The Effects of Perceived Stress on Emotional Response to Video Stimuli

The aim of the present research is to understand how stress affects physiological response to emotional stimuli. Stress can affect the way we respond to the videos/media we are increasingly exposed to as a result of social media. This relationship highlights the need for new ways of stress management. This study examines how the effects of perceived stress to emotional videos impacts emotional responses. Stress is known to influence emotional reactivity. Understanding this relationship can provide insights into managing stress and improving emotional well-being. In this experiment, participants were given a perceived stress scale questionnaire (PSS) to measure current stress levels. Electrodermal activity of the palms was also collected to measure physiological levels of stress. Participants were then presented with a series of videos and shapes during which they rated their level of emotional distress. We then analyzed the relationship between PSS scores, subjective measures of emotional responses, and skin conductance response during video exposure. We found that ratings were higher for negative videos, and lowest for positive videos. Skin conductance response (SCR) was found to be highest for negative videos and lowest for neutral videos. Data indicates that PSS scores predict SCR levels. A relationship was also found between PSS scores and emotional responses to videos.