{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T08:47:31Z","timestamp":1785746851841,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785715200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004271","name":"Sapienza University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RM123188B4C92FF4"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RM123188B4C92FF4"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004271","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Italian Ministry of Health within the framework of the NEUROMETAVERSE project"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behav. Sci.","Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Previous studies have investigated the effects of Dante\u2019s poetry on emotional arousal and cognitive workload in healthy participants by comparing excerpts from the Inferno and Paradiso of the Divina Commedia. In this pilot study, conducted in a hospital setting, we measured electrodermal activity, an index of emotional arousal, in healthy subjects and neurological patients with spinal cord injury while they listened to four different audio recordings: Dante\u2019s Inferno, Dante\u2019s Paradiso, Machiavelli\u2019s Il Principe, and a newspaper article about the anniversary of Dante\u2019s death. We found significantly higher emotional arousal in both healthy subjects and patients when listening to Dante\u2019s Paradiso, than when listening to Machiavelli\u2019s Il Principe or the newspaper article. In contrast, no significant difference emerged between the Paradiso and the Inferno. These findings were supported by higher scores assigned to Dante\u2019s recordings on the Beauty Assessment Scale. In this explicit assessment, participants preferred Dante\u2019s Inferno. Finally, the results showed a reduction in negative affect after the entire task. In conclusion, the electrodermal activity results, combined with the explicit aesthetic scores in this pilot study, suggest that Dante\u2019s poetry may enhance emotional arousal in hospital workers, caregivers, and patients hospitalized for rehabilitation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs16081323","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T08:04:59Z","timestamp":1785744299000},"page":"1323","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effects of Dante\u2019s Poetry on Emotional Arousal of Healthy Subjects and Patients with Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0764-1460","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudia","family":"Salera","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Teresa","family":"Perrotta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4872-2980","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Franco","family":"Marinozzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-2467-2459","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Liliana","family":"Baleca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LIFE\u2014Institute for Research and Treatment, Santa Lucia IRCCS, 00179 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Pia","family":"Lucia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paola","family":"Coiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LIFE\u2014Institute for Research and Treatment, Santa Lucia IRCCS, 00179 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giada","family":"Serratore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LIFE\u2014Institute for Research and Treatment, Santa Lucia IRCCS, 00179 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Federica","family":"Tamburella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LIFE\u2014Institute for Research and Treatment, Santa Lucia IRCCS, 00179 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Life Sciences, Health and Health Professions, Link Campus University of Rome, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2434-3887","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Iosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"LIFE\u2014Institute for Research and Treatment, Santa Lucia IRCCS, 00179 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1371","DOI":"10.1089\/neu.2004.21.1371","article-title":"Targeting recovery: Priorities of the spinal cord-injured population","volume":"21","author":"Anderson","year":"2004","journal-title":"Journal of Neurotrauma"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"943","DOI":"10.1089\/jpm.2015.0528","article-title":"Evaluation of the effects of music and poetry in oncologic pain relief: A randomized clinical trial","volume":"19","author":"Arruda","year":"2016","journal-title":"Journal of Palliative Medicine"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.1016\/S0167-4943(97)00008-3","article-title":"Age-related changes in sympathetic activity: Biochemical measurements and target organ responses","volume":"25","author":"Barontini","year":"1997","journal-title":"Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2013.12.046","article-title":"Creating metaphors: The neural basis of figurative language production","volume":"90","author":"Benedek","year":"2014","journal-title":"NeuroImage"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1080\/08893670801886865","article-title":"The use of poetry therapy with domestic violence counselors experiencing secondary posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms","volume":"21","author":"Boone","year":"2008","journal-title":"Journal of Poetry Therapy"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cartocci, G., Rossi, D., Modica, E., Maglione, A. 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