Sound effects on body perception vary with the social support network of individuals
Summary: Mental body representations are malleable and can be influenced by auditory cues. In the “Footsteps illusion,” real-time alterations of walking sounds simulate those produced by heavier or lighter bodies, affecting perceptions of body weight, speed, and gender traits, and triggering emotion...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-08-01
|
| Series: | iScience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225013525 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849408534575316992 |
|---|---|
| author | Amar D’Adamo Angel Sánchez Lize De Coster Ana Tajadura-Jiménez |
| author_facet | Amar D’Adamo Angel Sánchez Lize De Coster Ana Tajadura-Jiménez |
| author_sort | Amar D’Adamo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Mental body representations are malleable and can be influenced by auditory cues. In the “Footsteps illusion,” real-time alterations of walking sounds simulate those produced by heavier or lighter bodies, affecting perceptions of body weight, speed, and gender traits, and triggering emotional, behavioral, and physiological changes. While body illusions are known to affect social attitudes, less is known about how social factors influence body perception malleability. We investigated whether social support networks modulate this malleability using the “Footsteps illusion,” given the social relevance of body weight. A total of 105 participants experienced three footstep sound conditions (heavier, lighter and control). We collected demographic, behavioral, physiological, and subjective data, along with body image and eating disorder questionnaires. Results showed that larger social support networks correlated with higher body image satisfaction and fewer eating disorder symptoms. Notably, the illusion had a stronger effect on those with smaller social networks, highlighting the moderating role of social support. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ae6c437cf74043baaa4e05dbfc0d90d8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2589-0042 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | iScience |
| spelling | doaj-art-ae6c437cf74043baaa4e05dbfc0d90d82025-08-20T03:35:45ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422025-08-0128811309110.1016/j.isci.2025.113091Sound effects on body perception vary with the social support network of individualsAmar D’Adamo0Angel Sánchez1Lize De Coster2Ana Tajadura-Jiménez3Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Corresponding authorGrupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos (GISC), Departamento de Matemáticas, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Biocomputación y Física de Sistemas Complejos (BIFI), Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, SpainDepartment of Applied Information Technology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; UCL Interaction Centre, University College London, London, UK; Corresponding authorSummary: Mental body representations are malleable and can be influenced by auditory cues. In the “Footsteps illusion,” real-time alterations of walking sounds simulate those produced by heavier or lighter bodies, affecting perceptions of body weight, speed, and gender traits, and triggering emotional, behavioral, and physiological changes. While body illusions are known to affect social attitudes, less is known about how social factors influence body perception malleability. We investigated whether social support networks modulate this malleability using the “Footsteps illusion,” given the social relevance of body weight. A total of 105 participants experienced three footstep sound conditions (heavier, lighter and control). We collected demographic, behavioral, physiological, and subjective data, along with body image and eating disorder questionnaires. Results showed that larger social support networks correlated with higher body image satisfaction and fewer eating disorder symptoms. Notably, the illusion had a stronger effect on those with smaller social networks, highlighting the moderating role of social support.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225013525Social sciences |
| spellingShingle | Amar D’Adamo Angel Sánchez Lize De Coster Ana Tajadura-Jiménez Sound effects on body perception vary with the social support network of individuals iScience Social sciences |
| title | Sound effects on body perception vary with the social support network of individuals |
| title_full | Sound effects on body perception vary with the social support network of individuals |
| title_fullStr | Sound effects on body perception vary with the social support network of individuals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sound effects on body perception vary with the social support network of individuals |
| title_short | Sound effects on body perception vary with the social support network of individuals |
| title_sort | sound effects on body perception vary with the social support network of individuals |
| topic | Social sciences |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225013525 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amardadamo soundeffectsonbodyperceptionvarywiththesocialsupportnetworkofindividuals AT angelsanchez soundeffectsonbodyperceptionvarywiththesocialsupportnetworkofindividuals AT lizedecoster soundeffectsonbodyperceptionvarywiththesocialsupportnetworkofindividuals AT anatajadurajimenez soundeffectsonbodyperceptionvarywiththesocialsupportnetworkofindividuals |