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Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine pp 50–52Cite as

Affect Arousal

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Synonyms

Activation; Arousal; Energy; Tension

Definition

Affect arousal is the state of being activated, either physiologically or psychologically, and is one dimension of our affective response to emotional stimuli. Psychological characteristics of arousal include feelings of vigor, energy, and tension. Physiological symptoms of arousal include increased heart rate and blood pressure, among other changes.

Description

Affect arousal describes the state of feeling awake, activated, and highly reactive to stimuli. There are both psychological and physiological components to the state of arousal. Psychologically, the state of arousal is associated with the subjective experience of feelings including high energy and tension. Physiologically, the body is in a state of relative heightened responsiveness, and is prepared for action through the activation of various neural (limbic) and bodily systems (e.g., the sympathetic nervous system). The state of arousal is usually prompted by external,...

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References and Readings

  • Cannon, W. B. (1932). The wisdom of the body. New York: WW Norton.

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  • Russell, J. A. (1980). A circumplex model of affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 1161–1178.

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  • Storbeck, J., & Clore, G. L. (2008). Affective arousal as information: How affective arousal influences judgments, learning, and memory. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2, 1824–1843.

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  • Strelau, J., & Eysenck, H. J. (1987). Personality dimensions and arousal. New York: Plenum Press.

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  • Thayer, R. E. (1978). Toward a psychological theory of multidimensional activation (arousal). Motivation and Emotion, 2, 1–34.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M15 6PB, UK

    Dr. Karen Niven

  2. Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK

    Dr. Eleanor Miles

Authors
  1. Dr. Karen Niven
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  2. Dr. Eleanor Miles
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karen Niven .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc D. Gellman

  2. Cardiovascular Safety, Quintiles, Durham, NC, USA

    J. Rick Turner

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, New York

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Cite this entry

Niven, K., Miles, E. (2013). Affect Arousal. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1089

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1089

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1004-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1005-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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