Determining the Effect of Arousal on the Heart Rate and Blood Pressure of Adolescent Males
Determining the Effect of Arousal on the Heart Rate and Blood Pressure of Adolescent Males
Wyatt Griffith and Michaela Rodriguez
Wood River High School
Hailey, ID 83333
ABSTRACT
When male adolescents were unknowingly placed in an isolated environment with an attractive woman, there wasn’t enough viable data to determine whether or not their blood pressure increased. Based on our limited and unreliable data there is no significant increase in the heart rate or blood pressure of male adolescents when placed in this situation.
INTRODUCTION
As blood flows through all parts of the body, it exerts a pressure on the walls of the arteries carrying it. Blood pressure reflects this force through two numbers, the systolic and the diastolic. The systolic measures the pressure when the heart muscle contracts and the heart beats, while the diastolic measures the pressure when the heart muscle is at rest between beats. Blood pressure is influenced by many factors including the pumping action of the heart, volume and thickness of blood, and its resistance to flow (Factors.. ND). There are many other aspects, however, that have the capability to hamper these processes; as is the case with various stressors. In our experiment, we hoped to observe a significantly (P<0.05) higher blood pressure in adolescent males exposed to a one- on-one experience taking blood pressure readings with an “attractive” woman compared to that of an experience with detached and less involved facilitators. We hypothesized such an observation would be possible because of the nature of initial attraction on the body. Initial attraction stimulates the same reaction from the body as fear (“High on Love” ND). When stimulated, the hypothalamus, a tiny region of the brain, sets off an alarm system in your body that prompts your adrenal glands to release a flow of hormones, including epinephrine (“Stress” 10). Epinephrine, or adrenaline, affects the arteries as it acts upon the adrenergic receptors
Wyatt Griffith and Michaela Rodriguez
Wood River High School
Hailey, ID 83333
ABSTRACT
When male adolescents were unknowingly placed in an isolated environment with an attractive woman, there wasn’t enough viable data to determine whether or not their blood pressure increased. Based on our limited and unreliable data there is no significant increase in the heart rate or blood pressure of male adolescents when placed in this situation.
INTRODUCTION
As blood flows through all parts of the body, it exerts a pressure on the walls of the arteries carrying it. Blood pressure reflects this force through two numbers, the systolic and the diastolic. The systolic measures the pressure when the heart muscle contracts and the heart beats, while the diastolic measures the pressure when the heart muscle is at rest between beats. Blood pressure is influenced by many factors including the pumping action of the heart, volume and thickness of blood, and its resistance to flow (Factors.. ND). There are many other aspects, however, that have the capability to hamper these processes; as is the case with various stressors. In our experiment, we hoped to observe a significantly (P<0.05) higher blood pressure in adolescent males exposed to a one- on-one experience taking blood pressure readings with an “attractive” woman compared to that of an experience with detached and less involved facilitators. We hypothesized such an observation would be possible because of the nature of initial attraction on the body. Initial attraction stimulates the same reaction from the body as fear (“High on Love” ND). When stimulated, the hypothalamus, a tiny region of the brain, sets off an alarm system in your body that prompts your adrenal glands to release a flow of hormones, including epinephrine (“Stress” 10). Epinephrine, or adrenaline, affects the arteries as it acts upon the adrenergic receptors
References: Dorn, Gerald. "Adrenergic Signaling Polymorphisms and Their Impact on Cardiovascular Disease." American Physiological Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. "Factors That Influence Arterial Blood Pressure." National Space Biomedical Research Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. "High on Love." Health Exchange. Singapore Health, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. “Stress." Mayo Clinic. N.p., 11 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.