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Autonomic responses were recorded from three groups of subjects as they viewed a sadness-inducing film, a comedy film, or a control film. Psychological reactions indicated that the stimulus films were effective in eliciting sadness and mirth. Physiologically, sympathetic activation was common to both emotions, with cardiovascular changes being more prominent during sadness and respiratory changes more characteristic of mirth. The relevance of these findings for the investigation of differential physiological patterning during emotion is discussed, and an hypothesis is presented concerning the biological significance of grief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Stoics expressed great concern about emotion related psychophysiological phenomena as pathological states of body and spirit. They outlined procedures through which all bodily functions could be brought under voluntary control. The Pneumatist School of Medicine of the first century A.D. adopted these philosophical convictions and instituted them in their diagnostic and treatment techniques for psychosomatic disorders. Pneumatic theory, and its application in this context, is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation of the neural apparatus of positive emotions results in physiological changes different from those taking place in the ease of negative emotional activation. The stimulation of negative structures was accompanied by a steadily growing bradycardia, not compensated at intervals between stimulations. There is every reason to believe that an adequate compensation of the heart rate changes during stimulation of positive structures and allows us to understand the physiological cause of complete harmlessness of even intense positive emotions for a person's health.

Criticizes an article on determinants of emotional state published in the 1962 issue of the periodical 'Psychophysiology.' Levels of arousal for the different conditions compared; Differences of the placebo group from the control groups; Various measures of emotional states; Inadequacy of the self-report indices.