Psychological sensibilities and emotions, such as subjective responses comprising comfort/pleasantness and discomfort/unpleasantness etc., were elucidated through objective monitoring of physiological responses produced thereof to clarify the mechanisms underlying said psychological sensory-emotional responses.

The English term "sensibility" may be translated to "sinlichkeit" in the German context. Of the various sensibilities, the common perspective typical of living systems is the sensibility to various sensations (present in animals as well), and is further categorized as the sensibility of emotion to formulate and assess various psychological evaluation criteria (humanity, beauty consciousness, tribalism, socialism/societarianism, individualism). Sensibility is believed to have developed in vertebrates some 450,00,000 years ago, while verbal language to express logic and rationality has only recently been evolved in the last 50,000,000 years; i.e., an era when modern homo sapiens had not sa of yet evolved.

One of the factors for inclining to logic/rationality is thought to be the developmental trend that neglects sensibilities. Humans are believed to have been laden with certain specific stress selection pressure when emphasis is focally placed on logic/rationality while neglecting sensibility.

In our laboratories, we deliver visual, acoustic, odorous, systemic sensory (tactile, vibrating) stimuli in an attempt to extensively and intensively explore the special features of physiological responses (electroencephalography, autonomic nervous system, endocrine system, immunosystem) produced under such emotional conditions.

Since 2008, We investigate relationships between phenotype (psysiological responses) and gene type (mitochondria DNA polymorphisms, serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms, oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms, etc) .

Said basic research studies will probably spur development of high value-added functional products in bettering human lives in our ever-changing global environments.

【Keywords of research】

Kansei (Human sensibility and emotion)
Impression
Beauty consciousness of Japanese
Enviromental adaptation
Physiological polytypism
Stress
Endocrine and immune systems
Genetic factors
Resilience Design