Tohoku University Cognitive Neuroscience Application Center

How do learners acquire not just the literal meaning but also the emotional depth of second-language(L2) emotional words (e.g., enjoy)? This study explored this question by having participants learn L2 emotional vocabulary while watching specially designed emotional videos, in which actors vividly expressed L2 emotional words through facial expressions and vocal tones. After the learning phase, participants underwent fMRI scans while recalling the learned emotional words. The findings revealed that emotional videos successfully activated brain regions associated with emotional memory, such as the amygdala and hippocampus, during recall, helping learners grasp the emotional depth of words and retain them more effectively.
I am deeply honored that this research has been awarded the Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer Young Investigator Award, and I hope these insights will contribute to innovative approaches in second language education.
（Chunlin）