Arousal - Arousal and Preference

Arousal and Preference

A person’s level of arousal when introduced to stimuli can be indicative of his or her preferences. One study found that familiar stimuli are often preferred to unfamiliar stimuli. The findings suggested that the exposure to unfamiliar stimuli was correlated to avoidance behaviors. The unfamiliar stimuli may lead to increased arousal and increased avoidance behaviors.
On the contrary, increased arousal can increase approach behaviors as well. People are said to make decisions based on their emotional states. They choose specific options that lead to more favorable emotional states . When a person is aroused, he or she may find a wider range of events appealing and view decisions as more salient, specifically influencing approach-avoidance conflict. The state of arousal might lead a person to view a decision more positively than he or she would have in a less aroused state.
The reversal theory accounts for the preference of either high or low arousal in different situations. Both forms of arousal can be pleasant or unpleasant, depending on a person’s moods and goals at a specific time . Wundt’s hedonic curve and Berlyne’s hedonic curve differ slightly from this theory. Both theorists explain a person’s arousal potential in terms of his or her hedonic tone. These individual differences in arousal demonstrate Eysenck’s theory that extroverts prefer increased stimulation and arousal, whereas introverts prefer lower stimulation and arousal .