Effects of cardiovascular arousal on emotional experience

Studies of arousal and emotion show that generalized physiological arousal can enhance emotional experience for a range of different emotions. Other research shows that different emotions may be associated with specific patterns of physiological reactivity. Together these findings suggest that while nonspecific autonomic activation can be sufficient in the generation of emotion, specific patterns of reactivity may appear once the emotion is established. This study aimed to test this hypothesis by examining the effects of generalized arousal on emotional experience, as well as the physiological responses associated with positive and negative emotions. One hundred and nine participants either sat or stood during the viewing of positive and negative film clips while emotion ratings and cardiorespiratory measures were taken. Those who stood during the videos reported greater levels of emotion than those who sat, indicating that generalized arousal due to standing heightened emotional experience. In addition, participants exhibited greater high-frequency heart rate variability and lower respiration rate during the negative video than the positive video, indicating that physiological reactivity differed between the positive and negative emotions. These results suggest that while patterns of physiological reactivity may be specific to individual emotions, nonspecific arousal is sufficient to enhance diverse emotions.