reward system, and converging evidence implies it exploits predictions to do so. Both...
Music ranks among the greatest human pleasures. It consistently engages the reward system, and converging evidence implies it exploits predictions to do so. Both prediction confirmations and errors are essential for understanding one's environment, and music offers many of each as it manipulates interacting patterns across multiple timescales. Learning models suggest that a balance of these outcomes (i.e., intermediate complexity) optimizes the reduction of uncertainty to rewarding and pleasurable effect. Yet evidence of a similar pattern in music is mixed, hampered by arbitrary measures of complexity. In the present studies, we applied a well-validated information-theoretic model of auditory expectation to systematically measure two key aspects of musical complexity: predictability (operationalized as information content [IC]), and uncertainty (entropy). In Study 1, we evaluated how these properties affect musical preferences in 43 male and female participants; in Study 2, we replicated Study 1 in an independent sample of 27 people and assessed the contribution of veridical predictability by presenting the same stimuli seven times. Both studies revealed significant quadratic effects of IC and entropy on liking that outperformed linear effects, indicating reliable preferences for music of intermediate complexity. An interaction between IC and entropy further suggested preferences for more predictability during more uncertain contexts, which would facilitate uncertainty reduction. Repeating stimuli decreased liking ratings but did not disrupt the preference for intermediate complexity. Together, these findings support long-hypothesized optimal zones of predictability and uncertainty in musical pleasure with formal modeling, relating the pleasure of music listening to the intrinsic reward of learning. Abstract pleasures, such as music, claim much of our time, energy, and money despite lacking any clear adaptive benefits like food or shelter. Yet as music manipulates patterns of melody, rhythm, and more, it proficiently exploits our expectations. Given the importance of anticipating and adapting to our ever-changing environments, making and evaluating uncertain predictions can have strong emotional effects. Accordingly, we present evidence that listeners consistently prefer music of intermediate predictive complexity, and that preferences shift toward expected musical outcomes in more uncertain contexts. These results are consistent with theories that emphasize the intrinsic reward of learning, both by updating inaccurate predictions and validating accurate ones, which is optimal in environments that present manageable predictive challenges (i.e., reducible uncertainty).
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Adolescent; Auditory Perception; Female; Forecasting; Humans; Learning; Male; Music; Pleasure; Random Allocation; Reward; Uncertainty; Young Adult
PubMed: 31636112
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0428-19.2019 -
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and... Jan 2023We developed and validated a rating scale to assess the aesthetic pleasure (or beauty) of a visual data representation: the BeauVis scale. With our work we offer...
We developed and validated a rating scale to assess the aesthetic pleasure (or beauty) of a visual data representation: the BeauVis scale. With our work we offer researchers and practitioners a simple instrument to compare the visual appearance of different visualizations, unrelated to data or context of use. Our rating scale can, for example, be used to accompany results from controlled experiments or be used as informative data points during in-depth qualitative studies. Given the lack of an aesthetic pleasure scale dedicated to visualizations, researchers have mostly chosen their own terms to study or compare the aesthetic pleasure of visualizations. Yet, many terms are possible and currently no clear guidance on their effectiveness regarding the judgment of aesthetic pleasure exists. To solve this problem, we engaged in a multi-step research process to develop the first validated rating scale specifically for judging the aesthetic pleasure of a visualization (osf.io/fxs76). Our final BeauVis scale consists of five items, "enjoyable," "likable," "pleasing," "nice," and "appealing." Beyond this scale itself, we contribute (a) a systematic review of the terms used in past research to capture aesthetics, (b) an investigation with visualization experts who suggested terms to use for judging the aesthetic pleasure of a visualization, and (c) a confirmatory survey in which we used our terms to study the aesthetic pleasure of a set of 3 visualizations.
