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Heart rate variability predicts older adults’ avoidance of negativity
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Mantantzis, Konstantinos, Schlaghecken, Friederike and Maylor, Elizabeth A. (2018) Heart rate variability predicts older adults’ avoidance of negativity. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B . gby148. doi:10.1093/geronb/gby148 ISSN 1079-5014.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gby148
Abstract
Objectives
The ability to produce situation-appropriate cognitive and emotional responses is dependent on autonomic nervous system (ANS) functionality. Heart rate variability (HRV) is an index of ANS functionality, and resting HRV levels have been associated with cognitive control and inhibitory capacity in young adults, particularly when faced with emotional information. As older adults’ greater preference for positive and avoidance of negative stimuli (positivity effect) is thought to be dependent on cognitive control, we hypothesized that HRV could predict positivity-effect magnitude in older adults.
Method
We measured resting-level HRV and gaze preference for happy and angry (relative to neutral) faces in 63 young and 62 older adults.
Results
Whereas young adults showed no consistent preference for happy or angry faces, older adults showed the expected positivity effect, which predominantly manifested as negativity avoidance rather than positivity preference. Crucially, older but not young adults showed an association between HRV and gaze preference, with higher levels of HRV being specifically associated with stronger negativity avoidance.
Discussion
This is the first study to demonstrate a link between older adults’ ANS functionality and their avoidance of negative information. Increasing the efficiency of the cardiovascular system might selectively improve older adults’ ability to disregard negative influences.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects: | Q Science > QP Physiology | ||||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Psychology | ||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Heart beat, Older people -- Health aspects, Happiness, Anger | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | The Journals of Gerontology: Series B | ||||||
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press | ||||||
| ISSN: | 1079-5014 | ||||||
| Official Date: | 6 December 2018 | ||||||
| Dates: |
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| Article Number: | gby148 | ||||||
| DOI: | 10.1093/geronb/gby148 | ||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
| Reuse Statement (publisher, data, author rights): | This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B following peer review. The version of record Konstantinos Mantantzis, Friederike Schlaghecken, Elizabeth A Maylor; Heart Rate Variability Predicts Older Adults’ Avoidance of Negativity, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, , gby148, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gby148 is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gby148 | ||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||
| Date of first compliant deposit: | 24 January 2019 | ||||||
| Date of first compliant Open Access: | 6 December 2019 | ||||||
| RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
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