Emotional responses to haptic stimuli in laboratory versus travelling by bus contexts

The present aim was to study if emotional ratings of haptic stimuli are affected by different contexts. A touchscreen device was used to produce 8 stimuli in laboratory and travelling by bus conditions. The stimuli were varied by amplitude, burst number and rise time. 10 participants were to rate the stimuli using four emotion related bipolar scales: pleasantness, arousal, approachability, and dominance. The results showed that the stimuli were rated as more pleasant, less arousing, and less dominant in the bus than in the laboratory. The stimuli with three bursts and high amplitudes were rated as significantly more unpleasant, arousing, and dominating than the low amplitude stimuli with one burst. The results suggest that simple haptic stimulation can evoke different emotional responses. The results can be utilized when designing, for example, pleasant or dominating haptic feedback.