Levels Of Physiological Arousal Research Articles

The Interaction Between Arousal, Negative Emotions, and Athlete Performance

This article examines the interaction between physiological arousal, negative emotions, and the athlete’s performance. It describes how heart rate, physiological arousal, emotions, the sympathetic nervous system, and performance are interconnected and explains how warm-ups prepare athletes for optimal training and competition. The article also provides coaches with strategies that can guide an athlete toward an appropriate level of physiological arousal for a successful performance and explains how to implement a growth mindset into day-to-day coaching so athletes have a positive attitude toward their training and can better manage situations that trigger negative emotions.

(105) What About the Pillow Talk? Exploring Gender Differences Between Quality of Sex and Time to Sleep

Abstract Introduction The notion of a potential difference between men and women in post-coital time-to-sleep has received attention in mainstream media, perpetuating the stereotype that men fall asleep first (1-7). However, scientific literature on this topic is limited and inconclusive (8-10). It is imperative that we establish a clearer understanding of any potential gender differences in the time it takes to fall asleep after intercourse because sleep patterns and post-sexual experiences can significantly impact overall well-being, intimate relationships, and individuals' physical and mental health. Objective The primary objective of this study was to assess the relationship between quality of intercourse and post-coital time-to-sleep utilizing Fitbit wearable technology. The secondary goal of this study was to determine if gender impacts the relationship between quality of intercourse and post-coital time-to-sleep. Methods Healthy volunteers without underlying sexual dysfunction wore a Fitbit Versa 3 devices for 6 weeks. Participants, aged 18 and above, transmitted encrypted, de-identified data through the Fitbit app. Weekly online surveys recorded the number, timing, and type of sexual encounters. Fitbit devices measured heart rate during encounters, normalized to resting heart rate. Sleep data from the Fitbit devices was collected over the study period. Results A total of 14 representative sexual encounters (7 from each gender) were chosen, and linear regressions were conducted to examine the association between sexual satisfaction and sleep duration. The results revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between improved quality of sex and longer time to sleep after sex for men (r2 value = 0.8685, p value = 0.007). This correlation was not seen in women, and although not statistically significant, women trended in the opposite direction, with higher quality sexual encounters resulting in women taking shorter time to fall asleep. (36.16 minutes in males vs. 12.85 minutes in females). These findings suggest that the intensity and satisfaction of sexual experiences may influence the physiological and psychological arousal levels, leading to prolonged wakefulness and delayed onset of sleep in men. Conclusions Our study utilizing Fitbit wearable technology provides valuable insights into the relationship between gender differences, quality of intercourse, and post-coital time-to-sleep. Our findings suggest that there is a positive correlation between higher sexual activity satisfaction and longer time-to-sleep post-intercourse for men. In women, although not statistically significant, the trend was in the opposite direction with greater quality of sex leading to shortened time-to-sleep. These findings have significant implications for understanding the complex interplay between sexual experiences, sleep patterns, and overall well-being, highlighting the need for further research and tailored interventions to optimize sexual health and promote restful sleep for individuals of all genders. Disclosure No.

Virtually simulated interpersonal touch negatively affects perceived closeness and social affiliation to an avatar partner

Interpersonal touch is an essential component of human non-verbal communication, facilitating social affiliation and bonding. With the widespread use of digital interfaces and online platforms in all realms of human interactions, there are fewer opportunities for communicating through touch. Popular online platforms that virtually simulate human interactions rely primarily on visual and auditory modalities, providing limited or no capacity for the exchange of tactile cues. Previous studies of virtual interactions have explored the simulation of social touch using haptic devices, but little is known about how the visual representation of interpersonal touch is perceived and integrated into a virtual social experience. In two studies we examined how the exchange of virtual touch mediated by simulated 3-dimensional human characters, or avatars, within an online virtual environment influenced affiliation towards an unfamiliar interaction partner. Surprisingly, the exchange of virtual touch negatively affected the perceived closeness and affiliation to the partner and the social evaluation of the interaction but did not affect the level of physiological arousal during the interaction. These results indicate that the visual representation of social touch is sufficient to virtually communicate touch-related cues that impact social affiliation, but the influence of touch may be dependent on the interaction context.

