2017/02/01 by Jennifer M. Martin, Jeanette Altarriba · 1 citation
Neuroscience · #Hemispheric Asymmetry in Neuroscience #Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies #Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
paper · doi:10.1177/0023830916686128
openalex publication_date 2017/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
The use of emotion in language is a key element of human interactions and a rich area for cognitive research. The present study examined reactions to words of five types: positive emotion (e.g., happiness), negative emotion (e.g., hatred), positive emotion-laden (e.g., blessing), negative emotion-laden (e.g., prison), and neutral (e.g., chance). Words and nonwords were intermixed in a lexical decision task using hemifield presentation. Results revealed a general left hemisphere advantage. Overall, reaction times for positive words were faster than for negative or neutral words and this effect varied by hemifield of presentation. These results support a valence hypothesis of specialized processing in the left hemisphere of the brain for positive emotions and the right hemisphere for negative emotions.