Relaxing environments make people with high neuroticism more concentrated: An EEG study of auditory steady-state response

Relaxing environments make people with high neuroticism more concentrated: An EEG study of auditory steady-state response | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Relaxing environments make people with high neuroticism more concentrated: An EEG study of auditory steady-state response Ayana Hashizume, Masataka Yamamoto, Hisanao Nakadai, Hiroshi Takemura This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3825822/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Considering that new ways of working are increasing in modern society, where people can choose their own workspace, workers must understand the most suitable environment for concentration. Personality is crucial for determining a suitable and focused environment for each individual. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate using objective methods. We explored whether differences exist in the environment in which people can concentrate easily, depending on their personalities. We measured concentration using the auditory steady-state response, a brain response to sound. For each of the Big Five personality factors, we compared concentration after presenting videos simulating both relaxed and tense environments and investigated the relationship with personality scores. The results indicated a negative correlation between neuroticism scores and concentration in a tense environment. People with lower neuroticism concentrated more in a tense environment, while those with higher neuroticism concentrated more in a relaxed environment. These findings not only assist employees in choosing their workspace but also may support educational settings such as schools and universities. Biological sciences/Psychology/Human behaviour Biological sciences/Psychology Biological sciences/Neuroscience Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Social neuroscience Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Introduction Recently, the number of people who work without being confined to a specific location has been increasing, including the spread of remote work due to the effects of COVID-19. Activity-based working (ABW) is a new way of working that allows workers to freely choose their location. Based on the ABW principle, workers can work at their preferred locations, such as open areas in the company, conference rooms, homes, and cafés, without having their own dedicated working place within the company. Over the past decade, the adoption of ABW has expanded rapidly. Adopting an ABW has the advantages of facilitating communication, allowing for better control of time and space, and increasing employee satisfaction [ 1 ]. However, there is various evidence on the effect of ABW on concentration. Several studies have reported that ABW reduces distraction and enhances concentration [ 2 ][ 3 ], while others have reported a negative impact [ 4 ][ 5 ][ 6 ]. A reason for this may be that some people find their chosen workplace to be consistent with the environment in which they feel comfortable concentrating, while others do not. Therefore, many people do not understand their own environment, in which they can concentrate easily. Previous studies have demonstrated that the environment needed for concentration depends on the individual personality [ 7 ]. Therefore, if we can determine the environment in which workers can concentrate easily based on their personalities, each worker can understand his or her own environment in which he or she can concentrate easily, and there is a possibility to enhance their concentration. Previous studies have demonstrated that those with higher agreeableness are more likely to be distracted in an open office [ 8 ] and those with higher neuroticism or openness tend to choose movable table spaces [ 7 ]. This neuroticism or openness is a factor of the Big Five theory of personality, which states that “a person’s personality is composed of five factors: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness [ 9 ]. Additionally, a study that used questionnaires to measure temporary concentration demonstrated that open bench seating was beneficial for employees who were highly extroverted but harmful for those with high neuroticism [ 10 ]. However, considering that these studies used questionnaires for measurement, there is a problem that the evaluation may be subjective and limited to the temporary concentration during the questionnaire response. Therefore, by using an objective measurement method to measure latent concentration for a certain period, it is necessary to clarify the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate. Electroencephalography (EEG) is an objective method of measuring concentration. However, concentration is not defined, and evaluation methods vary. One method is to measure concentration using the workload on the brain [ 11 ]. Workload increases in the activated state owing to thinking and concentration and decreases in the resting state. Thus, the state of high workload was defined as a concentrated state. Shimada et al . [ 11 ] used this workload to calculate the degree of concentration during learning and showed statistically the body parts that were highly related to the degree of learning concentration. Concentration is evaluated using the relationship between the level of this workload and frequency bands such as alpha (8–12 Hz) and beta (12–30 Hz) rhythms. The higher the workload, the more the alpha rhythm decreases [ 12 ][ 13 ][ 14 ][ 15 ][ 16 ][ 17 ] and the beta rhythm increases [ 18 ][ 19 ][ 20 ]. This reduction in alpha rhythm is regarded as desynchronization during cognitive tasks and has long been used as an indicator of the arousal state [ 21 ]. In particular, alpha rhythm decreases significantly with increasing workload in the parietal region [ 22 ]. However, beta rhythm is involved in various cognitive processes such as working memory [ 23 ], long-term memory [ 24 ], language processing [ 25 ], and decision-making and reward processing [ 26 ]. The indicator “β/α” [ 27 ][ 28 ] was created using these changes in workload level. This index is useful for measuring stress and concentration of thought. However, this indicator is susceptible to noise from body motion. Recently, concentration has been measured using the auditory steady-state response (ASSR), a brain response to sound. ASSR is an oscillatory brain signal elicited by repetitive auditory stimulation and is also used as a hearing test for infants and speech-impaired individuals [ 29 ][ 30 ]. Generally, ASSR is most strongly elicited by auditory stimuli at 40 Hz [ 31 ], and sounds modulated at this frequency are used. The brain response to this modulated 40-Hz sound is called 40-Hz ASSR. The 40-Hz ASSR modulates in response to attention to the auditory stimulus. Several studies have demonstrated that the 40-Hz ASSR varies with task difficulty [ 32 ][ 33 ]. Many previous studies have focused on the phase locking of the 40-Hz ASSR and have shown that the phase locking of the 40-Hz ASSR decays with increasing workload [ 34 ]. However, few studies have examined the relationship between the 40-Hz ASSR power spectrum and workload. The study that examined the relationship between changes in the difficulty of the N-back task and the power ratio of the 40-Hz ASSR using magnetoencephalography (MEG) showed no significant differences between tasks, although a significant main effect was observed for the difficulty of the task [ 35 ]. In this study, we hypothesized that the power spectral density (PSD) of 40-Hz ASSR would be a measure of concentration and tested this hypothesis using EEG. We then used this measure to investigate the relationship between personality and the environment in which it is easy to concentrate. The workload was used to measure concentration, and the state of high workload was considered to indicate a concentrated state. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate. It proposed an easy-to-concentrate environment that is suited to each individual’s personality. First, the hypothesis was tested. EEG was measured at rest and during task concentration, and changes in the PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR with concentration were explored. Changes in β/α, a measure of workload used in several studies, were also observed to confirm whether the subjects were concentrating on the task. Subsequently, using this index, the relationship between personality and concentration influenced by the surrounding environment was explored. Personality was evaluated in the Japanese version of the ten item personality inventory (TIPI-J) [ 36 ][ 37 ], which is widely used as a questionnaire for the Big Five theory. We created videos simulating a tense environment such as a cellular office and a relaxed environment such as an open space office and compared the EEG during task concentration after watching these videos. By observing the correlation between the scores of each factor of the Big Five and this comparison, we examined the relationship between individual personality traits and an environment in which it is easy to concentrate. Determining the environment in which it is easy to concentrate based on personality could help employees in companies adopting ABW in their choice of workspace. Furthermore, enhancing employees’ concentration could increase the productive efficiency of an entire society by allowing company employees to concentrate and perform at their best. This is the first study to objectively measure concentration and to determine an environment in which it is easy to concentrate according to personality. Results Changes in the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR and β/α with concentration The PSD of 40-Hz ASSR and β/α were compared in the resting (R condition) and during task concentration (CT condition) in the frontal and parietal areas, respectively. A two-sample paired t-test was performed because normality was not rejected for the PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR in the frontal and central areas (R: p = 0.31, CT: p = 0.66, R: p = 0.56, CT: p = 0.68). The averaged 40 Hz PSD for all participants was significantly higher during task concentration (CT) compared to the resting condition (RC) in the frontal and central areas (Frontal: t(15) = -3.73, p < 0.01, Central: t(15) = -3.56, p < 0.01) (see Fig. 1 a). Similarly, a two-sample paired t-test was performed because normality was not rejected for the β/α in the frontal area (R: p = 0.76, CT: p = 0.16). The Wilcoxon test was performed because normality was rejected for the β/α in the central area in the CT condition (R: p = 0.75, CT: p < 0.01). In the frontal and central areas, the averaged ratio of β/α for all participants was significantly higher during task concentration (CT) than in the resting (R) (Frontal: t (15) = -2.28, p = 0.036, Central: V = 26, p = 0.029) (see Fig. 1 b). Association between personality and the environment easy to concentrate The comparison of PSD of 40-Hz ASSR during a Sudoku puzzle (number place) task after watching a video simulating tense and relaxed environments was examined, and the correlation between this comparison and the scores of the Big Five factors was observed. To compare the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR after watching the video, the PSD of Tense/Relax, which is a normalized difference rating index, was used. The task concentration conditions after watching a video that simulates relaxed and tense environments are called the “RCT” and “TCT” conditions, respectively. Higher values of the PSD for Tense/Relax indicate that a tense environment (TCT) is more easily to concentrate, while lower values of the PSD for Tense/Relax indicate that a relaxed environment (RCT) is more easily to concentrate. There was a negative correlation between the PSD of Relax/Tense and neuroticism score in the central area (p < 0.01, r = − 0.68) (see Fig. 2 ). Comparison of concentration before and after video-watching Based on the results of the correlations, the β/α after watching the videos that were found to be easy to concentrate on (the high neuroticism group was the RCT condition, and the low neuroticism group was the TCT condition) and the β/α before watching the video (CT condition) were compared. In the group with higher neuroticism, the Wilcoxon test was conducted because the normality assumption was rejected by the Shapiro–Wilk test (CT: p < 0.01, RCT: p < 0.01). The results indicated that the averaged β/α for all participants in the high neuroticism group in the central area was significantly higher in the RCT condition than in the concentration task (CT) condition (p = 0.023) (see Fig. 3 a). In the group with lower neuroticism, the Wilcoxon test was conducted because the normality assumption was rejected for the β/α at the central area by the Shapiro–Wilk test (CT: p < 0.01, TCT: p < 0.01). The averaged β/α for all participants in the low neuroticism group in the central area was significantly higher in the TCT condition than in the CT condition (p = 0.023) (see Fig. 3 b). In the same central area, the averaged PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR was not statistically significant in both the high and low neuroticism groups but showed the same trend as that for β/α. Discussion In this study, after testing whether the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR can be used as an evaluation index of concentration, we examined the relationship between personality and the environment in which it is easy to concentrate. We utilized this index to compare concentration after watching videos simulating tense and relaxed environments for each of the five factors of the Big Five. Consequently, a significant difference in PSD of 40-Hz ASSR was observed between resting and concentrating, and only neuroticism was negatively correlated with concentration in a tense environment. This indicates that people with higher neuroticism tend to concentrate in more relaxed environments, while those with lower neuroticism tend to concentrate in more tense environments. We found that neuroticism was associated with an environment in which it was easy to concentrate. An increase in β/α was observed during task concentration (CT) compared to the resting (R). Previous studies using a Conners’ “not-X” continuous performance test (CPT) have similarly shown that β/α increases with a high workload [ 27 ]. Additionally, β/α is an effective indicator of the driver’s psychophysiological state, and the magnitude of β/α indicates a high workload [ 38 ]. Thus, the increase in β/α in the CT condition for working on the task indicates that they are concentrating on the task in the CT condition. Therefore, the increased PSD of 40-Hz ASSR in the CT condition compared to the R condition is an appropriate index of concentration. In a previous study, cognitive tasks were shown to enhance gamma (30–100 Hz) entrainment [ 39 ] to 40 Hz visual stimuli [ 40 ]. Similarly, in the present study, the increase in PSD of 40-Hz ASSR during task concentration (CT) compared to rest (R) suggests that the cognitive task enhanced gamma entrainment. This could be because the neural activity that was not in sync when the 40 Hz auditory stimulus was heard was also entrained to 40 Hz by performing the cognitive task. In this study, the negative correlation between neuroticism and concentration in a tense environment may be related to the character of neuroticism. Personality traits of neuroticism tend to include negative feelings of threat, frustration, and loss [ 41 ]. Previous research has shown a negative correlation between neuroticism and flow [ 42 ], a state of being so concentrated that one is completely absorbed in an activity [ 43 ]. That study stated that people with high neuroticism are less likely to experience flow because they are less emotionally stable and more likely to experience negative emotions. In this experiment, people with high neuroticism may have been more concentrated after watching the “Relax Video” because their negative emotions were reduced. However, previous research has suggested that simply performing a task next to someone who spends a lot of effort on it can also make you perform just as well [ 44 ]. In this experiment, participants with lower neuroticism may have been more concentrated on the task after watching a video in which others were concentrating. In this study, the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR was used as a measure of concentration when investigating the association between the five Big Five personality factors and an environment in which it is easy to concentrate. Previous studies have shown that the power spectrum of the 40-Hz ASSR is independent of the Big Five’s personality traits [ 45 ]. Nonetheless, alpha amplitude was significantly correlated with the extraversion score [ 46 ]. Posterior alpha rhythms negatively correlated with agreeableness, whereas parietal beta rhythms positively correlated with agreeableness [ 47 ]. Therefore, the PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR was used to compare the concentration in the RCT and TCT conditions because β/α depends on the Big Five’s personality traits. However, neuroticism was not associated with alpha rhythm [ 46 ]. Therefore, both the PSD and β/α indices of the 40-Hz ASSR were used when comparing the concentration in the neutral and easier-to-concentrate environments in each group with neuroticism. The PSD of 40-Hz ASSR was higher in the RCT condition after watching the video simulating a relaxed environment, compared to the CT condition before watching the video in the high neuroticism group. Conversely, in the low neuroticism group, the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR was higher in the TCT condition after watching the video simulating a tense environment, compared to the CT condition before watching the video in the low neuroticism group. Considering that the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR increased during task concentration compared to the resting state, these results indicate that the high neuroticism group was more likely to concentrate in a relaxed environment compared to a neutral environment before watching the video, and the low neuroticism group was more likely to concentrate in a tense environment compared to a neutral environment. Our study supports previous research that has shown that people who choose open-space office types tend to be higher in neuroticism than those who choose individually separated office types. That study used a questionnaire to determine the relationship between personality traits and favorite office types. This previous study is consistent with our results because the individually separated office types are closer to a tense environment, and the open-space office types are closer to a relaxed environment. In addition, research has shown that people with high neuroticism are harmful in open offices because of the distractions they experience. This is derived from the tendency of people with high neuroticism to feel more anxious. Although the results are contrary to ours, we believe that distraction is more likely to be influenced by other stimuli than by sight because, in a real office, auditory information such as conversation and noise is often received. There may be a difference in concentration based on subjective evaluation by questionnaire and objective evaluation by EEG. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to quantitatively investigate the relationship between personality and an environment in which it is easy to concentrate using an objective method based on EEG. The PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR and β/α in the central area were found to be related to an environment in which it is easy to concentrate, which is influenced by personality. This result could be derived from the fact that the central area is a site closely related to neuroticism. In addition, the analysis in this study focused on the frontal and central areas because previous studies have suggested that the phase-locking index of 40-Hz ASSR is modulated in the fronto-central area and is most significantly modulated by task difficulty. In our study, both PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR and β/α were significantly higher in the frontal and central areas in the CT condition during task concentration than in the R condition at rest. Therefore, the frontal and parietal regions might be related to workload and concentration. Finally, this study has three limitations. First, this experiment uses videos that simulate these environments rather than actual tense or relaxed environments. Considering that a simple 8-channel wireless electroencephalograph is used for our measurements, the actual environment is full of various noises, such as power supply noise, which limits the measurements. To address such noise, this experiment was conducted in a room with all electrical outlets unplugged and the lights turned off. Second, this experiment considers only visual stimuli because the participants heard a modulated 40 Hz sound stimulus as an auditory stimulus and did not hear the sounds of videos that simulate a tense and relaxed environment. This study examined the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate. However, information from the ear, such as noise and conversations in the environment, could not be sufficiently verified. Finally, owing to the nature of our faculty, the sex ratio (i.e., ratio of males to females) of our participants was unbalanced. Although no bias occurred in the number of high and low group members who were divided into groups according to the Big Five personality factor score based on the median of the data from the previous study, there may be a bias in personality because all the subjects belonged to a single science department. Conclusion In this study, we examined the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate by comparing the concentration after watching videos simulating relaxed and tense environments. This analysis was conducted for each of the five factors