Do breaks in online gambling affect neuropsychological arousal? Conceptual approach and lessons learned from the TESSA-pilot trial

IntroductionMandatory breaks have been discussed as a harm reduction strategy in the context of gambling for several years, but their effectiveness remains unclear. The TESSA pilot study examines the association of physiological arousal (PA) and mandatory breaks during gambling with an aim to conceptualize the framework for a subsequent randomized controlled trial. Material and methodsIn a one-armed experimental pilot study 28 participants engaged in a simulated online slot game with mandatory breaks. PA, disentangled into fear, anger, joy, attraction, balance, and retraction, was continuously monitored via skin conductivity and skin temperature. The occurrence of PA in distinct phases (phase 1: initiation, phase 2: pre-break, phase 3: post-break) was contrasted by multilevel logistic regression. ResultsFear and attraction did not change. Compared to phase 1, anger (OR = 0.698; p = 0.015) and joy (OR = 0.714; p = 0.032) were less likely in phase 2, with joy also being less likely in phase 3 (OR = 0.690; p = 0.023). Balance was more likely in phase 2 (OR = 5.073; p < 0.0001) than in phase 1 and less likely in phase 3 (OR = 0.348; p < 0.0001) whilst retraction declined from phase to phase. DiscussionMandatory breaks appear suited to offset changes in PA response evolving during gambling, but a sustained effect on initial PA levels should not to be expected. However, to sensitively judge the role of breaks additional framework conditions that impact on gambling behavior (e. g. wins/losses) should be considered.

Relationship satisfaction, feelings of closeness and annoyance, and linkage in electrodermal activity.

Physiological linkage refers to moment-to-moment, time-linked coordination in physiological responses among people in close relationships. Although people in romantic relationships have been shown to evidence linkage in their physiological responses over time, it is still unclear how patterns of covariation relate to in-the-moment, as well as general levels of, relationship functioning. In the present study with data collected between 2014 and 2017, we capture linkage in electrodermal activity (EDA) in a diverse sample of young-adult couples, generally representative and generalizable to the Los Angeles community from which we sampled. We test how naturally occurring, shifting feelings of closeness with and annoyance toward one's partner relate to concurrent changes in levels of physiological linkage over the course of 1 day. Additionally, we examine how linkage relates to overall relationship satisfaction. Results showed that couples evidenced significant covariation in their levels of physiological arousal in daily life. Further, physiological linkage increased during hours that participants felt close to their romantic partners but not during hours that participants felt annoyed with their partners. Finally, those participants with overall higher levels of relationship satisfaction showed lower levels of linkage over the day of data collection. These findings highlight how individuals respond in sync with their romantic partners and how this process ebbs and flows in conjunction with the shifting emotional tone of their relationships. The discussion focuses on how linkage might enhance closeness or, alternatively, contribute to conflict escalation and the potential of linkage processes to promote positive interpersonal relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Work Hard, Scare Hard? An Investigation of How Mental Workload Impacts Jump Scare Intensity

Despite the prevalence and relevance of jump scares in horror video games, there is little empirical research on them. While HCI research commonly uses horror games as experimental stimuli, even less scientific research exists on what makes a jump scare in a game more or less scary. The present between-subject study (n=60) addresses this by investigating whether jump scare intensity—measured physiologically and subjectively—scales with task difficulty. We triggered in-game jump scares at increasing levels of mental workload across four counterbalanced conditions, manipulated using N-back tasks of varying difficulty. Results demonstrate a significant linear relationship between mental workload and physiological arousal. However, this is not the case for subjective perception of arousal elicited by the jump scare. These findings have design implications for horror games. They show that the level of physiological arousal caused by a jump scare can be controlled by changing the difficulty of an in-game task that necessitates a substantial amount of mental work at the same time.

