Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faculty Publications Article Faculty Publications -Articles Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Saranya, T.S.; Yucel, Sebnem; Balaji, Sudha Sai; Naila, P.; Sarkar, Kritica; Mathew, Natasha Suzan; Laishram, Linda; Gupta, Sandeep Kumar; Jha, Mithali; Yucel, Recep Title A name given to the resource Cultural resonance in the brain: EEG-Based insights into emotional engagement with festive imagery Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 01-01-2026 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Multidisciplinary Science Journal;Volume;8;Issue;5;Article No.;e2026305; Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <a href="https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026305" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026305</a> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020466419?origin=resultslist" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020466419?origin=resultslist</a> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Saranya T.S., Amity University Bengaluru, India; Yucel S., Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey; Balaji S.S., SRMIST Chennai, India; Naila P., Bengaluru, India; Sarkar K., Bengaluru, India; Mathew N.S., Bengaluru, India; Laishram L., Bengaluru, India; Gupta S.K., Mohan Babu University, Tirupati, India; Jha M., Christ University, Bengaluru, India; Yucel R., Kirikkale University, Kirikkale, Turkey Description An account of the resource Festive imagery is fundamental in constructing cultural identity, affective resonance, and collective memory. The neural engagement patterns in Kolkata individuals, upon viewing familiar and unfamiliar festive images, have been studied by using electroencephalography (EEG) as an on-line, non-invasive indicator of neural activity. In particular, the study compares participants' neural reactions to images of the Onam festival of Keralaa culturally unfamiliar festivalto those of Durga Puja celebrations outside Kolkata, which, although culturally familiar, are not immediately geographically specific. The EEG parameters that were assessed were cognitive load, emotional arousal, neural stimulation, and frontal lobe activation linked to attention and affective processing. Results show that novel but colorful festive images like Onam had greater and longer-lasting cognitive and emotional activation than familiar Durga Puja images. Such increased activation was associated with augmented beta and gamma wave activity, reflecting high arousal and attention, as well as marked frontal lobe activation. The findings indicate that novelty, visual symbolism, and the richness of cultural representations have a central role to play in the modulation of cognitive processing and emotional resonance, even among culturally homogenous populations. The research adds to the growing body of literature in neuroaesthetics and cultural neuroscience by demonstrating how culturally unfamiliar but symbolically dense images can elicit profound cognitive and affective responses. These findings have implications for intercultural communication, visual media design, and festival tourism promotion, where strategic deployment of culturally diverse imagery can increase audience engagement and emotional resonance. Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Subject The topic of the resource adaptive learning; affective computing; arousal; excitement; frontal activation; love-themed advertisements Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Malque Publishing Relation A related resource ISSN: 26751240; Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Article Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All Open Access; Gold Open Access Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource online