Wan, Cheuk YanCheuk YanWan2026-06-242026-06-242025http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11861/2768243 pagesThis study investigates two major aims: (1) the balancing interaction within a 2×2 valence-arousal matrix, and (2) the perceptual effects resulting from a balancing positioning. Additionally, it extends existing findings on taste perception to other domains while exploring the role of warm-soft signals in alleviating sadness. Study 1 (N=142 local undergraduates) tested whether warm-soft items (positioned diagonally opposite to sadness in a valence-arousal matrix) are preferred when comforting distressed friends. Participants selected one out of the four food and object items, with each representing one of the quadrants of the dimensional framework. Results revealed a significant preference for warm-soft items, with warmth being more salient for foods (likely due to the facilitative relationship between heat and flavor) and softness being more important for objects (possibly linked to tactile gestures when holding small items). Study 2 (N=148) examined the balancing perceptual changes under sadness induction when exposed to warm-soft stimuli. For food, participants reported reduced warmth perception (possibly due to evaporative heat loss) but an amplified softness experience (likely occurs from the comparison of the warmth signals attenuating over time). No significant effects were found for objects, potentially due to insufficient warmth and softness signals to evoke a balancing restoration response. Future research should include pressure measurement and enhance thermal baselines to clarify these effects in object stimuli.enBalanceDimensionWarmthSoftnessEmotionThesis