The connection between stress, density, and speed in crowds

Moving around in crowds is part of our daily lives, and we are used to the associated restriction of mobility. Nevertheless, little is known about how individuals experience these limitations. Such knowledge would, however, help to predict behavior, assess crowding, and improve measures for safety and comfort. To address this research gap, we conducted two studies on how constrained mobility affects physiological arousal as measured by mobile electrodermal activity (EDA) sensors. In study 1, we constrained walking speed by externally imposing a specific walking speed without physical proximity to another person, while, in study 2, we varied walking speed by increasing the number of people in a given area. In study 1, we confirmed previous findings showing that faster speeds led to statistically significantly higher levels of physiological arousal. The external limitations of walking speed, however, even if perceived as uncomfortable, did not increase physiological arousal. In the second study, subjects’ speed was gradually reduced by density in a single-lane experiment. This study shows that physiological arousal increased statistically significant with increasing density and decreasing speed, suggesting that people experience more stress when their movement is restricted by proximity to others. The result of study 2 is even more significant given the results of study 1: When there are no other people around, arousal increases with walking speed due to the physiology of walking. This effect reverses when the speed must be reduced due to other people. Then the arousal increases at lower speeds.

Sex, ducks, and rock "n" roll: Mathematical model of sexual response.

In this paper, we derive and analyze a mathematical model of a sexual response. As a starting point, we discuss two studies that proposed a connection between a sexual response cycle and a cusp catastrophe and explain why that connection is incorrect but suggests an analogy with excitable systems. This then serves as a basis for derivation of a phenomenological mathematical model of a sexual response, in which the variables represent levels of physiological and psychological arousal. Bifurcation analysis is performed to identify stability properties of the model's steady state, and numerical simulations are performed to illustrate different types of behavior that can be observed in the model. Solutions corresponding to the dynamics associated with the Masters-Johnson sexual response cycle are represented by "canard"-like trajectories that follow an unstable slow manifold before making a large excursion in the phase space. We also consider a stochastic version of the model, for which spectrum, variance, and coherence of stochastic oscillations around a deterministically stable steady state are found analytically, and confidence regions are computed. Large deviation theory is used to explore the possibility of stochastic escape from the neighborhood of the deterministically stable steady state, and the methods of an action plot and quasi-potential are employed to compute most probable escape paths. We discuss implications of the results for facilitating better quantitative understanding of the dynamics of a human sexual response and for improving clinical practice.

Caressed by music: Related preferences for velocity of touch and tempo of music?

Given that both hearing and touch are 'mechanical senses' that respond to physical pressure or mechanical energy and that individuals appear to have a characteristic internal or spontaneous tempo, individual preferences in musical and touch rhythms might be related. We explored this in two experiments probing individual preferences for tempo in the tactile and auditory modalities. Study 1 collected ratings of received stroking on the forearm and measured the velocity the participants used for stroking a fur. Music tempo preferences were assessed as mean beats per minute of individually selected music pieces and via the adjustment of experimenter-selected music to a preferred tempo. Heart rate was recorded to measure levels of physiological arousal. We found that the preferred tempo of favorite (self-selected) music correlated positively with the velocity with which each individual liked to be touched. In Study 2, participants rated videos of repeated touch on someone else's arm and videos of a drummer playing with brushes on a snare drum, both at a variety of tempos. We found that participants with similar rating patterns for the different stroking speeds did not show similar rating patterns for the different music beats. The results suggest that there may be a correspondence between preferences for favorite music and felt touch, but this is either weak or it cannot be evoked effectively with vicarious touch and/or mere drum beats. Thus, if preferences for touch and music are related, this is likely to be dependent on the specific type of stimulation.

