Warm Ear Stroke to Make Sounds More Pleasant and Sleepy

We investigated the effect of stroking stimulation near the external auditory meatus, where vagus nerves exist, on emotions while listening to sounds to induce pleasant feelings. In our previous study, we demonstrated that such stimuli amplified the pleasant and arousing feelings evoked by pleasant sounds. This study additionally investigated the effects of warming stroking contactor. In a user study involving ten participants, a comparison of stroking stimuli with and without warming showed that the warm stimulation increased subjectively reported pleasantness and sleepiness, and decreased arousal. These findings help develop emotionally-appealing products in consumer electronics.