Last night’s episode of Love Island saw contestants participating in a racy challenge that involved a whole load of gyrating.

It wasn’t quite Magic Mike or Burlesque, but it certainly came close – although that wasn’t where the shock factor laid.

During the raunchy dances, the islanders’ heart rates were being monitored, and when they were all over, the results made for some juicy reading for Amber Rose Gill.

The person that got Michael Griffiths’ heart racing was Amber herself, meaning that perhaps his pulse was giving away what he couldn’t vocalise.

After he dumped Amber for Joanna Chimonides during Casa Amor last week, the public were questioning whether feelings could be turned off so quickly (as was Joanna).

The court of opinion has now ruled that they definitely can’t, given that Amber gets Michael’s blood pumping more than his new bae. But is this really the case?

Put simply, yes.

During sexual arousal, a whole load of things happen to your body. For those with penises, this is outwardly obvious, but everybody will experience inward signs such as higher blood pressure and accelerated breathing.

The heart rate also increases, as a way to get your brain and body ready for what (hopefully will happen).

One study claims, ‘erection is closely related to the cardiovascular system and occurs when the erectile tissue relaxes, increasing blood flow, a mechanism controlled by the autonomic nervous system modulation’.

We would never comment on whether a Love Island contestant had an erection, but that is simply biology.

Another study concluded that ‘arousal intensity… is strongly associated with arousal-related tachycardia’. Basically, the more aroused a person was, the more their heart rate rose. This could suggest that Michael actually is more attracted to Amber than Joanna – at least on a subconscious level.

That said, there could be another explanation.

Given Michael’s history with Amber, and his knowledge that Joanna was watching his ex grind all over him, the increase in heart rate may have been due to anxiety. Tachycardia (a heart rate over 100 beats per minute) is a common symptom in those with anxiety, and common among healthy individuals experiencing intense emotions.

It may actually have been that the awkwardness and tension of the whole thing sent his heart going like the clappers, rather than a secret burning desire.

That’s the rational answer, but it’s definitely not the most fun one. We’d wager, however, that the guilty smile he gave when the results were read out said more than an ECG ever could.

Source: Read Full Article