of the Big Five using the power spectral density of 40 Hz auditory steady-state responses. The results indicated a negative correlation between neuroticism and concentration in a tense environment. The concentration of each neuroticism group was then compared in a neutral environment and in an environment that was found to be easy to concentrate based on the correlations. In the group with higher neuroticism, β/α was higher in the RCT condition—during task concentration after watching a video simulating a relaxed environment—than in the CT condition, which simulated a neutral environment before watching the video. In the group with lower neuroticism, β/α was higher in the TCT condition—during task concentration after watching a video simulating a tense environment—than in the CT condition, which simulated a neutral environment before watching the video. These results suggest that people with high neuroticism tend to concentrate more easily in a relaxed environment, while those with low neuroticism tend to concentrate more easily in a tense environment. Previous studies on the relationship between the environment in which it is easy to concentrate and personality have been based on subjective evaluations using questionnaires in which participants responded to the degree of their temporary concentration at that time. Therefore, we clarified the relationship between the environment in which it is easy to concentrate and personality derived from latent concentration because the concentration was measured from EEG measurements for a certain period. This study is useful for enhancing work efficiency and promoting society by proposing an environment in which workers can easily concentrate based on their individual personalities. Future research should focus on thoroughly exploring the relationship between personality and the environment in which it is easy to concentrate by actually measuring the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR in environments such as cafes and study spaces. Methods Participants Sixteen college students (12 males and 4 females; mean ± standard deviation: 22.5 ± 1.1 years) participated in this study. All participants were right-handed and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision and normal hearing. The participants completed the Japanese version of the ten item personality inventory (TIPI-J) before this experiment began. The TIPI-J is the Japanese version of the ten item personality inventory (TIPI), a widely used very brief measure of the Big Five personality factors. The TIPI-J used in the experiment comprises ten items, and each factor is rated with two items. A higher score indicates a higher tendency for each factor. All participants were divided into high and low groups for each factor based on the median value of the data from the previous study [ 36 ] (see Table 1 ). Table 1 Distribution of the number of people in the high and low groups of 16 participants for each of the Big Five personality factors. There was little bias in the number of people. Personality The number of people High Group Low Group Extraversion 7 9 Agreeableness 8 8 Consciousness 9 7 Neuroticism 8 8 Openness 10 6 Informed consent was obtained from each participant before the experiment, both for participation in the study and for the publication of identifying images in online open-access publications. The experimental procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Tokyo University of Science (approval number 21021), and all methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and the Declaration of Helsinki. Visual stimuli and procedure Participants were asked to sit in a room with the lights turned off and all outlets unplugged to reduce the 50 Hz power supply noise. The experiment was designed to examine changes in the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR from rest to task concentration and the relationship between personality and an environment in which it is easy to concentrate. There were four experimental conditions: (1) Resting Condition (R), (2) Concentration Task condition (CT), (3) Concentration Task condition after “Relax Video” (RCT), and (4) Concentration Task condition after “Tense Video” (TCT). These conditions were presented randomly for each participant, and each condition was 240 s. Figure 4 shows the experimental procedure for this experiment. Participants were constantly presented with auditory stimuli that elicited the ASSR. In the R condition, participants were at rest while watching a still image of a classroom. In the CT, RCT, and TCT conditions, Sudoku puzzles were used for concentration tasks. Sudoku puzzles are solved by filling in squares with numbers from 1 to 9 without duplicating the numbers based on the numbers already written in the squares. Participants were given several Sudoku puzzles, and they were instructed to solve as many as possible. The “Relax Video” was presented for 120 s, capturing a video recording of several people eating sweets and talking while solving Sudoku puzzles. The “Tense Video” was presented for 120 s, showing a video recording of several people working hard and silently concentrating on solving a Sudoku puzzle. These videos have no sound and simulate a relaxed environment such as an open-space office or a tense environment such as a cellular office. The experiment was conducted using videos that were not of the actual space because only visual stimuli were to be considered. The four people who volunteered for these videos were not participants in this experiment and knew that their identifying images would be published in an online open access journal. All visual stimuli, including Sudoku and videos, were presented on the terminal (iPad Pro, Apple, USA) (see Fig. 5 a). All images, videos, and experimental instructions were combined into one video and presented on the bottom screen of the terminal. The concentration task, Sudoku, was constantly presented on the upper screen of the terminal. Participants answered the concentration tasks using a touch pen (Apple Pencil, Apple, USA). All participants performed a five-minute practice test, including how to use the device, before the experiment began. Auditory stimuli Participants were presented with auditory stimuli to evoke the ASSR, which is one of the methods to estimate concentration. The auditory stimuli with 100% amplitude frequency modulation and 15% frequency modulation of a 1000 Hz sine wave at 40 Hz were used [ 48 ]. The stimuli were transmitted to the participants via earphones (EarPods, Apple, USA) from a PC. The sound pressure level was 71 dB in both ears. The auditory stimuli were constantly presented to the participants throughout the experiment. However, these auditory stimuli were not presented only during the watching of the two videos to reduce the burden on the participants. Participants listened to the auditory stimulus for 5 s before the experiment to prevent them from being surprised during the experiment and to ensure that they did not feel sick. Electroencephalography recording EEG was recorded using an 8-channel wireless simple electroencephalograph (Ultracortex "Mark IV" EEG Headset; OPENBCI) (see Fig. 5 a). Electrode positions were placed at Fp1, Fp2, F3, F4, C3, C4, Fz, and Cz according to the 10–20 system (see Fig. 5 b). Eight electrodes were active dry electrodes. The left earlobe was used as the reference during the EEG recording. The ground electrode was placed on the right earlobe. The sampling rate was 250 Hz. Electroencephalography analysis The EEG was analyzed using EEGLAB v2021.0, a toolbox of MATLAB (MathWorks, Inc., Natick, MA, USA). To analyze the EEG in a stable state with little body movement, the first and last 100 ms of each 2400 ms of data were removed. Preprocessing to remove artifacts caused by eye movement was not performed. Fourier analysis was performed as one epoch with 2200 ms, and the frequency response was calculated. For each electrode, the power spectral density was calculated from 0 Hz to 125 Hz, the Nyquist frequency. The PSD was calculated for each electrode. The PSD at 40 Hz from three electrodes in the frontal (F3, Fz, F4) and central (C3, Cz, C4) regions were averaged under each condition. This was to obtain data more robust to environmental noise. The frontal poles (Fp1, Fp2) were excluded from the analysis because the electrodes were not attached to the forehead due to the shape of the headset and large artifacts caused by eye movement. Similarly, β/α, already known as a measure of concentration, was also averaged in the same regions. To confirm whether the 40-Hz ASSR is a suitable index of concentration, we compared the R and CT conditions with the PSD at 40 Hz and β/α, respectively. Subsequently, the association between the scores of each of the five personality factors calculated from the TIPI-J and the comparison of concentration ability in the RCT and TCT conditions was examined to determine the relationship between the environment in which it is easy to concentrate and personality. The following formula was used to compare the concentration in the RCT and TCT conditions. $${\varvec{P}\varvec{S}\varvec{D}}_{\varvec{T}\varvec{e}\varvec{n}\varvec{s}\varvec{e}/\varvec{R}\varvec{e}\varvec{l}\varvec{a}\varvec{x}}=\frac{\varvec{P}\varvec{S}{\varvec{D}}_{\varvec{T}\varvec{C}\varvec{T}}\left(40\varvec{H}\varvec{z}\right)-\varvec{P}\varvec{S}{\varvec{D}}_{\varvec{R}\varvec{C}\varvec{T}}\left(40\varvec{H}\varvec{z}\right)}{\varvec{P}\varvec{S}{\varvec{D}}_{\varvec{R}\varvec{C}\varvec{T}}\left(40\varvec{H}\varvec{z}\right)} \left(1\right)$$ \(PS{D}_{TCT}\left(40Hz\right)\) is the PSD at 40 Hz in the TCT condition, and \(PS{D}_{RCT}\left(40Hz\right)\) is the PSD at 40 Hz in the RCT condition. If \({PSD}_{Tense/Relax}\) is positive, it indicates that participants concentrated more on the task after watching the “Tense Video” than after watching the “Relax Video.” By contrast, if \({PSD}_{Tense/Relax}\) is negative, it indicates that participants concentrated more on the task after watching the “Relaxed Video” than after watching the “Tense Video.” Considering that a significant negative correlation was observed between the PSD of Tense/Relax and neuroticism of the five personality factors, the PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR and β/α in the CT condition before watching the video were compared with the condition found to be easier to concentrate in the high and low neuroticism groups, respectively. High and low neuroticism groups were associated with the RCT and TCT conditions, respectively. The TCT and RCT conditions were compared with the CT condition to investigate concentration in an environment in which it is easier to concentrate compared to a neutral environment. Statistical analysis To evaluate whether the PSD at 40 Hz and β/α for the R and CT conditions were significantly different from each other, we performed a Shapiro–Wilk test for each method. A two-sample paired t-test was conducted if the sample variable passed the Shapiro–Wilk test for normality. If not, the Wilcoxon test was conducted. Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to evaluate the correlation between the PSD of the Tense/Relax and the Big Five personality scores (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness). In the low neuroticism group, the Shapiro–Wilk test was performed to evaluate whether the PSD at 40 Hz and β/α for the CT and TCT conditions were significantly different from each other. In the high neuroticism group, the Shapiro–Wilk test was also performed to evaluate whether the PSD at 40 Hz and β/α for the CT and RCT conditions were significantly different from each other. For both groups, a two-sample paired t-test was conducted if the sample variable had passed the Shapiro–Wilk test for normality. If not, the Wilcoxon test was conducted. All the statistical tests were conducted at a significance level of 0.05. Declarations Data availability The data generated during this study are not publicly available due to ethical restrictions regarding subjects’ personal information but are partially available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Acknowledgment We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.jp) for English language editing. Author contributions A.H. designed the study, performed the experiments, and analyzed the results. A.H., M.Y., H.N. and H.T. contributed to video creation, testing and data interpretation. All the authors contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript for submission. References Engelen, L. et al. 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Sasha, J., Andrew, D. & David, P. Human auditory steady-state responses: Respuestas auditivas de estado estable en humanos. International Journal of Audiology 42, 177–219 (2003). Galambos, R., Makeig, S. & Talmachoff, P. J. A 40-Hz auditory potential recorded from the human scalp. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences , 78, 2643-2647, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.78.4.2643 (1981). Tiitinen, H. T. et al. Selective attention enhances the auditory 40-Hz transient response in humans. Nature 364, 59-60, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/364059a0 (1993). Roß, B., Borgmann, C., Draganova, R., Roberts, L. E. & Pantev, C. A high-precision magnetoencephalographic study of human auditory steady-state responses to amplitude-modulated tones. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 108, 679–691, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.429600 (2000). Yokota, Y., Tanaka, S., Miyamoto, A. & Naruse, Y. Estimation of human workload from the auditory steady-state response recorded via a wearable electroencephalography system during walking. Fron. Hum. Neurosci. 11, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00314 (2017). Yokota, Y. & Naruse, Y. Phase coherence of auditory steady-state response reflects the amount of cognitive workload in a modified N-back task. Neurosci. Res. 100, 39-45, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neures.2015.06.010 (2015). Oshio, A., Abe, S., Cutrone, P. & Gosling, S., D. Further validity of the Japanese version of the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI-J). Journal of Individual Differences 35, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000145 (2012). Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J. & Swann, W. B. A very brief measure of the Big-Five personality domains. J. Res. Pers. 37, 504–528, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(03)00046-1 (2003). Kim, J. Y., Kim, J. T. & Kim, W. Psycho-physiological responses of drivers to road section types and elapsed driving time on a freeway. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering 42, 881-888, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2014-0392 (2015). Thut, G., Schyns, P. G. and Gross, J. Entrainment of perceptually relevant brain oscillations by non-invasive rhythmic stimulation of the human brain. Front. Psychology 2, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00170 (2011) Khachatryan, E. et al. Cognitive tasks propagate the neural entrainment in response to a visual 40 Hz stimulation in humans. Front. Aging. Neurosci. 14, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.1010765 (2022). Lahey, B. B. Public Health Significance of Neuroticism. American Psychologist 64, 241–256, DOI: https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0015309 (2009). Csikszentmihalyi, M. Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8 (Springer, Dordrecht, 2014). Marty-Dugas, J. & Smilek, D. Deep, effortless concentration: re-examining the flow concept and exploring relations with inattention, absorption, and personality. Psychol. Res. 83, 1760–1777, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-018-1031-6 (2019). Desender, K., Beurms, S. & Van den Bussche, E. Is mental effort exertion contagious? Psychon. Bull. Rev. 23, 624–631, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-015-0923-3 (2016). Korostenskaja, M., Ruksenas, O., Pipinis, E. & Griskova-Bulanova, I. Phase-locking index and power of 40-Hz auditory steady-state response are not related to major personality trait dimensions. Exp. Brain. Res. 234, 711-719, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-015-4494-3 (2016). Deakin, J. F. W. & Exley, K. A. Personality and male-female influences on the EEG alpha rhythm. Biol. Psychol. 8, 285-290, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0301-0511(79)90010-3 (1979). Jach, H. K., Feuerriegel, D. & Smillie, L. D. Decoding personality trait measures from resting EEG: An exploratory report. Cortex 130, 158-171, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2020.05.013 (2020). John, M. S., Brown, D. K., Muir, P. J. & Picton, T. W. Recording auditory steady-state responses in young infants. Ear Hear 25, 539–553, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.AUD.0000148050.80749.AC (2004). Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About In Review Editorial Policies Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3825822","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":267006102,"identity":"a635b63d-8c09-41e5-b577-bbf0a226f760","order_by":0,"name":"Ayana Hashizume","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBAC+/uHDz7+wWMjx8CQABdMwKkcDG6wJRszyKQZAxUyNhCphcdMmsHmcGIDkhb8gHF2g4F0Qc7h9H72BPbHPH8Y5PkbGJ49wKeFWeZAgvGMM+m5M3seMDbztjEYzjjAkG6ATwsbQ8KBBN4e69wNNxKAWhoYGDcwMKRJ4NPCw5DYcID3H3O6PUgL0GH2BLVISCQDVfI4JxhIgLSwMSQS1GLAc4yZcQZPmuGMMw8bZ85tk0iecZiAXwzY+7//+MBjI8/fnnzgw5s/Nrb97T1pD/BpQQLgaAE6iZknjUgdCMB+jGQto2AUjIJRMKwBAJ+aSNwuDm11AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Tokyo University of Science","correspondingAuthor":true,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ayana","middleName":"","lastName":"Hashizume","suffix":""},{"id":267006103,"identity":"6e1d4cad-aa1b-4452-b6cf-5977690e58c6","order_by":1,"name":"Masataka Yamamoto","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tokyo University of Science","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Masataka","middleName":"","lastName":"Yamamoto","suffix":""},{"id":267006104,"identity":"94e418b9-1338-46e1-9c25-e58359f0c866","order_by":2,"name":"Hisanao Nakadai","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tokyo University of Science","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hisanao","middleName":"","lastName":"Nakadai","suffix":""},{"id":267006105,"identity":"4d6bde13-d085-4e58-a977-0eadbdfc87b4","order_by":3,"name":"Hiroshi Takemura","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tokyo University of Science","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hiroshi","middleName":"","lastName":"Takemura","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2023-12-31 12:44:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3825822/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3825822/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":49641355,"identity":"7d42d10b-8fb2-4b27-8e9b-6b7ec1f8f276","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-01-15 19:15:39","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":723664,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe gray bars indicate the resting condition, and the red bars indicate the concentration task condition for solving Sudoku. The error bars indicate the mean ± SD. Asterisks denote statistical significance; *p\u0026lt;0.05, **p\u0026lt;0.01. (a) Averaged PSD of 40-Hz ASSR for all participants in the frontal and central electrode areas. (b) Averaged β/α for all participants in the frontal and central electrode areas.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3825822/v1/ebc607426f37fbcaa3265499.jpg"},{"id":49642202,"identity":"d82f44d0-de73-4af6-9a1a-11a2e018ae30","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-01-15 19:23:39","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":371920,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eScatter plot of neuroticism score and PSD of Relax/Tense at the central electrode. The horizontal axis is the neuroticism score based on the Big Five score, and the vertical axis is the Relax/Tense of PSD. The black line indicates the regression line. The correlation coefficient was -0.676.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3825822/v1/e8c4ba1ed2d41a42a2ff452b.jpg"},{"id":49640654,"identity":"6100c483-1c9b-45a3-a458-4eee05d8639a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-01-15 19:07:39","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":66052,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e(a) Comparison of the averaged β/α between the CT and RCT conditions for all participants in groups with high neuroticism. The red bars represent the concentration task condition before watching the videos, and the yellow bars represent the concentration task condition after watching the “Relax Video.” These conditions were compared because the correlation results showed that people with higher neuroticism were more concentrated in RCT. Significant differences (p \u0026lt; 0.05) are marked with a *. (b) Comparison of the averaged β/α between the CT and TCT conditions for all participants in groups with low neuroticism. The blue bars represent the concentration task condition after watching the “Tense Video.” These conditions were compared because the correlation results showed that people with lower neuroticism were more concentrated in the TCT. Significant differences (p \u0026lt; 0.05) are marked with a *.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3825822/v1/d711983eaa864845cc720750.jpg"},{"id":49640657,"identity":"3c950f72-8b30-458c-826d-015aed73e96e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-01-15 19:07:39","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":150402,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eExperimental procedure. All the visual stimuli were presented to the participants using a terminal. EEG was recorded under four conditions: R, CT, RCT, and TCT. Blocks 1, 2, 3, and 4 were presented randomly. The video for each condition was presented to the participants before the RCT and TCT. Auditory stimuli were presented at all times except during the video watching.