Misattribution of Arousal

     Most of us would like to think that we know ourselves better than anyone else does. I mean we are the ones that are thinking what we are thinking, and feeling what we are feeling, right? The more I learn about social psychology the more my opinion of what I thought I knew is changing. The Misattribution of Arousal is such a fascinating idea and is hard to disagree with. The definition of this phenomenon is when people make incorrect implications to what is making them feel the way they are. It can be difficult to correctly place why our bodies are feeling the way they are, and often times this difficulty can rear its ugly head.

      A personal example of when I misattributed my arousal dates back to when I was a young girl about the age of twelve. I went to the carnival with a bunch of my friends and my brother was there with his friends as well. As the night got later, and the sky grew darker things started to get a bit more fun. I got on my first ride of the night, and it was a wild one. Just looking at the ride in motion made my palms sweat, but nevertheless me and the others were excited. All the friends were in line giving the worker our ticket and two by two we got strapped in. I got paired up with Ray, a neighborhood friend of many years. My heart rate was going wild with anticipation and I could feel the perspiration on my hands and brows. The ride started and off we went spinning and flying so rapidly I felt as if I was going to fall out of my seat. And then there was Ray sitting next to me taking the intensity of the ride so well, I could just feel myself looking at him with big eyes. I remember getting off the ride and wanting to stand a little closer to Ray, maybe have him want to stand close to me too. Going home that night it was hard not to replay the overwhelming emotions of the night and the rides we went on. Ray was what I thought of as I brushed my teeth and hit the hay. Waking up the next morning I was pleasantly surprised that Ray was at the door ready to play in the neighborhood. We started playing kick ball like we normally would with the neighbors, and this time Ray picked me to be on his team! Standing next to each other in line he was up to bat and I was in the hole. There were a lot of us kids playing that day and the heat was on. I watched Ray kick the ball so far and run, yes a homerun! He can running down the street passing third base and tapping home plate. I was next, my heart going wild ready to kick that ball to Mars. My kick wasn’t nearly as good as Ray’s but still it worked, second base I go. Later that afternoon Ray asked me to be his girlfriend. I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world. Ray must have felt the connection I was! Several days passed by and my hyped up feelings for Ray suddenly were no longer and I had to break the news to him that we would no longer be a couple. He looked crushed but I couldn’t help thinking what was it I saw in him?

     Looking back at this memory and being able to recall is so vividly is amazing to me. It is even more amazing to me that my question is now answered. I simply thought that it was Ray making me feel so excited and pumped up when in reality it was the situation we were in. Now for future reference I can be more aware of what is going on around me that could potentially play a role in how I am feeling.