Introduction
How do you think high anxiety impacts you? Does anxiety boost your productivity? Stimulate your potential?
Everyone answers differently based on how they perceive their feelings.
However, today we will dive into a phenomenon in which the anxiety of walking on a suspension bridge makes you fall in love.
What is Misattribution of Arousal?
Misattribution of Arousal – sometimes also called the suspension bridge experiment – is a very straightforward phenomenon. In short, this is the reason why amusement parks are the reason why so many couples go on a date at amusement parks.
Misattribution of arousal is the process whereby people make a “mistake” in assuming what is causing them to feel aroused. It is based on Stanley Schachter’s two-factor theory of emotion, which says that every emotion you feel is due to physiological arousal and cognitive processes, or, simply put, a realization and a label.
This also explains why people may have different feelings toward the same situation, either because their emotions have not been aroused yet, or they gave their feelings another label.
Suspension Bridge Experiment
Now, let’s apply this theory to a suspension bridge.
Psychologists Donald Dutton and Arthur Aron put this theory to the test in an experiment conducted in 1974. They created two bridges for the male participants to walk across, where one is closer to the ground and appears very stable, whereas the other is suspended high in the air and appears risky
Also, we have a pretty female assistant who is invited to the experiment.
On day one, the female assistant stands on the safe, low bridge, and asks questions as the male participants walk by, leaving her phone number with them.
On day two, the exact same experiment is conducted; however, this time, she will stand in the middle of the perilous bridge, and a different group of male participants will pass by.
In the end, the male participants from experiment number 2 generally thought that the girl they met on the bridge was very pretty and called her after the experiment. However, fewer participants in experiment number 1 agreed with them.
This difference in the two results is due to the misattribution of arousal. In experiment 2, the male participants realized their hearts were racing and their palms were sweating while walking across the bridge. After they answered the female assistant’s questions, they spontaneously labeled these expressions as “attraction” or “love,” which led them to think the girl was pretty or even develop a crush on her and eventually call after the experiment.
In contrast, in experiment 1, there was no heart-racing or sweaty palms and therefore the participants did not mislabel any emotions.
Application to Real Life
This psychological phenomenon occurs quite often in real life. For example, when someone draws their own conclusions based on their observations of others or their surroundings. However, misconceptions are very likely to happen when receiving information, especially emotion and feelings. Such as, when you mislabeled a facial expression of the people who you just chat with which is not caused by you, it is most likely for you to label that expression as their feeling of yourself, and that is incorrect.
Conclusion
Misattribution of Arousal is a fascinating psychological theory; it analyzes human emotions in a very logical way. It informs us that what we see and understand is sometimes incorrect. However, we can’t control how we perceive the world every single second and try to determine the most accurate way to recognize it.
Therefore, applying this theory is just a reminder that you shouldn’t always make decisions without processing the information. Involving some logical thinking into your emotions is not a bad thing to do. However, if you turn your head around and meet someone’s eyes across the room at your birthday party, don’t refuse to say hello to them and blame all the heart-pounding on the theory of suspension bridge. Be self-aware, but allow yourself to go with your gut.
Discussion Question:
Are you a logical and emotional person? What are the pros and cons?
