False Heart-Rate Feedback, Social Anxiety and Self-Attribution of Embarrassment

Abstract

120 subjects high or low on social anxiety were asked to speak in front of a camera. While watching a replay of their performance, false heart-rate feedback was presented. Highly anxious subjects ( n = 36) reported significantly more embarrassment than subjects who scored low in anxiety. Further, subjects reported being embarrassed according to the direction of false heart-rate information. Results offer support for the self-attribution theory of emotions.