Topics: Pleasure; Computer Graphics; Esthetics; Beauty; Judgment
PubMed: 36155461
DOI: 10.1109/TVCG.2022.3209390 -
Nature Human Behaviour Oct 2019
Topics: Australia; Education, Graduate; Humans; Pleasure; Publishing
PubMed: 31602013
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-019-0668-5 -
The British Journal of Clinical... Nov 2019Deficits in anticipating pleasure may be an important dimension of anhedonia and functioning in psychiatric disorders, particularly schizophrenia and depression;... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVES
Deficits in anticipating pleasure may be an important dimension of anhedonia and functioning in psychiatric disorders, particularly schizophrenia and depression; however, inconsistent findings have limited the conclusions that can be drawn. We conducted the first systemic review and meta-analysis of the extant literature for research comparing psychiatric groups to healthy control groups on anticipatory pleasure.
METHODS
Academic Search Complete, Science Direct, and CINAHL databases were systematically searched up to 9 June 2018 for relevant peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and dissertations. Reference lists were also hand searched. A total of 36 studies were included in the review.
RESULTS
A moderate-sized deficit was observed in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (k = 32, 1,851 patients and 1,449 controls, g = -0.42 [95% CI = -0.53 to -0.31], p < .001), and a large deficit in major depression (k = 415 patients and 506 controls, g = -0.87 [95% CI = -1.23 to -0.51], p < .001), with this effect being significantly larger for depression (p < .05). Meta-regression showed that heterogeneity was partially explained in schizophrenia spectrum by longer duration of illness and lower cognitive functioning predicting larger deficits. In depression, some evidence was found that ruling out a history of psychiatric illness in controls may be related to larger effects. There was evidence for small study bias inflating estimates in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
CONCLUSIONS
Deficits in anticipatory pleasure are manifest in these disorders, and significantly more so in major depression. These findings indicate a possible therapeutic target to link cognitive, affective, and behavioural factors that precipitate and maintain disorder.
PRACTITIONER POINTS
Anticipatory pleasure is impaired in schizophrenia spectrum and major depression. A particular focus on enhancing anticipatory pleasure may improve motivation for rewarding behaviour and psychosocial functioning. The review contained only a small number of studies for major depression. Given the heterogeneity in effects, there are likely to be more moderators of anticipatory pleasure that require examination.
Topics: Adult; Depressive Disorder, Major; Female; Humans; Male; Pleasure; Schizophrenic Psychology
PubMed: 30854671
DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12218 -
Applied Ergonomics Jan 2021Powered two-wheelers are a common means of transport all over the world. In several countries, primary motorcycles with high displacement involve another purpose, namely...
Powered two-wheelers are a common means of transport all over the world. In several countries, primary motorcycles with high displacement involve another purpose, namely motorcycling is a leisure activity. Motorcycles are used as tools of transport pleasure as opposed to being purely used for individual commuting purposes. The aim of the current study involves investigating the relation between experienced riding pleasure and riding behavior in a field test. Specifically, N = 12 motorcyclists between 21 and 66 years of age were observed while riding for approximately 8 h on public roads. The measurement setup included a logger for vehicle dynamics and vehicle handling data, GNSS data, video data, and subjective measures recorded as audio comments at predefined points of interest along the round course. A comprehensive dataset with more than 6000 km of motorcycling was gathered. The results indicate that parameters of lateral vehicle behavior, such as the maximum lean angle, reflected riding pleasure. Interestingly, this is applicable for curvy sections as well as straight roads. High ratings of riding pleasure correlated with riding in snaky lines as a type of self-stimulation on straight sections. Longitudinal vehicle dynamics, such as the range of accelerations, tend to increase with the riding pleasure in curves. Hence, the effects are smaller than those for lateral vehicle behavior and not visible on straight sections. Generally, curvy sections on rural roads produce higher pleasure than straight roads. On a global level, riding pleasure increases during the first few hours of riding and subsequently decreases with respect to the time on task. The results are discussed in the context of studies on driving pleasure from the automotive sector and more fundamental psychological theories that explain pleasure as a physiological stimulation or flow. Several individuals ride motorcycles to experience pleasure. A better understanding of rider behavior in these situations can aid in deriving proper assistance and to provide individual support to a rider, thereby increasing riding pleasure as well as safety.
