Citation

Erdmann G, Janke W, Neugebauer S, Wölwer W. Anxiety Stress Coping 1993; 6(1): 25-42.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10615809308249530

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The paper is concerned with the question: Can different kinds of emotions be influenced by tranquilizers which according to several theories (e.g., Gray, 1982) should only affect anxiety? In order to examine the kind of emotional effects of tranquilizers 144 female students received either 5 mg diazepam, 2 mg of the triazolobenzodiazepine GP 55129, or placebo and were then assigned to one of four conditions designed to induce anxiety, anger, happiness, or no emotional changes (neutral control). Self-reports of anxiety, anger, and elation were considered as indicators of specific emotional states; questionnaire measures of general excitement and of bodily arousal symptoms, heart rate, and blood pressure were regarded as indicators of nonspecific emotional changes. All three emotion conditions induced increases in arousal which were most pronounced in the anxiety situation. The anxiety and the happiness situation but not the anger situation proved to be effective in inducing the intended specific emotion. Both drugs reduced self-reported anxiety in the anxiety situation. They did not affect self-reported elation in the happiness situation. Differences in the valence (positive versus negative) and in the intensity of the emotional changes induced by the happiness and the anxiety situation are discussed as possible reasons for the latter results.