Scale-Free Dynamics in Instantaneous Alpha Frequency Fluctuations: Validation, Test-Retest Reliability and Its Relationship with Task Manipulations.

Previous studies showed that scale-free structures and long-range temporal correlations are ubiquitous in physiological signals (e.g., electroencephalography). This is supposed to be associated with optimized information processing in human brain. The instantaneous alpha frequency (IAF) (i.e., the instantaneous frequency of alpha band of human EEG signals) may dictate the resolution at which information is sampled and/or processed by cortical neurons. To the best of our knowledge, no research has examined the scale-free dynamics and potential functional significance of IAF. Here, through three studies (Study 1: 25 participants; Study 2: 82 participants; Study 3: 26 participants), we investigated the possibility that time series of IAF exhibit scale-free property through maximum likelihood based detrended fluctuation analysis (ML-DFA). This technique could provide the scaling exponent (i.e., DFA exponent) on the basis of presence of scale-freeness being validated. Then the test-retest reliability (Study 1) and potential influencing factors (Study 2 and Study 3) of DFA exponent of IAF fluctuations were investigated. Firstly, the scale-free property was found to be inherent in IAF fluctuations with fairly high test-retest reliability over the parietal-occipital region. Moreover, the task manipulations could potentially modulate the DFA exponent of IAF fluctuations. Specifically, in Study 2, we found that the DFA exponent of IAF fluctuations in eye-closed resting-state condition was significantly larger than that in eye-open resting-state condition. In Study 3, we found that the DFA exponent of IAF fluctuations in eye-open resting-state condition was significantly larger than that in visual n-back tasks. The DFA exponent of IAF fluctuations in the 0-back task was significantly larger than in the 2-back and 3-back tasks. The results in studies 2 and 3 indicated that: (1) a smaller DFA exponent of IAF fluctuations should signify more efficient online visual information processing; (2) the scaling property of IAF fluctuations could reflect the physiological arousal level of participants.

Investigating the effectiveness of immersive VR skill training and its link to physiological arousal.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10055-022-00699-3.

Physiological reactions to and recovery from acute stressors: the roles of chronic anxiety and stable resources

BackgroundResearch has shown that employees subjected to acute stressors at work can suffer devastating repercussions. However, little is known about how employees who are experiencing ongoing chronic anxiety or have stable resources respond to acute stressors, particularly regarding their physiological responses to these situations. This study examines the physiological effects of an acute stressor when workers are already under chronic anxiety (i.e., cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety) or when they have a stable resource (i.e., job control).Participants and procedureData were collected from 230 full-time employees working at three major oil companies in Brazil. First, demographic, anxie-ty, and job control measures were collected via questionnaire. Later, muscle tension, skin temperature, and heart rate were collected during a simulated task to assess the physiological response to stress. Hypotheses were tested by repeated measures general linear modeling.ResultsThe findings indicated that when employees were exposed to an acute stressor, those with chronic cognitive and somatic anxiety exhibited more heightened physiological responses than those lower on chronic anxiety. Further, compared to those with low control, employees with stable, high control over their work experienced a lower physiological reaction to the acute stressor.ConclusionsChronic anxiety generates high levels of physiological arousal and hyper-responsiveness to acute environmental stressors. Also, employees possessing stable resources, such as job control, experience reduced physiological responsivity to an acute stressor.

Trends in food sensory science

Trends in food sensory science

Effects of arousal reappraisal on the anxiety responses to stress: Breaking the cycle of negative arousal intensity and arousal interpretation.

