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Positive affect and parasympathetic activity : Evidence for a quadratic relationship between feeling safe and content and heart rate variability

Duarte, Joana LU and Pinto-Gouveia, José (2017) In Psychiatry Research 257. p.284-289
Abstract

There has been an increased interest in the study of underlying autonomic correlates of emotions. This study tests the hypothesis that high levels of high-frequency heart rate variability (HF HRV) are associated with positive emotions. In addition, we hypothesize that this association will differ according to the type of positive emotion. Also, based on recent findings, we tested the hypothesis that this relationship would be nonlinear. Resting-state HRV was collected and self-report measures of different positive emotions were administered to a sample of 124 volunteers. Results Results suggested that there was a quadratic relationship between high-frequency heart rate variability and positive emotions associated with safeness and... (More)

There has been an increased interest in the study of underlying autonomic correlates of emotions. This study tests the hypothesis that high levels of high-frequency heart rate variability (HF HRV) are associated with positive emotions. In addition, we hypothesize that this association will differ according to the type of positive emotion. Also, based on recent findings, we tested the hypothesis that this relationship would be nonlinear. Resting-state HRV was collected and self-report measures of different positive emotions were administered to a sample of 124 volunteers. Results Results suggested that there was a quadratic relationship between high-frequency heart rate variability and positive emotions associated with safeness and contentment, but not with positive emotions associated with excitement or lack of arousal. Our data suggests that different positive emotions may be characterized by qualitatively distinct profiles of autonomic activation. Also, given the role of positive emotions in social affiliation, and particularly positive emotions associated with a quiescence motivational state, results are interpreted in light of theoretical accounts that highlight the importance of vagal regulation for social behavior.

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author
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Non-linear, Parasympathetic activity, Positive affect, Tonic HRV
in
Psychiatry Research
volume
257
pages
6 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:28783577
  • scopus:85026739257
ISSN
0165-1781
DOI
10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.077
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd
id
d91e66d1-6ab6-46a6-9ec1-64ccf88a541f
date added to LUP
2021-11-18 12:51:09
date last changed
2024-09-09 04:09:30
@article{d91e66d1-6ab6-46a6-9ec1-64ccf88a541f,
  abstract     = {{<p>There has been an increased interest in the study of underlying autonomic correlates of emotions. This study tests the hypothesis that high levels of high-frequency heart rate variability (HF HRV) are associated with positive emotions. In addition, we hypothesize that this association will differ according to the type of positive emotion. Also, based on recent findings, we tested the hypothesis that this relationship would be nonlinear. Resting-state HRV was collected and self-report measures of different positive emotions were administered to a sample of 124 volunteers. Results Results suggested that there was a quadratic relationship between high-frequency heart rate variability and positive emotions associated with safeness and contentment, but not with positive emotions associated with excitement or lack of arousal. Our data suggests that different positive emotions may be characterized by qualitatively distinct profiles of autonomic activation. Also, given the role of positive emotions in social affiliation, and particularly positive emotions associated with a quiescence motivational state, results are interpreted in light of theoretical accounts that highlight the importance of vagal regulation for social behavior.</p>}},
  author       = {{Duarte, Joana and Pinto-Gouveia, José}},
  issn         = {{0165-1781}},
  keywords     = {{Non-linear; Parasympathetic activity; Positive affect; Tonic HRV}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{284--289}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Psychiatry Research}},
  title        = {{Positive affect and parasympathetic activity : Evidence for a quadratic relationship between feeling safe and content and heart rate variability}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.077}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.077}},
  volume       = {{257}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}