Atmospheres and extended feelings

Abstract Atmospheres have been the focus of reflection by many phenomenologists, and they have recently gained prominence in work coming from human geography, from performance studies, and from architecture. There are, however, widely differing interpretations of the concept of atmosphere. In particular, it is unclear whether atmospheres are extended feelings. This paper leverages recent advances in cognitive neuroscience to address this question. It employs active inference to develop a notion of atmospheres as extended inferential affective processes that involve the entrainment of interoceptive and external elements. The resulting account clarifies the role of the body in the emergence of atmospheres, and the sense in which atmospheres are extended feelings.