• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.187-196
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• 2010

Recently, people have been suffering from stress-related fatigue and psychological disorders. Most people depend on medicine for pain relief; many treat pain also through alternative medicine or replacement therapy. However, drug therapy has many side effects, including increased stress after the therapy. In comparison, alternative therapies such as massage and foot reflexology are less damaging to the body, and such therapies can be provided without physical or psychological discomfort. In this regard, the author had previously co-developed color foot reflexology, which combines the merits of color therapy and foot reflexology; color foot reflexology has been shown to have beneficial effects without undue pain. This study investigates the effects of color foot reflexology on the physiological response of the body by comparing the body’s response to the signal with that to the placebo. Healthy adult subjects were selected for the experiment, which was conducted under optimal experimental conditions and design. The results indicated that when stimulated, parasympathetic nerves increased in HRV and that blood pressure, pulse, body heat, peripheral blood flow were dramatically activated. However, the results for the placebo indicated minimal changes or irregular outcomes. The results provide strong evidence for the beneficial effects of the color foot reflexology instrument on the autonomic nervous system and on the physiological response of the body. Future research is warranted to verify the results of the current study by examining patients suffering from diseases and disorders arising from irregular physiological functions in the context of the foot.

• Archives of design research
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• v.18 no.3 s.61
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• pp.199-208
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• 2005

This study analysis if the concepts of kitsch and vernacular remains as cultural elements for product design. Because their function and aesthetic value have vivid possibilities for general product design fields. For the purpose, this study limits its range within post modernism, kitsch, and vernacular, and analyzes their relationships. Against functionalism, post modernism had cultural pluralisms to approach into popular styles, and some of them was amusing design. That post modernism designs stimulated human beings' emotion by decorations or some symbolic forms from specific objects is similar to the symbolism, regionalism, or pluralism of kitsch or vernacular. Kitsch is a free style that is not limited in any specific trends. It is a Meta culture that has influenced into various fields including design, so kitsch does not have a parallel position with a product or design. In product design, kitsch is the behavior and result of imitating existing objects' images. It could have amusement according to which objects are imitated. So if human beings feel amusement by kitsch, it could be same as the direction of post modernism. Kitsch is determined by design atmospheres. They cannot be specified abjectly, and can be different according to people. With symbolism and regionalism, kitsch and vernacular appeared according to people's needs. While kitsch is consumer's tastes-oriented, vernacular is cultural tradition-oriented. Kitsch has symbolism that specifies products' functions or design concepts, and it is a communication method between human being and products. Because vernacular is province-oriented, it has a lot of styles according to regional living environments and cultural differences. So vernacular design reflects continued traditional lifestyles. By restorative memory, regionalism, cultural pluralism, amusement, and symbolism, kitsch and vernacular could be understood the sub or parallel concepts of post modernism. They might be easily miss-understood mixed concepts that have western and national characters. But in kitsch and vernacular concept, modernizing pas by using the pluralism of post modernism should be considered positive. So, the range of the further study is also supposed to be focused on more widened fields to, to establish cultural identification in design.