The effect of physiological arousal on perception of attractiveness

Utjecaj fiziološke pobuđenosti na emocije istražuje se još od 1962. kada su Schachter i Singer objavili rad u kojem su pokazali da je moguće fiziološke znakove jednog stanja zamijeniti sa nevezanim emocionalnim stanjem. Ovim istraživanjem želimo ispitati utječu li fiziološka pobuđenost i spol ispitanika na percepciju privlačnosti osobe suprotnog spola te spremnost stupanja u kratkoročnu odnosno dugoročnu vezu. U skladu s dostupnom literaturom pretpostavljamo da će fiziološki pobuđeni sudionici procjenjivati prikazane privlačne osobe privlačnijima, dok će neprivlačne osobe procjenjivati kao manje privlačne od sudionika koji nisu fiziološki pobuđeni, bez obzira na spol procjenjivača. Uz to pretpostavljamo da će fiziološki pobuđeni sudionici biti spremniji na upuštanje u kratkoročne i dugoročne veze s prikazanom osobom od sudionika koji nisu fiziološki pobuđeni. Istraživanje se sastojalo od dva dijela. Svrha predistraživanja je bila utvrditi koje osobe se procjenjuju kao privlačne, a koje kao neprivlačne i ovaj dio istraživanja je proveden na Internetu. Kako bismo potvrdili postavljene hipoteze, u glavnom dijelu istraživanja smo proveli eksperiment u prirodnim uvjetima. Eksperimentalna skupina (N = 55) sastojala se od osoba koje su sudjelovale u rafting izletu dok se kontrolna skupina (N = 59) sastojala od osoba koje su bile na izletu u sličnoj okolini no za koje smo pretpostavili da nisu pobuđeni. Provedene su tri složene analize varijance. Rezultati nisu u skladu s postavljenim hipotezama kao ni s dostupnom literaturom. Nisu dobiveni značajni interakcijski efekti stupnja pobuđenosti procjenjivača, spola procjenjivača i stupnja privlačnosti prikazane osobe za procjenu privlačnosti prikazane osobe, spremnost stupanja u kratkoročnu vezu i spremnost stupanja u dugoročnu vezu s prikazanom osobom. Ipak, potrebno je naglasiti da je u ovom istraživanju uočeno nekoliko metodoloških nedostataka koji su mogli utjecati na dobivene rezultate.The effect of physiological arousal on emotions has been investigated since 1962, when Schachter and Singer found that the physiological signs caused by one state can be misinterpreted as an unrelated emotional state. The aim of this research was to examine the effects of physiological arousal on the perception of attractiveness, as well as the readiness to begin a short-term or a longterm relationship. We also wanted to establish if gender plays a role in the perception. We hypothesized that, irrespective of the subject’s gender, aroused subjects would assess the attractive individuals as more attractive, and the non-attractive individuals as less attractive than the subjects that were not aroused. We also hypothesized that aroused subjects will be more willing to engage in a long-term, as well as a short-term relationship with the shown individual, regardless of the subject’s sex. The research was conducted in two parts. The preliminary part of the research was conducted online with the purpose of identifying pictures of individuals that are perceived as attractive or non-attractive. The second, main part of the research was conducted in a natural environment. The experimental group (N = 55) comprised of individuals partaking in rafting, while the control group (N= 59) consisted of individuals that were located in a similar environment, but we assumed they were not aroused. The results did not support our hypotheses. No significant interactions were found between arousal, subject gender and the attractiveness of the shown individual on the perception of attractiveness, as well as on the readiness to begin a short-term or a long-term relationship with the shown individual. The methodological problems of this study which could have affected our results are also discussed