What if emotions have a universal physical language — one that can be measured, transmitted, and felt across bodies and cultures? In 1976, musician and neuroscientist Manfred Clynes proposed exactly that, arguing that each emotion is expressed through a precise, biologically programmed dynamic form he called a “sentic shape.”

This month, Cybersentics Book Club discusses the idea that emotions have fixed, measurable shapes that transcend culture and can be induced through touch alone. Though contested, Clyne’s framework casts a long shadow, most notably informing Rosalind Picard’s work on affective computing.

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