What is Galvanic Skin Response?
Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), also called electrodermal activity, measures changes in the electrical conductance of the skin. Sweat gland activity increases with emotional arousal — even when we are not consciously aware of it.
Key Properties
- •Unconscious — reflects autonomic nervous system activity
- •Emotional arousal — increases with stress, excitement, engagement
- •Belief indicator — body responds to imagined scenarios as if real
- •Biofeedback — can be measured and trained
Why does the Galvanic Skin Response matter?
The galvanic skin response matters because it is one of the few simple, direct signals of sympathetic nervous system activity. Sweat glands in the skin are controlled almost entirely by sympathetic nerves, so changes in skin conductance track arousal.
That makes it useful in research on emotion, attention, stress, and learning. It rises with surprise, effort, fear, and excitement, but it does not tell you which emotion someone feels. It is best read as a measure of arousal intensity, not of mood or honesty, despite its history in polygraph testing.
How is the Galvanic Skin Response measured?
It is measured by passing a very small electrical current between two electrodes on the skin, usually on the fingers or palm, and recording how easily it flows. More sweat gland activity means higher conductance.
Readings have two parts: a slowly changing tonic level and short phasic responses that appear a second or two after a stimulus. Results are affected by room temperature, skin hydration, electrode placement, movement, and individual differences, so comparisons are most meaningful within the same person under similar conditions.
In ONDA Life
Part 9 "Biological Belief" references changes in GSR as an indicator that the body "believes" in the created image as if it were real. When mental simulation is vivid enough, the autonomic system responds — the vision becomes physiologically real.