Marc Malmdorf Andersen, Fernando E Rosas, Uffe Schjoedt, Pedro A M Mediano, Henry Price, Ivana Konvalinka, Mathias Clasen
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Humans frequently seek fear-inducing entertainment in social settings, yet the influence of social dynamics on physiological and emotional responses to shared fear remains underexplored. In this field study, we examined physiological synchrony and subjective responses to a high-intensity horror setting at a haunted house attraction. Groups of visitors (N = 347, aged 18-63 years) wore heart rate (HR) monitors and reported their emotional experiences (N = 347 for self-reports; N = 254 for HR analyses). HR synchrony emerged during the haunted house experience across timescales from short (25 s) to long (∼55 min), and greater HR synchrony was associated with increased subjective arousal. Additionally, socially close dyads exhibited higher HR synchrony compared with less close pairs. These findings indicate that physiological synchrony is linked to subjective arousal during shared frightening experiences and is more pronounced among socially close individuals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
期刊介绍：
Emotion publishes significant contributions to the study of emotion from a wide range of theoretical traditions and research domains. The journal includes articles that advance knowledge and theory about all aspects of emotional processes, including reports of substantial empirical studies, scholarly reviews, and major theoretical articles. Submissions from all domains of emotion research are encouraged, including studies focusing on cultural, social, temperament and personality, cognitive, developmental, health, or biological variables that affect or are affected by emotional functioning. Both laboratory and field studies are appropriate for the journal, as are neuroimaging studies of emotional processes.
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