Question

A dating app offers the suggestion, "To make your date feel really attracted to you, skip the art museum and take them on the fastest roller coaster at an amusement park!" Apply what you know of emotional theory to explain the science behind this claim, including the names of relevant researchers and theories.

Answer 1

The concept can be explained using Schachter-Singer's two factor theory of emotions. According to this theory, the experience of an emotion involves a state of physiological arousal and a cognitive label. The state of physiological arousal takes place prior to the cognitive labeling of the emotion. The context or the environment influences the cognitive labels that we assign. Thus, being on a roller coaster may cause your date to experience a sense of arousal. However, if he/she takes into account the context of her arousal (being on a date), he/she may infer that it is caused by being attracted to you.