A multi-sensory system, entitled FLOWSENSE,
was developed to monitor emotional responses in real time
using both subjective (self-report) and objective (physiological)
measures. To evaluate the program’s reliability, an
experiment was conducted using antismoking campaigns.
Participants (N=92) were exposed to three advertisements of
humor or of fear-appeals and asked to report continuously
the emotions and the intensity they were feeling.
Physiological responses were also collected by the system.
Results showed statistically robust differences of emotions
reported between the two different types of ads. Those
exposed to the fear appeals ads reported significantly more
often, with higher intensity and for longer periods of time fear
and sadness, while the humor ads induced stronger positive
emotions of happiness. The system was also able to localize
fine grains of information which can help researchers
understand and identify how health campaigns are
influencing emotions and how this information may contribute
to wider health outcomes.