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3825822/v1/f4abef58ab00320c02652273.jpg"},{"id":49640658,"identity":"cdd3bbac-0197-4b2d-a68f-8c48555b8294","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-01-15 19:07:39","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":617839,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e(a) Experimental setup. All stimuli except for auditory stimuli were presented using an iPad. Sudoku was placed on the upper screen, and visual stimuli, including two videos and instructions, were placed on the lower screen of the iPad. Participants answered the concentration task using the touch pen. EEG was measured using a simple wearable electroencephalograph. (b) EEG was measured with eight electrode channels based on the international 10-20 method. For EEG analysis, three electrodes were averaged in the frontal (F3, Fz, F4) and central (C3, Cz, C4) areas. Fp1 and Fp2 were excluded from the analysis because the electrodes were not attached to the forehead.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure5.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3825822/v1/d2ad47dad67f9444f5896b62.jpg"},{"id":61760419,"identity":"f9dc047c-3d2f-4162-9960-781427ab273b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-05 09:22:59","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2433955,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3825822/v1/3211428a-1a32-48a4-b83b-7ccf76e00461.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Relaxing environments make people with high neuroticism more concentrated: An EEG study of auditory steady-state response","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eRecently, the number of people who work without being confined to a specific location has been increasing, including the spread of remote work due to the effects of COVID-19. Activity-based working (ABW) is a new way of working that allows workers to freely choose their location. Based on the ABW principle, workers can work at their preferred locations, such as open areas in the company, conference rooms, homes, and caf\u0026eacute;s, without having their own dedicated working place within the company. Over the past decade, the adoption of ABW has expanded rapidly. Adopting an ABW has the advantages of facilitating communication, allowing for better control of time and space, and increasing employee satisfaction [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. However, there is various evidence on the effect of ABW on concentration. Several studies have reported that ABW reduces distraction and enhances concentration [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e], while others have reported a negative impact [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. A reason for this may be that some people find their chosen workplace to be consistent with the environment in which they feel comfortable concentrating, while others do not. Therefore, many people do not understand their own environment, in which they can concentrate easily. Previous studies have demonstrated that the environment needed for concentration depends on the individual personality [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, if we can determine the environment in which workers can concentrate easily based on their personalities, each worker can understand his or her own environment in which he or she can concentrate easily, and there is a possibility to enhance their concentration.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevious studies have demonstrated that those with higher agreeableness are more likely to be distracted in an open office [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e] and those with higher neuroticism or openness tend to choose movable table spaces [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. This neuroticism or openness is a factor of the Big Five theory of personality, which states that \u0026ldquo;a person\u0026rsquo;s personality is composed of five factors: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Additionally, a study that used questionnaires to measure temporary concentration demonstrated that open bench seating was beneficial for employees who were highly extroverted but harmful for those with high neuroticism [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. However, considering that these studies used questionnaires for measurement, there is a problem that the evaluation may be subjective and limited to the temporary concentration during the questionnaire response. Therefore, by using an objective measurement method to measure latent concentration for a certain period, it is necessary to clarify the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eElectroencephalography (EEG) is an objective method of measuring concentration. However, concentration is not defined, and evaluation methods vary. One method is to measure concentration using the workload on the brain [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. Workload increases in the activated state owing to thinking and concentration and decreases in the resting state. Thus, the state of high workload was defined as a concentrated state. Shimada \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e] used this workload to calculate the degree of concentration during learning and showed statistically the body parts that were highly related to the degree of learning concentration.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConcentration is evaluated using the relationship between the level of this workload and frequency bands such as alpha (8\u0026ndash;12 Hz) and beta (12\u0026ndash;30 Hz) rhythms. The higher the workload, the more the alpha rhythm decreases [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e] and the beta rhythm increases [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. This reduction in alpha rhythm is regarded as desynchronization during cognitive tasks and has long been used as an indicator of the arousal state [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. In particular, alpha rhythm decreases significantly with increasing workload in the parietal region [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. However, beta rhythm is involved in various cognitive processes such as working memory [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e], long-term memory [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e], language processing [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e], and decision-making and reward processing [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. The indicator \u0026ldquo;β/α\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e] was created using these changes in workload level. This index is useful for measuring stress and concentration of thought. However, this indicator is susceptible to noise from body motion.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRecently, concentration has been measured using the auditory steady-state response (ASSR), a brain response to sound. ASSR is an oscillatory brain signal elicited by repetitive auditory stimulation and is also used as a hearing test for infants and speech-impaired individuals [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. Generally, ASSR is most strongly elicited by auditory stimuli at 40 Hz [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e], and sounds modulated at this frequency are used. The brain response to this modulated 40-Hz sound is called 40-Hz ASSR. The 40-Hz ASSR modulates in response to attention to the auditory stimulus. Several studies have demonstrated that the 40-Hz ASSR varies with task difficulty [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. Many previous studies have focused on the phase locking of the 40-Hz ASSR and have shown that the phase locking of the 40-Hz ASSR decays with increasing workload [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. However, few studies have examined the relationship between the 40-Hz ASSR power spectrum and workload. The study that examined the relationship between changes in the difficulty of the N-back task and the power ratio of the 40-Hz ASSR using magnetoencephalography (MEG) showed no significant differences between tasks, although a significant main effect was observed for the difficulty of the task [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, we hypothesized that the power spectral density (PSD) of 40-Hz ASSR would be a measure of concentration and tested this hypothesis using EEG. We then used this measure to investigate the relationship between personality and the environment in which it is easy to concentrate. The workload was used to measure concentration, and the state of high workload was considered to indicate a concentrated state. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate. It proposed an easy-to-concentrate environment that is suited to each individual\u0026rsquo;s personality. First, the hypothesis was tested. EEG was measured at rest and during task concentration, and changes in the PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR with concentration were explored. Changes in β/α, a measure of workload used in several studies, were also observed to confirm whether the subjects were concentrating on the task. Subsequently, using this index, the relationship between personality and concentration influenced by the surrounding environment was explored. Personality was evaluated in the Japanese version of the ten item personality inventory (TIPI-J) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e], which is widely used as a questionnaire for the Big Five theory. We created videos simulating a tense environment such as a cellular office and a relaxed environment such as an open space office and compared the EEG during task concentration after watching these videos. By observing the correlation between the scores of each factor of the Big Five and this comparison, we examined the relationship between individual personality traits and an environment in which it is easy to concentrate. Determining the environment in which it is easy to concentrate based on personality could help employees in companies adopting ABW in their choice of workspace. Furthermore, enhancing employees\u0026rsquo; concentration could increase the productive efficiency of an entire society by allowing company employees to concentrate and perform at their best. This is the first study to objectively measure concentration and to determine an environment in which it is easy to concentrate according to personality.