RUNNING HEAD: Heart Rate Klee et al.

Heart Rate: The Effect of Emotions on Heart Rate

Samantha Klee[1], Keely Shocklee and Gracie Cart
Life Science Academy, Owensboro Community and Technical College, Owensboro KY, 42301
ABSTRACT
Emotions can affect your heart rate. We devised an experiment to determine if watching videos
induces certain emotions that would affect your heart rate. Our results provided some evidence of
increased heart rate while watching the videos, however many of our results also showed the
opposite or no change. More research is necessary to determine if emotions increase your heart
rate.
Key Words: heart rate, resting heart rate, videos, emotion, Logger Pro

[1] Corresponding author email: samantha.klee@stu.daviess.kyschools.us

INTRODUCTION
Heart rate is the number of heartbeats per minute. Your resting heart rate is when you are
not exercising, so your heart pumps the lowest amount of blood you need. A normal resting heart
rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats a minute (Mayo Clinic). The resting heart rate is
important because it was an integral part of our experiment. It gave us something to compare our
data to, so we would know how the heart rates were affected.
Emotions such as stress, anxiousness, extraordinary happiness or sadness can raise your
pulse (Heart.org). Stress from all sorts of challenging situations and events plays a significant
role in cardiovascular symptoms and outcome, particularly heart attack risk (Patient Education
Center). In 2004, The Lancet published a study that involved over 24,000 participants from 52

countries (Patient Education Center). Despite variations in the prevalence of stress across
countries and racial or ethnic groups, increased stress levels conferred a greater risk for heart
attack than did hypertension, abdominal obesity, diabetes, and several other risk factors (Patient
Education Center).
In the face of these frightening facts, People are attempting to moderate their stress levels
to increase their quality of life and decrease their risk for heart attack. Evidence has shown that
stress can lead to an increase for risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. A few studies have
noted a relationship between coronary heart disease risk and stress in a person's life that may
affect the risk factors for heart disease and stroke (Heart.org). For example, stress could cause
you to overeat, smoke, or smoke more than you normally would. In a study a group from the
University of Maryland showed that arteries responded well when people were able to laugh.
Laughing out loudto the silly movie Something About Marymade blood vessels dilate, while
watching gruesome scenes from Saving Private Ryan caused them to constrict. The important
medical fact here is that dilated arteries are less likely to abruptly close or cause a heart attack
than constricted ones (Dr. John M). Friendships and supportive social networks can definitely
help people through times of sickness or emotional hardship (PennState News). So, it serves to
be happier and laugh more than to be angry which negatively affects your heart health.
People are trying to change their lifestyle to reduce stress which will in turn reduce their risk for
heart disease. A few studies have examined how well treatment or therapies work in reducing the
effects of stress on cardiovascular disease (Heart.org). Our objective was to determine how
emotions like stress such as fear and others affected heart rate. We hypothesized that these
emotions would increase heart rate.
MATERIALS AND METHODS

The materials used in this lab included a computer with Vernier Logger Pro software, Vernier

LabQuest Mini with accompanying USB cable, and a Vernier Hand Grip Heart Rate monitor.

Also, a computer was used in order to watch the three videos. Ten people were tested at different times on
their resting heart rate, sad video heart rate, scary video heart rate, and happy video heart rate. All the
videos were viewed through Youtube for 60 seconds while the data was collected. The sad video was
Sarah Mclachlans In the Arms of an Angel. The scary video was the Scary Car Ride, and the happy
video was the music video of Happy by Pharrell Williams.
All electronics that could affect our heart rate results were turned off and put away from the
computer. The small, black rectangular box was moved in the correct place as far away from the computer
as possible and taped it down so that our results would be valid. This box was a part of the Vernier Hand
Grip Heart Rate monitor kit. The person being tested held the hand grips accurately near the small
rectangular box in order to have a good signal. When holding the hand grips, the test subject would wrap
their hand around them on the outline of a hand, which is in red on our models. There was a person at the
computer controlling when the program started to collect data by clicking the green collect button on our
Logger Pro software. The results were collected for 60 seconds for each test. After each test, the results
were averaged and recorded in lab notebooks. The control was the resting heart rate, which was tested
first. Then, we measured the persons heart rate as they watched the three videos at different times on the
same computer that was collecting the data.