Arousal reappraisal has been shown to be an effective strategy during stress to improve anxiety. However, the exact psychological mechanism through which arousal reappraisal improves anxiety is unknown. In a large, cross-sectional study (Study 1, N = 455) participants engaged in an acute psychological stress task and rated their levels of physiological arousal, cognitive anxiety, and somatic anxiety, and whether they perceived this physiological arousal, cognitive anxiety, and somatic anxiety as helpful or hurtful (i.e., interpretation). Structural equationmodels supported a previously hypothesized model demonstrating that higher levels of physiological arousal were interpreted more negatively and this negative interpretation was associated with higher levels of anxiety intensity and more negative interpretations of anxiety. In an independent sample (Study 2, N = 155), participants were randomly assigned to an arousal reappraisal intervention or control condition prior to engaging in the psychological stress task. Results indicated that arousal reappraisal resulted in more positive interpretations of physiological arousal and anxiety. Results also supported a previously hypothesized model demonstrating that arousal reappraisal 'broke' the connection between physiological arousal intensity and physiological arousal interpretation. The present studies suggest that arousal reappraisal could possibly be acting through improving interpretations of physiological arousal symptoms.

Did You Just Lie to Me?Deception Detection in Face to Face versus Computer Mediated Communication

ABSTRACT Individuals’ deception detection ability during either a face-to-face (FtF) interaction or through computer-mediated communication (CMC) was explored under more naturalistic conditions where they were not forewarned that deception may be involved. Participants discussed a social issue either in a room together or by instant messaging from separate rooms. Prior to discussion, some participants were asked to deceive their partner regarding their actual opinion on the issue. Results showed that mode of communication did not influence participants’ deception detection accuracy rate, nor their truth bias. Regardless of mode of communication, deceptive participants experienced the same level of physiological arousal as the non-deceivers. In contrast, deceivers reported experiencing higher levels of anxiety but only in the FtF condition. Findings highlight how for different communication modalities, a multitude of interactive factors may influence deception detection.

THE STRATEGY OF PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL OF ATHLETES IN SPORTS COMPETITION BASED ON DRUG INTERVENTION

ABSTRACT Generally speaking, the physiological index of the human body is in a relatively stable state, which refers to the function of various organ systems with the characteristics of high-tide period, low-tide period and critical period. However, for competitive athletes, it is necessary to maintain physiological activation in both training and competition. In view of this, this study will analyze the physiological arousal degree of aspirin and acetaminophen in order to provide a reference for athletes to take analgesic drugs. In this study, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), principal component analysis and factor analysis, were used to construct a scientific evaluation system of physiological arousal level, and the medication and non-medication status of 90 athletes were evaluated. The results showed that aspirin was better than acetaminophen in blood urea and serum creatine kinase, and the comprehensive score of some athletes was higher than 0.95. Aspirin is better in arousing athletes’ physiology. The research results will provide scientific guidance for athletes to take antipyretic and analgesic drugs.

Physiological arousal variability accompanying relations-oriented behaviors of effective leaders: Triangulating skin conductance, video-based behavior coding and perceived effectiveness

With the aim of extending the healthy physiological variability thesis to Leadership Studies, we examined the hypothesized links among leaders' within-person variability in physiological arousal, their task- and relations-oriented behaviors and their overall effectiveness. During regularly-held staff meetings, wristband skin sensors and video cameras captured synchronized physiological and fine-grained behavioral data of 36 leaders within one organization. Perceived leader effectiveness ratings were obtained from their followers. Multi-level log-linear analyses showed no elevated levels of arousal during the task-oriented behaviors of both the highly effective and the less effective leaders. The highly effective leaders showed a significantly greater likelihood of high levels of physiological arousal during positive and negative relations-oriented behaviors. We thus report a physiological correlate of relations-oriented leader behavior; especially among the most effective leaders, higher levels of arousal co-occurred with their positive and negative relations-oriented behavior in the meetings. Having used two high-resolution methods to advance insights about effective organizational leadership, this field study illuminates the importance of capturing the co-occurrence of within-person variability in leaders' bodily responses and their precisely measured behaviors over time in a functional social setting at work.

