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Article published In:
Narrative Inquiry
Vol. 33:1 (2023) ► pp.123–152

The psychophysiology of narrating distressing experiences

ORCID logo | University of Utah
| University of Utah
| University of Utah
| Weber State University

We examined patterns of psychophysiological arousal related to remembering and narrating distressing events, as compared to arousal while engaged in positive and neutral recall tasks. Narrating distressing events entailed increased arousal relative to remembering those events. Analyses of combined data showed that aggregate arousal during narration was related to post-narration reports of distress and self-perceptions. These results support conceptions of narration as an effortful form of regulation, and suggest insights about the process through which narrative construction may promote psychological and physiological benefits.

Keywords: narrative, psychophysiology, autonomic nervous system, emotion regulation
Article outline
  • Introduction
    • Narrating, distress, and physiology
      • Does narrating have lasting impact on physiological arousal?
    • Does arousal in relation to narration relate to self-reported distress and autobiographical reasoning?
  • Introduction to study 1
  • Study 1 methods
    • Participants & design
      • Study 1a
      • Study 1b
      • Study 1c
    • Measures
      • ANS arousal
      • Data collected but not used in studies 1a–1c
    • Procedure
      • Emotion elicitation
      • Regulation
      • Reexposure
  • Results study 1
    • SCL
    • RSA
    • Control analyses: Effects of stimulus, stimulus order, and gender
  • Discussion study 1
  • Introduction to study 2
  • Study 2 methods
    • Participants
    • Measures
      • Physiological arousal indicators
      • Emotional distress outcomes
      • Self-event integration outcomes
    • Procedures
  • Study 2 results
    • Arousal during regulation and emotional distress
    • Arousal during regulation and self-stability or self-growth?
  • Study 2 discussion
  • General discussion
    • Limitations
    • Conclusions
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 25 July 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.21102.pas
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