A freezing-like posture to pictures of mutilation

• Published in: Psychophysiology Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 255 - 260
• Main Authors: Azevedo, Tatiana M., Volchan, Eliane, Imbiriba, Luiz A., Rodrigues, Erika C., Oliveira, José M., Oliveira, Liliam F., Lutterbach, Luiz G., Vargas, Claudia D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing 01.05.2005; Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Affectivity. Emotion; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Bradycardia - psychology; Emotions; Emotions - physiology; Fear bradycardia; Freezing; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heart; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Male; Men; Mutilation; Personality. Affectivity; Photic Stimulation; Picture viewing; Posture; Posture - physiology; Psychological tests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Young adults; Human; Affect affectivity; Arrhythmia; Cardiovascular disease; Emotion emotionality; Mutilation; Posture. Fear bradycardia. Picture viewing; Excitability disorder; Freezing; Posture; Heart rate; Fear; Bradycardia; Pleasure unpleasure; Heart disease
• ISSN: 0048-5772; 1540-5958; 1469-8986
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2005.00287.x

Postural sway and heart rate were recorded in young men viewing emotionally engaging pictures. It was hypothesized that they would show a human analog of “freezing” behavior (i.e., immobility and heart rate deceleration) when confronted with a sustained block of unpleasant (mutilation) images, relative to their response to pleasant/arousing (sport action) or neutral (objects) pictures. Volunteers stood on a stabilometric platform during picture viewing. Significantly reduced body sway was recorded during the unpleasant pictures, along with increased mean power frequency (indexing muscle stiffness). Heart rate during unpleasant pictures also showed the expected greater deceleration. This pattern resembles the “freezing” and “fear bradycardia” seen in many species when confronted with threatening stimuli, mediated by neural circuits that promote defensive survival.