Javeed has a fear of flying. Every time he has to fly, his heart races and his palms get sweaty. On a recent business trip, instead of being accompanied by his colleague Franco, a new female colleague, Blanca, accompanied him. Meeting her for the first time at the airport, Javeed found himself extremely attracted to her. Based on the chapter about attraction, what could explain Javeed's attraction to Blanca?
A) Javeed was distracted by having someone attractive to talk to on this trip, so he did not experience his usual fear of flying.
B) Being accompanied by a woman instead of by a man was soothing for Javeed, so he was better able to handle his fear of flying.
C) Javeed mistakenly attributed his arousal (fast heartbeat and sweaty palms) as a sign of attraction to Blanca.
D) Blanca is a striking woman with unusual features, making her exceptionally physically attractive.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Javeed's symptoms of racing heart and sweaty palms are actually symptoms of anxiety, which can sometimes be mistaken for attraction. This is known as misattribution of arousal. Therefore, Javeed may have mistakenly thought he was attracted to Blanca when in reality he was experiencing anxiety from flying.

Javeed Has a Fear of Flying