While some research has reported the positive impacts of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on emotional processing, the conflicting results and variations in study quality and design make it challenging to draw firm conclusions about its effects. To address this issue, we conducted a meta-analysis of the published literature on tDCS effects on emotional processing. We evaluated the effects of anodal and cathodal tDCS on emotional processing by analyzing a total of 32 articles and a combined sample of 2,107 participants. Our study illustrates the significant effects of both anodal and cathodal tDCS on emotional processing. The results highlight significant differences in how tDCS stimulation parameters influence emotional processing, demonstrating that frontal tDCS enhances emotional outcomes more effectively than stimulation of other brain regions. Key findings include that longer stimulation durations (over 20 minutes) and higher current intensities (2 mA) yield better results, with online tDCS being more effective than offline stimulation, particularly in younger participants and in non-clinical populations. Our results reveal that tDCS can effectively enhance emotional processing, offering valuable insights into the potential benefits of this method for emotion improvement.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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The datasets supporting the conclusions of this article are included in the supplementary file.