the.com/arousal
The body's way of raising its hand before the brain finishes the question.
means The physical and mental state of being activated, alert, or stimulated — ranging from waking up to sexual excitement to the body's fight-or-flight readiness.
from From French 'arouser'/'rouser,' tied to 'rouse' — a word for stirring up or waking something from stillness, likely connected to falconry and hunting, where a bird or animal was literally roused from its resting place. 'Arousal' as the noun form followed in the word's wake, carrying that same sense of something dormant being startled into action.
- not consent
- physical response can happen without desire or willingness
- two systems
- sympathetic nervous system drives it, not just hormones
- misattribution effect
- fear and excitement can feel nearly identical physiologically
- baseline varies
- spontaneous and responsive types differ wildly by person