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eChanges in the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR and β/α with concentration\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe PSD of 40-Hz ASSR and β/α were compared in the resting (R condition) and during task concentration (CT condition) in the frontal and parietal areas, respectively. A two-sample paired t-test was performed because normality was not rejected for the PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR in the frontal and central areas (R: p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.31, CT: p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.66, R: p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.56, CT: p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.68). The averaged 40 Hz PSD for all participants was significantly higher during task concentration (CT) compared to the resting condition (RC) in the frontal and central areas (Frontal: t(15) = -3.73, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, Central: t(15) = -3.56, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003ea). Similarly, a two-sample paired t-test was performed because normality was not rejected for the β/α in the frontal area (R: p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.76, CT: p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.16). The Wilcoxon test was performed because normality was rejected for the β/α in the central area in the CT condition (R: p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.75, CT: p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). In the frontal and central areas, the averaged ratio of β/α for all participants was significantly higher during task concentration (CT) than in the resting (R) (Frontal: t (15) = -2.28, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.036, Central: V\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;26, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.029) (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eb).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eAssociation between personality and the environment easy to concentrate\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe comparison of PSD of 40-Hz ASSR during a Sudoku puzzle (number place) task after watching a video simulating tense and relaxed environments was examined, and the correlation between this comparison and the scores of the Big Five factors was observed. To compare the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR after watching the video, the PSD of Tense/Relax, which is a normalized difference rating index, was used. The task concentration conditions after watching a video that simulates relaxed and tense environments are called the \u0026ldquo;RCT\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;TCT\u0026rdquo; conditions, respectively. Higher values of the PSD for Tense/Relax indicate that a tense environment (TCT) is more easily to concentrate, while lower values of the PSD for Tense/Relax indicate that a relaxed environment (RCT) is more easily to concentrate. There was a negative correlation between the PSD of Relax/Tense and neuroticism score in the central area (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, r = \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.68) (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eComparison of concentration before and after video-watching\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on the results of the correlations, the β/α after watching the videos that were found to be easy to concentrate on (the high neuroticism group was the RCT condition, and the low neuroticism group was the TCT condition) and the β/α before watching the video (CT condition) were compared. In the group with higher neuroticism, the Wilcoxon test was conducted because the normality assumption was rejected by the Shapiro\u0026ndash;Wilk test (CT: p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, RCT: p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). The results indicated that the averaged β/α for all participants in the high neuroticism group in the central area was significantly higher in the RCT condition than in the concentration task (CT) condition (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.023) (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003ea). In the group with lower neuroticism, the Wilcoxon test was conducted because the normality assumption was rejected for the β/α at the central area by the Shapiro\u0026ndash;Wilk test (CT: p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, TCT: p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). The averaged β/α for all participants in the low neuroticism group in the central area was significantly higher in the TCT condition than in the CT condition (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.023) (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eb). In the same central area, the averaged PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR was not statistically significant in both the high and low neuroticism groups but showed the same trend as that for β/α.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this study, after testing whether the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR can be used as an evaluation index of concentration, we examined the relationship between personality and the environment in which it is easy to concentrate. We utilized this index to compare concentration after watching videos simulating tense and relaxed environments for each of the five factors of the Big Five. Consequently, a significant difference in PSD of 40-Hz ASSR was observed between resting and concentrating, and only neuroticism was negatively correlated with concentration in a tense environment. This indicates that people with higher neuroticism tend to concentrate in more relaxed environments, while those with lower neuroticism tend to concentrate in more tense environments. We found that neuroticism was associated with an environment in which it was easy to concentrate.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn increase in β/α was observed during task concentration (CT) compared to the resting (R). Previous studies using a Conners\u0026rsquo; \u0026ldquo;not-X\u0026rdquo; continuous performance test (CPT) have similarly shown that β/α increases with a high workload [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e]. Additionally, β/α is an effective indicator of the driver\u0026rsquo;s psychophysiological state, and the magnitude of β/α indicates a high workload [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. Thus, the increase in β/α in the CT condition for working on the task indicates that they are concentrating on the task in the CT condition. Therefore, the increased PSD of 40-Hz ASSR in the CT condition compared to the R condition is an appropriate index of concentration. In a previous study, cognitive tasks were shown to enhance gamma (30\u0026ndash;100 Hz) entrainment [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e] to 40 Hz visual stimuli [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e]. Similarly, in the present study, the increase in PSD of 40-Hz ASSR during task concentration (CT) compared to rest (R) suggests that the cognitive task enhanced gamma entrainment. This could be because the neural activity that was not in sync when the 40 Hz auditory stimulus was heard was also entrained to 40 Hz by performing the cognitive task.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, the negative correlation between neuroticism and concentration in a tense environment may be related to the character of neuroticism. Personality traits of neuroticism tend to include negative feelings of threat, frustration, and loss [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e]. Previous research has shown a negative correlation between neuroticism and flow [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e], a state of being so concentrated that one is completely absorbed in an activity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e]. That study stated that people with high neuroticism are less likely to experience flow because they are less emotionally stable and more likely to experience negative emotions. In this experiment, people with high neuroticism may have been more concentrated after watching the \u0026ldquo;Relax Video\u0026rdquo; because their negative emotions were reduced. However, previous research has suggested that simply performing a task next to someone who spends a lot of effort on it can also make you perform just as well [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e]. In this experiment, participants with lower neuroticism may have been more concentrated on the task after watching a video in which others were concentrating.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR was used as a measure of concentration when investigating the association between the five Big Five personality factors and an environment in which it is easy to concentrate. Previous studies have shown that the power spectrum of the 40-Hz ASSR is independent of the Big Five\u0026rsquo;s personality traits [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e]. Nonetheless, alpha amplitude was significantly correlated with the extraversion score [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e]. Posterior alpha rhythms negatively correlated with agreeableness, whereas parietal beta rhythms positively correlated with agreeableness [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, the PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR was used to compare the concentration in the RCT and TCT conditions because β/α depends on the Big Five\u0026rsquo;s personality traits. However, neuroticism was not associated with alpha rhythm [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, both the PSD and β/α indices of the 40-Hz ASSR were used when comparing the concentration in the neutral and easier-to-concentrate environments in each group with neuroticism.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe PSD of 40-Hz ASSR was higher in the RCT condition after watching the video simulating a relaxed environment, compared to the CT condition before watching the video in the high neuroticism group. Conversely, in the low neuroticism group, the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR was higher in the TCT condition after watching the video simulating a tense environment, compared to the CT condition before watching the video in the low neuroticism group. Considering that the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR increased during task concentration compared to the resting state, these results indicate that the high neuroticism group was more likely to concentrate in a relaxed environment compared to a neutral environment before watching the video, and the low neuroticism group was more likely to concentrate in a tense environment compared to a neutral environment. Our study supports previous research that has shown that people who choose open-space office types tend to be higher in neuroticism than those who choose individually separated office types. That study used a questionnaire to determine the relationship between personality traits and favorite office types. This previous study is consistent with our results because the individually separated office types are closer to a tense environment, and the open-space office types are closer to a relaxed environment. In addition, research has shown that people with high neuroticism are harmful in open offices because of the distractions they experience. This is derived from the tendency of people with high neuroticism to feel more anxious. Although the results are contrary to ours, we believe that distraction is more likely to be influenced by other stimuli than by sight because, in a real office, auditory information such as conversation and noise is often received. There may be a difference in concentration based on subjective evaluation by questionnaire and objective evaluation by EEG. