The present study investigated the relationship between mental stress by indirect exposure to earthquakes and the auditory attention. In a previous study, we recorded event-related brain potentials during an auditory oddball paradigm from young adults who live in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and a following long-term earthquake swarm. The results showed that earthquake-induced mental stress is positively related to the deviant P3a, indicating a relationship between mental stress and a heightened involuntary attention. In contrast, the present study showed that, for young adults (n =13) who live outside the earthquake-affected areas and have been indirectly exposed to earthquakes (e.g., through the media), earthquake-induced mental stress is not related to the deviant P3a. Although the present data are preliminary given the small sample size, the clear contrast supports the view that the heightened involuntary attention would be specific to people who have directly experienced earthquakes.

Key words; earthquake, indirect exposure, mental stress, involuntary attention, voluntary attention, auditory ERP