Strength
Participants recalled very specific sensations when asked about communicating
emotional strength. In addition to “weakness” as the low extreme of the scale, they
also frequently noted feelings of “worthlessness”, “depression”, and “helplessness”.
Similarly, participants also identified “empowerment” and “confidence” as relevant
sensations at the high extreme. Placing the hand on the shoulder was noted as the
most commonly used gesture to communicate emotional strength to another person,
however hugging and placing an arm around the back were also frequently
mentioned.
Support
“Loneliness” and “solidarity” were by far the most commonly referenced
emotions to describe the sensory scale extremes for comm