Effects of Arousal

Abstract

This study is designed to investigate the effects of physiological arousal on attraction when faces are accompanied by mitigating information. 54 participants were asked to report their level of attraction to photographs of faces that were accompanied by positive or negative traits. We manipulated the level of arousal of those in the experimental groups with electric shock and exercise, while those in the control group received no shock or exercise. We expected participants who were aroused to report being more attracted to the attractive faces, and less attracted to unattractive faces than participants who were not aroused. We also expected participants who were aroused to neglect trait information more than participants who were not aroused. The misattribution effect, in which subjects are more attracted to attractive faces when aroused than when not aroused, has been widely researched. While many studies support the theory of...