Regaining emotional perception
People can regain the ability to interpret emotion after a severe brain injury through an innovative self-training approach, a new study has found.
Published on the 27 Nov 2008
People who have lost the ability to interpret emotion after a severe brain injury can regain this vital social skill by being re-educated to read body language, facial expressions and voice tone in others, according to a new study.
The research, published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, reveals that appropriate training can result in significant gains in "emotional perception", which is crucial for successful social communication.
Someone who has suffered traumatic brain injury can lose the ability to accurately read emotional cues, which may make their social behaviour awkward, badly timed or miscalculated, says the study's lead author, UNSW clinical psychologist, Dr Cristina Bornhofen.
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