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to quantitatively investigate the relationship between personality and an environment in which it is easy to concentrate using an objective method based on EEG.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR and β/α in the central area were found to be related to an environment in which it is easy to concentrate, which is influenced by personality. This result could be derived from the fact that the central area is a site closely related to neuroticism. In addition, the analysis in this study focused on the frontal and central areas because previous studies have suggested that the phase-locking index of 40-Hz ASSR is modulated in the fronto-central area and is most significantly modulated by task difficulty. In our study, both PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR and β/α were significantly higher in the frontal and central areas in the CT condition during task concentration than in the R condition at rest. Therefore, the frontal and parietal regions might be related to workload and concentration.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinally, this study has three limitations. First, this experiment uses videos that simulate these environments rather than actual tense or relaxed environments. Considering that a simple 8-channel wireless electroencephalograph is used for our measurements, the actual environment is full of various noises, such as power supply noise, which limits the measurements. To address such noise, this experiment was conducted in a room with all electrical outlets unplugged and the lights turned off. Second, this experiment considers only visual stimuli because the participants heard a modulated 40 Hz sound stimulus as an auditory stimulus and did not hear the sounds of videos that simulate a tense and relaxed environment. This study examined the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate. However, information from the ear, such as noise and conversations in the environment, could not be sufficiently verified. Finally, owing to the nature of our faculty, the sex ratio (i.e., ratio of males to females) of our participants was unbalanced. Although no bias occurred in the number of high and low group members who were divided into groups according to the Big Five personality factor score based on the median of the data from the previous study, there may be a bias in personality because all the subjects belonged to a single science department.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this study, we examined the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate by comparing the concentration after watching videos simulating relaxed and tense environments. This analysis was conducted for each of the five factors of the Big Five using the power spectral density of 40 Hz auditory steady-state responses. The results indicated a negative correlation between neuroticism and concentration in a tense environment. The concentration of each neuroticism group was then compared in a neutral environment and in an environment that was found to be easy to concentrate based on the correlations. In the group with higher neuroticism, β/α was higher in the RCT condition\u0026mdash;during task concentration after watching a video simulating a relaxed environment\u0026mdash;than in the CT condition, which simulated a neutral environment before watching the video. In the group with lower neuroticism, β/α was higher in the TCT condition\u0026mdash;during task concentration after watching a video simulating a tense environment\u0026mdash;than in the CT condition, which simulated a neutral environment before watching the video. These results suggest that people with high neuroticism tend to concentrate more easily in a relaxed environment, while those with low neuroticism tend to concentrate more easily in a tense environment. Previous studies on the relationship between the environment in which it is easy to concentrate and personality have been based on subjective evaluations using questionnaires in which participants responded to the degree of their temporary concentration at that time. Therefore, we clarified the relationship between the environment in which it is easy to concentrate and personality derived from latent concentration because the concentration was measured from EEG measurements for a certain period. This study is useful for enhancing work efficiency and promoting society by proposing an environment in which workers can easily concentrate based on their individual personalities. Future research should focus on thoroughly exploring the relationship between personality and the environment in which it is easy to concentrate by actually measuring the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR in environments such as cafes and study spaces.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eParticipants\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSixteen college students (12 males and 4 females; mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard deviation: 22.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.1 years) participated in this study. All participants were right-handed and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision and normal hearing. The participants completed the Japanese version of the ten item personality inventory (TIPI-J) before this experiment began. The TIPI-J is the Japanese version of the ten item personality inventory (TIPI), a widely used very brief measure of the Big Five personality factors. The TIPI-J used in the experiment comprises ten items, and each factor is rated with two items. A higher score indicates a higher tendency for each factor. All participants were divided into high and low groups for each factor based on the median value of the data from the previous study [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e] (see Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDistribution of the number of people in the high and low groups of 16 participants for each of the Big Five personality factors. There was little bias in the number of people.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePersonality\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe number of people\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHigh Group\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLow Group\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eExtraversion\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAgreeableness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eConsciousness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNeuroticism\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOpenness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInformed consent\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003ewas obtained from each participant before the experiment, both for participation in the study and for the publication of identifying images in online open-access publications. The experimental procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Tokyo University of Science (approval number 21021), and all methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and the Declaration of Helsinki.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eVisual stimuli and procedure\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eParticipants were asked to sit in a room with the lights turned off and all outlets unplugged to reduce the 50 Hz power supply noise. The experiment was designed to examine changes in the PSD of 40-Hz ASSR from rest to task concentration and the relationship between personality and an environment in which it is easy to concentrate. There were four experimental conditions: (1) Resting Condition (R), (2) Concentration Task condition (CT), (3) Concentration Task condition after \u0026ldquo;Relax Video\u0026rdquo; (RCT), and (4) Concentration Task condition after \u0026ldquo;Tense Video\u0026rdquo; (TCT). These conditions were presented randomly for each participant, and each condition was 240 s. Figure \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e shows the experimental procedure for this experiment. Participants were constantly presented with auditory stimuli that elicited the ASSR. In the R condition, participants were at rest while watching a still image of a classroom. In the CT, RCT, and TCT conditions, Sudoku puzzles were used for concentration tasks. Sudoku puzzles are solved by filling in squares with numbers from 1 to 9 without duplicating the numbers based on the numbers already written in the squares. Participants were given several Sudoku puzzles, and they were instructed to solve as many as possible. The \u0026ldquo;Relax Video\u0026rdquo; was presented for 120 s, capturing a video recording of several people eating sweets and talking while solving Sudoku puzzles. The \u0026ldquo;Tense Video\u0026rdquo; was presented for 120 s, showing a video recording of several people working hard and silently concentrating on solving a Sudoku puzzle. These videos have no sound and simulate a relaxed environment such as an open-space office or a tense environment such as a cellular office. The experiment was conducted using videos that were not of the actual space because only visual stimuli were to be considered. The four people who volunteered for these videos were not participants in this experiment and knew that their identifying images would be published in an online open access journal.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAll visual stimuli, including Sudoku and videos, were presented on the terminal (iPad Pro, Apple, USA) (see Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ea). All images, videos, and experimental instructions were combined into one video and presented on the bottom screen of the terminal. The concentration task, Sudoku, was constantly presented on the upper screen of the terminal. Participants answered the concentration tasks using a touch pen (Apple Pencil, Apple, USA). All participants performed a five-minute practice test, including how to use the device, before the experiment began.