# Impact of Sound and Image Features in ASMR on Emotional and Physiological Responses
## 4 Discussion
### Induced Emotions
#### 4.1.2 Physiological Perspective: EEG  
EEG analysis showed that both the LVHR and HVLR groups exhibited higher activation in the frontal lobe compared to other brain regions. Overall, delta waves decreased, while beta waves increased. These results align with previous studies suggesting that  
Figure 10: Results from the emotional vocabulary survey of the top 14 images (7 from each group) with the image characteristics most closely aligned with the LVHR and HVLR group averages, selected from a total of 56 images. A cross-analysis between emotions and vocabulary was conducted, and [PERSON]’s exact test showed a statistically significant association (\(p=0.000\)).  
ASMR activates the frontal lobe, which is associated with attention and relaxation, and induces positive emotional states and relaxation [19; 20].  
Significant differences in delta and theta wave activity were observed between the HVLR and LVHR groups, with the HVLR group showing a greater decrease. Delta wave activity was significantly lower at most electrode sites in the HVLR group compared to the LVHR group. Theta wave activity in the occipital lobe also notably decreased in the HVLR group. [PERSON] et al., (2021) demonstrated that delta and theta waves increase in a relaxation-inducing environment [25]. Furthermore, activation of these waves has been observed during meditative states [26], supporting previous research indicating that deep relaxation increases delta and theta waves. Delta waves typically increase during deep sleep or rest, but they also play a crucial role in emotional processing and neural recovery [27; 28]. The relatively higher activation of delta waves in the LVHR group suggests that it may promote overall neural recovery, contributing to greater relaxation. Theta waves are linked to cognitive processes, including memory formation and emotion regulation [29; 30]. In the LVHR group, increased theta wave activity in the occipital lobe suggests that the darker and more monotonous images in the LVHR videos reduced visual stimulation, promoting relaxation [26].  
Differences in mean power values between the LVHR and HVLR groups exhibited distinct patterns depending on the EEG site. In the frontal lobe, theta, alpha, and beta wave activity increased while delta wave activity decreased when viewing HVLR videos compared to LVHR videos. This suggests that the HVLR group requires relatively more attention and cognitive processing [31; 32]. In other regions, such as the parietal, temporal, occipital, and central regions, delta and theta waves increased while alpha and beta waves decreased when viewing LVHR videos. This indicates that LVHR videos tend to induce more relaxation and reduce cognitive activity [20; 31].  
Calculations of the asymmetry index (AI) revealed that the right hemisphere was more activated than the left hemisphere in most brain regions while watching ASMR videos. Typically, positive stimuli are associated with left-brain activation [33; 34], but previous research suggests that the right hemisphere can also respond to positive emotions, especially when attention is required for arousal [35; 36]. This implies that both HVLR and LVHR videos can provide positive stimuli that promote focus. The frontal lobe, responsible for cognitive abilities, showed significantly greater asymmetry than other regions. There were pronounced increases in right-hemisphere alpha and beta wave activation when watching HVLR videos compared to LVHR videos. This implies that HVLR videos induce relatively higher attention and arousal [32; 33]. In the central region, LVHR videos activated beta waves in the right hemisphere, whereas HVLR videos significantly activated beta waves in the left hemisphere. Since the central region integrates emotional and cognitive functions, this suggests that HVLR videos evoke more positive emotions than LVHR videos [32; 37].