Topics: Acceleration; Accidents, Traffic; Automobile Driving; Humans; Motorcycles; Pleasure
PubMed: 32882503
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103231 -
Current Biology : CB May 2017The experience of beauty is a pleasure, but common sense and philosophy suggest that feeling beauty differs from sensuous pleasures such as eating or sex. Immanuel Kant...
The experience of beauty is a pleasure, but common sense and philosophy suggest that feeling beauty differs from sensuous pleasures such as eating or sex. Immanuel Kant [1, 2] claimed that experiencing beauty requires thought but that sensuous pleasure can be enjoyed without thought and cannot be beautiful. These venerable hypotheses persist in models of aesthetic processing [3-7] but have never been tested. Here, participants continuously rated the pleasure felt from a nominally beautiful or non-beautiful stimulus and then judged whether they had experienced beauty. The stimuli, which engage various senses, included seeing images, tasting candy, and touching a teddy bear. The observer reported the feelings that the stimulus evoked. The time course of pleasure, across stimuli, is well-fit by a model with one free parameter: pleasure amplitude. Pleasure amplitude increases linearly with the feeling of beauty. To test Kant's claim of a need for thought, we reduce cognitive capacity by adding a "two-back" task to distract the observer's thoughts. The distraction greatly reduces the beauty and pleasure experienced from stimuli that otherwise produce strong pleasure and spares that of less-pleasant stimuli. We also find that strong pleasure is always beautiful, whether produced reliably by beautiful stimuli or just occasionally by sensuous stimuli. In sum, we confirm Kant's claim that only the pleasure associated with feeling beauty requires thought and disprove his claim that sensuous pleasures cannot be beautiful.
Topics: Beauty; Cognition; Emotions; Female; Humans; Male; Pleasure; Sensation; Thinking; Visual Perception; Young Adult
PubMed: 28502660
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.018 -
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic... Aug 2016Analysts have often described their work as depriving, painful, and hard to endure, while its pleasures have been the subject of little commentary. The real history and...
Analysts have often described their work as depriving, painful, and hard to endure, while its pleasures have been the subject of little commentary. The real history and ongoing temptations of boundary violation long ago made the gratifications of psychoanalytic work a matter of anxiety. Analysts' pleasure in their work was problematized. Some of this problematizing is necessary because of real risk, but much of it is not only unnecessary but misleading and destructive. Psychoanalysts pursue achievement of a unique form of human intimacy, yet acquired habits of professional modesty and humility have encouraged the illusion that analyzing can occur without desire or ambition on the analyst's part. These habits have made it difficult for analysts to openly discuss what they get from the intimacy of analyzing that yields its pleasures. Our field demands that analysts deny that the work provides much more than pain (at least until the conclusion of an analysis), but psychoanalysis both misunderstands and misrepresents itself if we cannot speak of the distinctly broad range of pleasures available in analyzing.
Topics: Countertransference; Humans; Personal Satisfaction; Pleasure; Professional-Patient Relations; Psychoanalysis; Psychoanalytic Therapy
PubMed: 27609074
DOI: 10.1177/0003065116664892 -
Psychological Science Jul 2021Research has shown that hedonic-contrast effects are a ubiquitous and important phenomenon. In eight studies ( = 4,999) and four supplemental studies ( = 1,809), we...
Research has shown that hedonic-contrast effects are a ubiquitous and important phenomenon. In eight studies ( = 4,999) and four supplemental studies ( = 1,809), we found that hedonic-contrast effects were stronger for negative outcomes than for positive outcomes. This held for both anticipated and experienced affect. The effect makes risks that include gains and losses more attractive in the presence of high reference points because contrast diminishes the hedonic impact of losses more than gains. We demonstrated that the effect occurs because people are generally more attentive to reference points when evaluating negative outcomes, so drawing attention to reference points eliminates the asymmetric-contrast effect.
Topics: Humans; Pain; Pleasure
PubMed: 34087080
DOI: 10.1177/0956797621991140