Misattribution of Arousal | Dutton & Aron (1974)

When your heart races and palms sweat, your brain must interpret these sensations. But what if it gets the source wrong? Dutton and Aron discovered that fear-induced physiological arousal can be misattributed to romantic attraction.

Standing 230 feet above a rocky canyon, knees shaking, you meet an attractive stranger. Is that butterflies in your stomach from fear—or from love?

Choose Your Bridge

You're about to cross a bridge in British Columbia. Which one?

🌉

Capilano Suspension Bridge

450 feet long, 5 feet wide, swaying 230 feet above jagged rocks and roaring water. It creaks, sways, and tilts with every step.

Fear level: Extreme

🌳

Solid Cedar Bridge

Sturdy wooden bridge, 10 feet above a calm stream. Wide, solid, with high handrails. A peaceful nature walk.

Fear level: None

You step onto the narrow wooden planks. The bridge lurches under your weight. Wind gusts rock you from side to side. You grip the fraying rope railings. Don't look down... but you do. The rocks are 230 feet below. Your heart pounds. Your hands are sweating. You make it to the other side, breathing hard.

Physiological Arousal Measuring...

HIGH

💓 Racing heart 💦 Sweaty palms 😰 Shortness of breath 🫨 Trembling 👁️ Dilated pupils

👩‍🔬

An attractive research assistant approaches you:

"Hi! I'm conducting a psychology study. Could you fill out this brief survey? Here's my phone number in case you have any questions later."

How attracted do you feel to this researcher?

Not at all Extremely

You stroll across the sturdy wooden bridge. It's solid and wide, with high handrails. A gentle stream babbles below. Birds chirp in the trees. The sun filters through the leaves. You feel calm and relaxed.

Physiological Arousal Measuring...

LOW

💚 Calm heartbeat 😌 Relaxed breathing 🌿 At ease

👩‍🔬

An attractive research assistant approaches you:

"Hi! I'm conducting a psychology study. Could you fill out this brief survey? Here's my phone number in case you have any questions later."

How attracted do you feel to this researcher?

Not at all Extremely

The Paradoxical Results

39%

Scary Bridge
(High arousal)

Safe Bridge
(Low arousal)

Your Rating
(?)

% of men who called the female experimenter later

🧠 The Misattribution Mechanism

🌉

FEAR

Actual cause

→

💓

AROUSAL

Racing heart, sweating

👩

ATTRACTIVE PERSON

Nearby stimulus

→

❤️

ATTRACTION

Misattributed label

Schachter-Singer's Two-Factor Theory: Emotions require (1) physiological arousal AND (2) a cognitive label. When the true cause is ambiguous, we look to the environment for clues—and sometimes get it wrong!

Real-World Implications

Understanding arousal transfer helps explain many phenomena:

🎢

Theme Park Dates

Roller coasters → racing hearts → "I really like this person!"

🎬

Horror Movie Dates

Fear arousal gets misattributed to your date, not the movie

☕

Coffee Shop Crush

Caffeine-induced arousal can boost perceived attraction

🏋️

Gym Crushes

Exercise arousal transfers to nearby attractive people

💼

Job Interviews

Anxiety arousal might boost how "dynamic" a candidate seems

🎸

Concert Romance

Music-induced excitement transfers to fellow fans