arousal

Etymology

arouse + -al

noun

  1. The act of arousing or the state of being aroused.
    bodily arousal
    emotional arousal
    to influence the arousal of brain and behavior
  2. Sexual arousal.
    Some people get arousal from the depiction of feet.
  3. A physiological and psychological state of being awake or reactive to stimuli, including elevated heart rate and blood pressure and a condition of sensory alertness, mobility and readiness to respond.
    2003, Jinhee Choi, "Fits and Startles: Cognitivism Revisited," The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 61, no. 2 (Spring), p. 152, Subjects report the physiological arousals induced by adrenaline and placebo differently.
  4. Arousal from sleep or hibernation.
    the mechanism for arousal from sleep
    the animal undergoes regular spells of arousal

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