Faculty Collaboration Database

Intact physiological response to arousal with impaired emotional recognition in alexithymia. Psychother Psychosom 2001;70(2):92-102

Date

03/13/2001

Pubmed ID

11244390

DOI

10.1159/000056232

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0035107094 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   117 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to clarify the relationship between the recognition of emotion and physiological response to emotion (i.e. arousal) in alexithymia.

METHODS: This study investigated differences in physiological arousal state, as measured by continuous heart rate, electrodermal activity (EDA) and self-reported emotional intensity before and after exposure to an emotionally arousing or neutral videotape among 41 high- or low-alexithymic young adult participants.

RESULTS: Across subjects, emotionally negative stimuli produced increased physiological arousal. However, high-alexithymic participants exposed to the arousing videotape did not report increased subjective emotional intensity, as did low-alexithymic participants. In addition, the baseline EDA of high-alexithymic participants was significantly higher than that of the low-alexithymic participants.

CONCLUSIONS: Results support the prediction that alexithymia leads to a decoupling between subjective and physiological arousal when exposed to emotionally negative stimuli. This decoupling may increase alexithymic individuals' risks for stress-related illness.

Author List

Stone LA, Nielson KA

Author

Kristy Nielson PhD Professor in the Psychology department at Marquette University

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Affect
Affective Symptoms
Arousal
Awareness
Female
Galvanic Skin Response
Heart Rate
Humans
Male
Stress, Psychological
Surveys and Questionnaires