最近，加拿大多伦多大学的研究者提供了直接证据，证实我们的视觉系统会被情绪所影响，并影响到我们的认知。他们指出，戴着玫瑰色的眼镜看东西，比它的心理影响有更多的生物现实存在。
多伦多大学的心理学教授Adam Anderson说到：“好情绪和坏情绪完全会使我们大脑中的视觉皮层发生改变，从而改变我们所看到的东西。我们的研究明显地显示出，当处于好情绪时，我们的视觉皮层能处理更多的信息，但处于坏情绪就会造成短视。这项研究发表在神经科学学报（Journal of Neuroscience）上。
多伦多大学研究小组使用磁共振成像（magnetic resonance imaging）技术，验证我们在积极的、消极的、普通的情绪中，我们的视觉皮层是怎样处理知觉信息的。他们发现，当在积极的情绪下带上玫瑰色的眼镜时，人们较少关心看起来是否是红色的，而能够看到的更多、更全面的信息。
研究者首先向接受测试者展示了几种类型的图片，这些图片能分别导致积极的、消极的和普通的情绪。被测试者们接着会被要求去观察一张合成的图片，这张合成图片的正中嵌有人脸模样的图象，四周是房子的图像。让被测试者们被要求将注意力集中在图片正中，辨认出图片正中人脸的性别。当测试者在消极情绪下时，他们不能看见人脸以外的其他图象。
但是，被测试者在积极情绪下时，能看到更多信息——既能看到图片正中的人脸，也能看到四周的房子。这些发现来自于观察脑部的特定区域——海马旁的“地点区域”——这能了解到处理地点的区域怎样与第一视觉皮层应答，也就是有关视觉最主要的皮层。
“在积极的情绪下，人们能够在环境中认知更多的东西，这听起来好像很不错，不过这同样能造成分心。”Taylor Schmitz说到，他是Anderson的研究生，以及这篇论文的主要作者。“积极情绪能扩展我们看世界的眼界，这是有利的一面，会使我们看事物更全面，或更加透彻和综合；不利的一面是会造成分心，从而造成在处理一些需要集中注意力的关键任务时分心，比如操作危险的机器或者从事机场安检时。在另一方面，坏情绪能使我们的注意力更集中，防止我们集中直接注意力去注意外部的详细信息。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
The Journal of Neuroscience, June 3, 2009, 29(22):7199-7207; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5387-08.2009
Opposing Influences of Affective State Valence on Visual Cortical Encoding
Taylor W. Schmitz,1,2 Eve De Rosa,1,2,3 and Adam K. Anderson1,2,3
1Department of Psychology, 2University of Toronto Neuroscience Program, and 3Rotman Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada
Positive and negative emotional states are thought to have originated from fundamentally opposing approach and avoidance behaviors. Furthermore, affective valence has been hypothesized to exert opposing biases in cognitive control. Here we examined with functional magnetic resonance imaging whether the opposing influences of positive and negative states extend to perceptual encoding in the visual cortices. Based on prior behavioral research, we hypothesized that positive states would broaden and negative states would narrow visual field of view (FOV). Positive, neutral, and negative states were induced on alternating blocks. To index FOV, observers then viewed brief presentations (300 ms) of face/place concentric center/surround stimuli on interleaved blocks. Central faces were attended, rendering the place surrounds unattended. As face and place information was presented at different visual eccentricities, our physiological metric of FOV was a valence-dependent modulation of place processing in the parahippocampal place area (PPA). Consistent with our hypotheses, positive affective states increased and negative states decreased PPA response to novel places as well as adaptation to repeated places. Individual differences in self-reported positive and negative affect correlated inversely with PPA encoding of peripheral places, as well as with activation in the mesocortical prefrontal cortex and amygdala. Psychophysiological interaction analyses further demonstrated that valence-dependent responses in the PPA arose from opponent coupling with extrafoveal regions of the primary visual cortex during positive and negative states. These findings collectively suggest that affective valence differentially biases gating of early visual inputs, fundamentally altering the scope of perceptual encoding.
