Heartbeat Awareness and Emotions

[hmmm_tea]

Following on from the previous post about the Dana Centre talk on Emotional Contagion, one of the things that came up in the discussions connected with this was how your emotion state tends to be connected with your physical state. e.g. excitement is associated with increased heart rate, etc.

In this discussion the speaker mentioned a piece of research which suggested that people who can feel their own heartbeat tend to be more emotional.

Ok, interesting theory, but what got me more curious was the implication that there are people who can't feel their own heartbeat. Bizarreness on roller skates!

Guess that just means I must be more emotional then most of you then

*smiles*, *cries*, *giggles* and then *storms off in a huff*

Sounds like an excuse for a poll anyway:

[Poll #1346869]

Comments

[morganmuffle]

Do you mean when just sitting here am I aware of it? I assume that's the question and it never occured to me that people could!

I mean if I've just run up a flight of stairs, or if I am very upset/happy/worried or otherwise emotional then sometimes I can but not when life is being normal *g*

[hmmm-tea.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's exactly what I mean. It hadn't occured to me that people couldn't. I can feel my heart actually beating and a tingly feeling of the blood flowing around (especially in my fingers, except when they're cold).

Gets stronger if I exercise (even walking up the stairs gives a noticeable although slight increase) or get emotional.

[morganmuffle]

It's amazing how often we assume our experience of the world is the one everyone has isn't it! But as I say I definitely can't feel that (in fact I've just been sitting here trying to which is kind of weird) unless I'm particularly emotional or physically exhausted.

[westerling.livejournal.com]

I have to pay attention, but yes.

[hmmm-tea.livejournal.com]

I don't need to pay attention, but I don't consciously think about it most of the time.

It's kind of like the way I can feel the chair I'm sitting on, but don't pay any attention to that fact most of the time.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

If I concentrate, I can feel it, or when I'm anxious or have just exercised, but otherwise I just sort of know it's happening without being able to say "there is a heartbeat, there is another one".

[pizza.maircrosoft.com (from livejournal.com)]

I am not usually aware of my heartbeat.

[dave holland (from livejournal.com)]

Yep. Usually in my fingertips and the sides of my skull.