RESULTS
Ten people participated in our heart rate experiment. Participant 1 had a resting heart rate
of 74 bpm, a rate of 71 bpm when watching the sad video, a rate of 70 bpm as they were
watching the scary video, and a rate of 71 bpm when they were watching the happy video (table
1). This person was not affected by the test very much since their results are so close together.
Participant 2 had a resting heart rate of 70 bpm, a rate of 84 bpm at the time of the sad video, a
rate of 75 bpm for the scary video, and a rate of 85 bpm when watching the happy video (table

1). Their results showed more change than the first. Participant 3 had a resting heart rate of 108
bpm, a rate of 116 bpm for the sad video, a rate of 115 bpm as they were watching the scary
video, and a rate of 114 bpm while watching the happy video (table 1). Even though the rates
were higher than other participants, this person still shows that emotions affect heart rate.
Participant 4 had a resting heart rate of 72 bpm, a rate of 70 bpm when watching the sad video, a
rate of 60 bpm for the scary video, and a rate of 68 bpm as they watched the happy video (table
1). Participant 5 had a resting heart rate of 92 bpm, a rate of 88 bpm for the sad video, a rate of
86 bpm by watching the scary video, and a rate of 88 bpm when watching the happy video (table
1).
Participant 6 had a resting heart rate of 90 bpm, a rate of 83 bpm while watching the sad
video, a rate of 119 bpm from watching the scary video, and a rate of 119 bpm as they watched
the happy video (table 1). Participant 7 had a resting heart rate of 64 bpm, a rate of 83 bpm by
watching the sad video, a rate of 89 bpm from the scary video, and a rate of 87 bpm while
watching the happy video (table 1). Participant 8 had a resting heart rate of 78 bpm, a rate of 74
bpm for the sad video, a rate of 71 bpm when watching the scary video, and a rate of 82 bpm
through the happy video (table 1). Participant 9 had a resting heart rate of 79 bpm, a rate of 76
bpm from the sad video, a rate of 78 bpm by watching the scary video, and a rate of 77 bpm for
the happy video (table 1). Participant 10 had a resting heart rate of 94 bpm, a rate of 91 bpm at
the time of the sad video, a rate of 96 bpm as they were watching the scary video, and a rate of
95 bpm while watching the happy video (table 1).
CONCLUSION
Most all of the heart rates decreased with each video, which did not support our
hypothesis. Although some readings did support our hypothesis, it is still not possible to draw

accurate conclusions based on data gathered because the tools in our lab because they are not
medical grade. To increase the accuracy of conclusions we could have used medical grade
equipment and more pulse stimulating videos. If there is any spare time, the experiment should
be ongoing for a longer time period and include different videos to receive more accurate results.
The results from our experiment show that, if anything, emotions decrease the human heart rate.
Further research and experimentation is needed to determine if these results are accurate.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the Life Science Academy for supplying our data acquisition software, probes and
laptop computers. Additionally, we thank Owensboro Community and technical College for
providing lab space and our anonymous test subjects.

LITERATURE CITED
All About Heart Rate (Pulse).
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/MyHeartandStrokeNews/All-About-HeartRate-Pulse_UCM_438850_Article.jsp#.VutswxFViko. (3/24/2016).
Patient Education Center. http://www.patienteducationcenter.org/articles/hearts-minds-howstress-negative-emotions-affect-heart/. (3/24/2016).
Stress and Heart Health.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/StressManagement/HowDoesStressAffectYou
/Stress-and-Heart-Health_UCM_437370_Article.jsp#.VvGi9RFVikp. (3/24/2016).
Heart Rate: Whats Normal?. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expertanswers/heart-rate/faq-20057979. (3/24/2016).
Dr. John M. http://www.drjohnm.org/2011/08/cw-the-feeling-human-heart/. (3/24/2016).
Probing Question: Do emotions influence heart health? | Penn State University.
http://news.psu.edu/story/141243/2010/02/09/research/probing-question-do-emotions-influenceheart-health. (3/24/2016).

Table 1. Heart Rate readings of participants 1 through 10 at rest and during the three videos
(Videos 1-3).

Figure 1. Bar graphs showing the resting heart rate, sad video heart rate, scary video heart rate,
and happy video heart rate of participants 1-10.