The Association Between Emotion Regulation, Physiological Arousal, and Performance in Math Anxiety

Emotion regulation (ER) strategies may reduce the negative relationship between math anxiety and mathematics accuracy, but different strategies may differ in their effectiveness. We recorded electrodermal activity (EDA) to examine the effect of physiological arousal on performance during different applied ER strategies. We explored how ER strategies might affect the decreases in accuracy attributed to physiological arousal in high math anxious (HMA) individuals. Participants were instructed to use cognitive reappraisal (CR), expressive suppression (ES), or a “business as usual” strategy. During the ES condition, HMA individuals showed decreases in math accuracy associated with increased EDA, compared to low math anxious (LMA) individuals. For both HMA and LMA groups, CR reduced the association between physiological arousal and math accuracy, such that even elevated physiological arousal levels no longer had a negative association with math accuracy. These results show that CR provides a promising technique for ameliorating the negative relationship between math anxiety and math accuracy.

The impact of unpredictability of dyspnea offset on dyspnea perception, fear, and respiratory neural gating

Dyspnea is a debilitating and threatening symptom in various diseases. Affected patients often report the unpredictability of dyspnea episodes being particularly anxiety-provoking and amplifying the perception of dyspnea. Experimental studies testing dyspnea unpredictability together with related neural processes, physiological fear responses, and dyspnea-related personality traits are sparse. Therefore, we investigated the impact of unpredictability of dyspnea offset on dyspnea perception and fear ratings, respiratory neural gating and physiological fear indices, as well as the influence of interindividual differences in fear of suffocation (FoS). Forty healthy participants underwent a task manipulating the offset predictability of resistive load-induced dyspnea including one unloaded safety condition. Respiratory variables, self-reports of dyspnea intensity, dyspnea unpleasantness, and fear were recorded. Moreover, respiratory neural gating was measured in a paired inspiratory occlusion paradigm using electroencephalography, while electrodermal activity, startle eyeblink, and startle probe N100 were assessed as physiological fear indices. Participants reported higher dyspnea unpleasantness and fear when dyspnea offset was unpredictable compared to being predictable. Individuals with high levels of FoS showed the greatest increase in fear and overall higher levels of fear and physiological arousal across all conditions. Respiratory neural gating, startle eyeblink, and startle probe N100 showed general reductions during dyspnea conditions but no difference between unpredictable and predictable dyspnea conditions. Together, the current results suggest that the unpredictable offset of dyspnea amplifies dyspnea perception and fear, especially in individuals with high levels of FoS. These effects were unrelated to respiratory neural gating or physiological fear responses, requiring future studies on underlying mechanisms.

A Contemplative Biofeedback Intervention for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Feasibility of a Community-Based Treatment.

As the number of diagnosed adults living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to grow, a lack of resources and lack of available interventions exacerbate their low quality of life, including low levels of education and employment, and high levels of co-morbid anxiety and depression. Here we build upon existing research showing the effectiveness of contemplative interventions on individuals with ASD, to provide a low-cost biofeedback-enhanced training which can be implemented by non-professional staff, and may help autistic individuals grasp abstract contemplative techniques. We hypothesize that the intervention will decrease participants' anxiety and autism symptoms, and increase their self-awareness, self-determination, and empathy. Fourteen adults with ASD, residing in assisted living, were provided with 16 weekly half-hour contemplative-biofeedback sessions with non-professional trainers, in which they learned to reduce their arousal levels through combined biofeedback and contemplative techniques, and apply those to everyday life. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected pre- and post-intervention, to determine changes in participants' self-awareness, self-determination, anxiety, autism symptoms, and empathy. Participants were capable of successfully improving their physiological arousal levels on the biofeedback setup, indicating feasibility of the technique. Further, we found initial indications for reduction in autism symptoms and increased self-determination. Qualitative reports by participants and counselors revealed that participants applied the techniques in many real-life situations, and these had far-ranging effects on their emotional regulation, work and social motivation, and self-determination. The study provides proof-of-concept for a low-cost, community-based intervention which can ameliorate the lives of adults with ASD.