While guilt is useful in regulating moral behaviour, it can bring with it unwanted feelings of tension and regret. A recent study by Princeton researchers Martin Day and Ramona Bobocel has shown that unethical, guilt-inducing memories may affect specific physical sensations in the body.
Participants were told to recall personal unethical acts, while other participants were told to recall ethical acts, unethical acts of others, or no recall at all. The researchers found that participants who recalled personal unethical acts reported increases in their subjective body weight in comparison to the controls. Additional trials involving performing physical behaviours such as carrying objects, also showed striking results. Participants who recalled personal unethical acts perceived physical behaviours to require more effort compared to the control participants.
The effects of the psychological feelings of guilt on the subjective sensations of the body is an area of study which requires further research, in order to add more insight into understanding the feelings of guilt. For now, take heed, the next time someone says they feel “burdened” with guilt, they may just mean it literally.
Source:
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S37/97/09G89/index.xml?section=topstories
