Heart rate variability reflects self-regulatory strength, effort, and fatigue.
Experimental research reliably demonstrates that self-regulatory deficits are a consequence of prior self-regulatory effort. However, in naturalistic settings, although people know that they are sometimes vulnerable to saying, eating, or doing the wrong thing, they cannot accurately gauge their capacity to self-regulate at any given time. Because self-regulation and autonomic regulation colocalize in the brain, an autonomic measure, heart rate variability (HRV), could provide an index of self-regulatory strength and activity. During an experimental manipulation of self-regulation (eating carrots or cookies), HRV was elevated during high self-regulatory effort (eat carrots, resist cookies) compared with low self-regulatory effort (eat cookies, resist carrots). The experimental manipulation and higher HRV at baseline independently predicted persistence at a subsequent anagram task. HRV appears to index self-regulatory strength and effort, making it possible to study these phenomena in the field as well as the lab.
Segerstrom
Suzanne C
SC
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 115 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, USA. scsege0@uky.edu
Nes
Lise Solberg
LS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis