Home / Health / Haptic Sensations Trigger Strongest Nervous System Responses, Study Finds
Haptic Sensations Trigger Strongest Nervous System Responses, Study Finds
16 Nov
Summary
- Nervous system responds most strongly to touch within 2 seconds of stimulus
- Participants perceive audio as most arousing, despite physiological data
- Study bridges gap between physiology and perception of cognitive arousal
On November 16, 2025, researchers published a study in the journal PLOS Mental Health that sheds light on how the human body and mind respond to various sensory inputs. The analysis of skin conductance data suggests that the autonomic nervous system reacts most strongly to haptic (touch-related) stimuli, with the largest immediate activations occurring within two seconds of a new touch-based stimulus.
However, when participants were asked to self-assess their arousal levels, they reported audio - particularly sounds and music - as the most stimulating. This indicates a disconnect between the physiological responses of the body and the subjective perception of the brain. The study's authors say these insights could help improve mental health care and the design of emotionally intelligent technologies in the future.
By grounding emotion in the body's electrical rhythms, the research provides a more continuous, data-driven view of how humans experience the world around them. The findings may eventually inform new approaches to diagnosing, tracking, and treating symptoms of mental health disorders.
