The somatic markers theory tells that a specific organism’s reactions are connected with particular emotions experienced by people. An example is a skin conductance change in response to a person’s inner state. The risky behavior is associated with the following somatic markers: general physiological arousal, increasing skin conductance and increased heartbeat. People with high emotional intelligence may track and use those factors to understand and manage their emotions.
They are quite easy to recognize, as increased skin conductance creates a specific “electrizing” feeling. People who cannot feel it are hard to manage their risk as they cannot understand when they are making risky decisions. Increased heartbeat and general arousal are also easy to feel; however, the ability to control oneself can lower during such states. In that way, somatic markers of risks are recognizable by both an experimenter and a person and are used by an organism to manage the risk.