Can the 8-Coil Shakti Alter Subjective Emotional Experience? A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

• Published in: Perceptual and motor skills Vol. 114; no. 1; pp. 217 - 235
• Main Authors: Gendle, Mathew H., McGrath, Megan G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.02.2012; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Amygdala - physiology; CD-ROM; Clinical trials; Cognition & reasoning; Emotions; Emotions - physiology; Equipment Design; Female; Humans; Magnetic Field Therapy - instrumentation; Magnetic fields; Male; Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology; Perceptions; Software; Therapy, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0031-5125; 1558-688X
• DOI: 10.2466/02.24.PMS.114.1.217-235

At present, a commercially available device (the 8-coil Shakti) claims to produce weak and complex magnetic fields that alter neurobiological processes. The effects of the Shakti on emotional responses to photographs that varied on emotional valence were investigated. Participants (N = 37) were exposed to either 30 min. of magnetic fields or a sham condition and rated their emotional reactions to a set of 54 color photographs. Although participants indicated significantly different emotional responses to images with distinct emotional valences, exposure to magnetic fields did not affect these responses, nor significantly interact with image emotional valence. Although the device's “amygdala signal” had no effect on the emotive response to images in this study, additional investigations examining the effects of weak and complex magnetic fields on various aspects of perception and cognition are warranted.