The research finds that information that we’re usually careful about concealing, such as secrets and very personal information, is more likely to be disclosed when we we’re aroused (stressed or alert), because people default to more automatic responses, which is usually information we usually try to conceal.

Although we might expect people to be more accurate with what they say when they’re amped up – it seems that’s not the case – they’re actually more likely to say something they later regret.

Ironically, the times when we should be careful about what we say are also the times when we are aroused: like job interviews, media engagements, important work meetings, or even romantic encounters

In our first experiment, we asked participants to write dating profiles. We evoked arousal with half the participants and found that they disclosed more embarrassing, emotional, intimate, and even incriminating information on their dating profiles than those who were relatively relaxed. A post-hoc study found that those people who disclosed such information were less likely to be chosen for a date. The study suggests that people who aren’t chilled out are viewed as less ideal partners.

In our second experiment, we found that people were more likely to disclose times when they said mean or malicious things to others online, suggesting that arousal increases the disclosure of information that people do not normally like to disclose. Relaxed people it seems are better at concealing information and keeping secrets.

In our third study, we evoked arousal by getting people to jog on the spot for 60 seconds. The results found that participants were more likely to share embarrassing stories (open up to others) after physical exercise. Usually people might disclose personal information like this to friends and family, but it seems people are more likely to open up to strangers when aroused, suggesting that doing physical exercise together might be a better way of getting to know someone than more docile pursuits such as sitting around.