Aesthetic Chills Mitigate Maladaptive Cognition In Depression

Abstract

Background Depression is a major global health challenge, affecting over 300 million people worldwide. Current pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions have limited efficacy, underscoring the need for novel approaches. Emerging evidence suggests that peak emotional experiences characterized by awe, transcendence, and meaning hold promise for rapidly shifting maladaptive cognitive patterns in depression. Aesthetic chills, a peak positive emotion characterized by physical sensations such as shivers and goosebumps, may influence reward-related neural pathways and hold promise for modifying core maladaptive beliefs rooted in early adverse experiences. Methods We enrolled 96 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. A validated database of multimedia known to elicit chills responses (ChillsDB) was used for stimulus presentation. Participants' emotional responses were assessed using the Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI), while shifts in self-schema were measured via the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ). Results The study found that chill-inducing stimuli have the potential to positively influence the core schema of individuals with depression, impacting areas of self-related beliefs. The associated phenomenology triggered by chills appears to share similarities with the altered states of consciousness induced by psychedelic substances like psilocybin. Conclusions These preliminary results suggest that the biological processes involved in aesthetic chills could be harnessed as a non-pharmacological intervention for depression. However, further investigation is necessary to comprehensively understand the neurophysiological responses to chills and to evaluate the practicality, effectiveness, and safety of utilizing aesthetic chills as a preventive measure in mental health care.

The Neurobiology of Aesthetic Chills: How Bodily Sensations Shape Emotional Experiences

“…The findings revealed that chills positively alter (depressogenic) negative self-schemas (e.g., related to shame and self-acceptance) (Schoeller et al, 2023c). Crucially, the phenomenology associated to the belief change induced by CS closely resemble the effects observed in psychedelic-assisted therapy, including the characteristic associated phenomenology of emotional breakthrough (EBI, Roseman et al, 2019) (Schoeller et al, 2023c), psychological insight (PIS, Peil et al, 2022) (Schoeller et al, 2023d), and ego dissolution (Nour et al, 2016) (Christov-Moore et al, 2023 (Figure 4). The surprising, involuntary nature of chills, their emergence without conscious learning, and their underlying neurobiology suggest a strong similarity to so-called primary states of consciousness (Schoeller et al, 2023c), which are considered phylogenetically older states of consciousness often associated with profound changes in beliefs, perceptions, and behavior (Schoeller, 2023;Carhart-Harris et al, 2014).…”

“…Hence, identifying the relationship between aesthetic chills, the precision-weighting of prediction errors, and its dopaminergic substrate could help to understand the role of dopamine in these conditions. Using a recently constituted database of CS, some preliminary studies have investigated the effects of aesthetic chills on subjects diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (Jain et al, 2023a;Schoeller et al, 2023c). Preliminary data suggest that chills have an effect in mood disorders (Jain et al, 2023a: Jain et al, 2023bSchoeller et al, 2023c).…”

“…Using a recently constituted database of CS, some preliminary studies have investigated the effects of aesthetic chills on subjects diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (Jain et al, 2023a;Schoeller et al, 2023c). Preliminary data suggest that chills have an effect in mood disorders (Jain et al, 2023a: Jain et al, 2023bSchoeller et al, 2023c). A first study (Jain et al, 2023b) investigated whether experiencing aesthetic chills could improve reward learning in 103 people with depressive symptoms, especially anhedonia, using videos known to elicit chills and the Probabilistic Reward Task (PRT; Pizzagalli et al, 2008).…”

“…Another study on depression investigated whether experiencing aesthetic chills could shift maladaptive self-beliefs (Schoeller et al, 2023c). The findings revealed that chills positively alter (depressogenic) negative self-schemas (e.g., related to shame and self-acceptance) (Schoeller et al, 2023c).…”

“…Another study on depression investigated whether experiencing aesthetic chills could shift maladaptive self-beliefs (Schoeller et al, 2023c). The findings revealed that chills positively alter (depressogenic) negative self-schemas (e.g., related to shame and self-acceptance) (Schoeller et al, 2023c). Crucially, the phenomenology associated to the belief change induced by CS closely resemble the effects observed in psychedelic-assisted therapy, including the characteristic associated phenomenology of emotional breakthrough (EBI, Roseman et al, 2019) (Schoeller et al, 2023c), psychological insight (PIS, Peil et al, 2022) (Schoeller et al, 2023d), and ego dissolution (Nour et al, 2016) (Christov-Moore et al, 2023 (Figure 4).…”