Emotions in a Body Plethysmograph

Abstract

Abstract: The role of strong emotions in eliciting asthmatic exacerbations has been discussed in psychosomatic theory for decades. This relationship has mostly been studied in asthmatic individuals, while healthy control groups have received limited attention. Measuring procedures have partially been held responsible for conflicting results. We tested a new laboratory method on 20 healthy volunteers to examine the influence of emotions on airway obstructions. Short affective states were induced by presenting a negative (sadness), a positive (amusement), and a neutral movie clip lasting about 2 min with participants being seated in the glass box of a whole body plethysmograph - the gold standard for measuring airway resistance (Raw). Raw, specific airway resistance (sRaw), and thoracic gas volume (TGV) were measured in a baseline condition and immediately after each video presentation; in addition, sRaw was measured before and during each clip presentation. Based on subjects' ratings, the relevant affective states were successfully induced, while no specific state was provoked by the neutral movie. Airway obstructions, expressed as increases of sRaw, were observed during both the negative and positive clip but also in the neutral condition. No substantial effect of mood induction on Raw and TGV was obtained. The findings show a nonspecific effect of watching affective film clips on airway obstruction as measured by whole body plethysmography. Recommendations for a modified experimental protocol are given for future studies using this technique as a promising method.