Anxiety and arousal: physiological changes and their perception

Contrary to self-reports, most patients with chronic anxiety disorders exhi bit increased muscle tension but not autonomic hyperarousal when at rest. U nder everyday stress they tend to react with less physiological flexibility than normal controls. However, they overreact subjectively and physiologic ally to stimuli that are anxiety-provoking. Diminished physiological flexib ility may be either a constitutional trait in anxious individuals, a partia l but inadequate adaptation to prolonged stress or the result of a disregar d for stressors that are not related to psychopathology. The effects of dim inished physiological flexibility on general health are not known. There is only a weak relationship, and in some instances a desynchrony, between phy siological changes and perception of change under stress. The inconsistenci es between self-reports of physiological states and physiological recording s can be explained by alterations of body sensations through psychological factors, predominantly expectations and attention to bodily states, that le ad to perceptual distortions. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.