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eAuditory stimuli\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eParticipants were presented with auditory stimuli to evoke the ASSR, which is one of the methods to estimate concentration. The auditory stimuli with 100% amplitude frequency modulation and 15% frequency modulation of a 1000 Hz sine wave at 40 Hz were used [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e]. The stimuli were transmitted to the participants via earphones (EarPods, Apple, USA) from a PC. The sound pressure level was 71 dB in both ears. The auditory stimuli were constantly presented to the participants throughout the experiment. However, these auditory stimuli were not presented only during the watching of the two videos to reduce the burden on the participants. Participants listened to the auditory stimulus for 5 s before the experiment to prevent them from being surprised during the experiment and to ensure that they did not feel sick.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eElectroencephalography recording\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEEG was recorded using an 8-channel wireless simple electroencephalograph (Ultracortex \u0026quot;Mark IV\u0026quot; EEG Headset; OPENBCI) (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ea). Electrode positions were placed at Fp1, Fp2, F3, F4, C3, C4, Fz, and Cz according to the 10\u0026ndash;20 system (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eb). Eight electrodes were active dry electrodes. The left earlobe was used as the reference during the EEG recording. The ground electrode was placed on the right earlobe. The sampling rate was 250 Hz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eElectroencephalography analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe EEG was analyzed using EEGLAB v2021.0, a toolbox of MATLAB (MathWorks, Inc., Natick, MA, USA). To analyze the EEG in a stable state with little body movement, the first and last 100 ms of each 2400 ms of data were removed. Preprocessing to remove artifacts caused by eye movement was not performed. Fourier analysis was performed as one epoch with 2200 ms, and the frequency response was calculated. For each electrode, the power spectral density was calculated from 0 Hz to 125 Hz, the Nyquist frequency. The PSD was calculated for each electrode. The PSD at 40 Hz from three electrodes in the frontal (F3, Fz, F4) and central (C3, Cz, C4) regions were averaged under each condition. This was to obtain data more robust to environmental noise. The frontal poles (Fp1, Fp2) were excluded from the analysis because the electrodes were not attached to the forehead due to the shape of the headset and large artifacts caused by eye movement. Similarly, \u0026beta;/\u0026alpha;, already known as a measure of concentration, was also averaged in the same regions.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTo confirm whether the 40-Hz ASSR is a suitable index of concentration, we compared the R and CT conditions with the PSD at 40 Hz and \u0026beta;/\u0026alpha;, respectively. Subsequently, the association between the scores of each of the five personality factors calculated from the TIPI-J and the comparison of concentration ability in the RCT and TCT conditions was examined to determine the relationship between the environment in which it is easy to concentrate and personality. The following formula was used to compare the concentration in the RCT and TCT conditions.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Equa\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equa\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e$${\\varvec{P}\\varvec{S}\\varvec{D}}_{\\varvec{T}\\varvec{e}\\varvec{n}\\varvec{s}\\varvec{e}/\\varvec{R}\\varvec{e}\\varvec{l}\\varvec{a}\\varvec{x}}=\\frac{\\varvec{P}\\varvec{S}{\\varvec{D}}_{\\varvec{T}\\varvec{C}\\varvec{T}}\\left(40\\varvec{H}\\varvec{z}\\right)-\\varvec{P}\\varvec{S}{\\varvec{D}}_{\\varvec{R}\\varvec{C}\\varvec{T}}\\left(40\\varvec{H}\\varvec{z}\\right)}{\\varvec{P}\\varvec{S}{\\varvec{D}}_{\\varvec{R}\\varvec{C}\\varvec{T}}\\left(40\\varvec{H}\\varvec{z}\\right)} \\left(1\\right)$$\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(PS{D}_{TCT}\\left(40Hz\\right)\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e is the PSD at 40 Hz in the TCT condition, and \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(PS{D}_{RCT}\\left(40Hz\\right)\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e is the PSD at 40 Hz in the RCT condition. If \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\({PSD}_{Tense/Relax}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e is positive, it indicates that participants concentrated more on the task after watching the \u0026ldquo;Tense Video\u0026rdquo; than after watching the \u0026ldquo;Relax Video.\u0026rdquo; By contrast, if \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\({PSD}_{Tense/Relax}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e is negative, it indicates that participants concentrated more on the task after watching the \u0026ldquo;Relaxed Video\u0026rdquo; than after watching the \u0026ldquo;Tense Video.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eConsidering that a significant negative correlation was observed between the PSD of Tense/Relax and neuroticism of the five personality factors, the PSD of the 40-Hz ASSR and \u0026beta;/\u0026alpha; in the CT condition before watching the video were compared with the condition found to be easier to concentrate in the high and low neuroticism groups, respectively. High and low neuroticism groups were associated with the RCT and TCT conditions, respectively. The TCT and RCT conditions were compared with the CT condition to investigate concentration in an environment in which it is easier to concentrate compared to a neutral environment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eStatistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTo evaluate whether the PSD at 40 Hz and \u0026beta;/\u0026alpha; for the R and CT conditions were significantly different from each other, we performed a Shapiro\u0026ndash;Wilk test for each method. A two-sample paired t-test was conducted if the sample variable passed the Shapiro\u0026ndash;Wilk test for normality. If not, the Wilcoxon test was conducted.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePearson\u0026rsquo;s Chi-square test was used to evaluate the correlation between the PSD of the Tense/Relax and the Big Five personality scores (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the low neuroticism group, the Shapiro\u0026ndash;Wilk test was performed to evaluate whether the PSD at 40 Hz and \u0026beta;/\u0026alpha; for the CT and TCT conditions were significantly different from each other. In the high neuroticism group, the Shapiro\u0026ndash;Wilk test was also performed to evaluate whether the PSD at 40 Hz and \u0026beta;/\u0026alpha; for the CT and RCT conditions were significantly different from each other. For both groups, a two-sample paired t-test was conducted if the sample variable had passed the Shapiro\u0026ndash;Wilk test for normality. If not, the Wilcoxon test was conducted. All the statistical tests were conducted at a significance level of 0.05.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;The data generated during this study are not publicly available due to ethical restrictions regarding subjects\u0026rsquo; personal information but are partially available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe would like to thank Editage (www.editage.jp) for English language editing.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA.H. designed the study, performed the experiments, and analyzed the results. A.H., M.Y., H.N. and H.T. contributed to video creation, testing and data interpretation. All the authors contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEngelen, L. \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e Is activity-based working impacting health, work performance and perceptions? A systematic review. \u003cem\u003eBuilding Research and Information\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e47,\u003c/strong\u003e 468\u0026ndash;479, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2018.1440958 (2019).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBlok, M., De Korte, E. M. Groenesteijn, L., Formanoy, M. \u0026amp; Vink, P. The effects of a task facilitating working environment on office space use, communication, concentration, collaboration, privacy and distraction. \u003cem\u003eProceedings of the 17th World Congress on Ergonomics (IEA 2009), 9-14 August 2009, Beijing, China. 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Ear Hear 25, 539\u0026ndash;553, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.AUD.0000148050.80749.AC (2004).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3825822/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3825822/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eConsidering that new ways of working are increasing in modern society, where people can choose their own workspace, workers must understand the most suitable environment for concentration. Personality is crucial for determining a suitable and focused environment for each individual. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between personality and the environment, in which it is easy to concentrate using objective methods. We explored whether differences exist in the environment in which people can concentrate easily, depending on their personalities. We measured concentration using the auditory steady-state response, a brain response to sound. For each of the Big Five personality factors, we compared concentration after presenting videos simulating both relaxed and tense environments and investigated the relationship with personality scores. The results indicated a negative correlation between neuroticism scores and concentration in a tense environment. People with lower neuroticism concentrated more in a tense environment, while those with higher neuroticism concentrated more in a relaxed environment. These findings not only assist employees in choosing their workspace but also may support educational settings such as schools and universities.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Relaxing environments make people with high neuroticism more concentrated: An EEG study of auditory steady-state response","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-01-15 19:07:35","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3825822/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d0e09722-e884-4b6d-badd-268701858856","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 15th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":28129080,"name":"Biological sciences/Psychology/Human behaviour"},{"id":28129081,"name":"Biological sciences/Psychology"},{"id":28129082,"name":"Biological sciences/Neuroscience"},{"id":28129083,"name":"Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Social neuroscience"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-08-05T09:14:52+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-01-15 19:07:35","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3825822","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3825822","identity":"rs-3825822","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"pf3fE39SIOqb-0xH_OWvX","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}