Physiological Changes in Response to the Feelings of Sadness Induced by Two Different Situations

Abstract

This study examined physiological changes in response to the feelings of sadness induced by two different situations. A previous study (Shirai & Suzuki, 2016) indicated that sadness induced by the “loss of someone” is different from sadness induced by the “failure to achieve a goal.” In the present study, each participant was asked to imagine one of three situations: “loss,” “failure to achieve a goal,” or “daily.” Heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, skin conductance level, and high frequency component of heart rate variability were assessed during this imagery task. Concerning the physiological measures, DBP increased only in the “loss” situation during the task. These findings suggest that the sadness elicited by two different situations is the slight different in terms of physiological measures. However, a clear difference was not found in the physiological measures elicited in these sadness situations. Further explorations are needed to clarify sadness differences within these same emotional categories.