Changes in negative affect and resting-state EEG power following an EEG-derived generative reality art experience: a pilot pre–post study

Physiological signals are increasingly incorporated into personalized immersive media, but little is known about affective and neurophysiological changes when such signals are used as artistic material. This exploratory pilot study examined an electroencephalography (EEG)-derived generative virtual reality (VR) art experience in which participant-specific EEG signals were symbolically transformed into prompts for immersive visual environments. Thirty healthy university students completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and resting-state EEG recordings before and after a single 5-min experience. EEG analyses examined log-transformed absolute alpha- and beta-band power across frontal, frontocentral, and central regions, with false discovery rate correction. Negative affect decreased from pre- to post-experience (mean change = −3.13, FDR-adjusted p = 0.004), whereas positive affect did not change significantly. Absolute beta-band power decreased across all three regions, and absolute alpha-band power decreased in the frontocentral and central regions (FDR-adjusted p values ≤0.022). Exploratory relative-power analyses showed no significant pre–post differences after correction for multiple comparisons. Frontal alpha asymmetry did not change significantly. Changes in EEG measures were not significantly associated with changes in affect after correction for multiple comparisons. The EEG findings therefore do not establish a neural mechanism for the reduction in negative affect. These findings indicate that the experience was associated with short-term changes in negative affect and resting-state spectral power. Because this pilot study used a single-group design, the findings do not establish causality or therapeutic efficacy. Instead, they provide an initial empirical basis for controlled research on physiological data as personalized material for immersive art and affective experience.