Self-esteem fluctuations and cardiac vagal control in everyday life

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• 作者：Andreas R. Schwerdtfeger^a ; ^{andreas.schwerdtfeger@uni-graz.at} ; Sophie-Marie Scheel^b
• 关键词：Ambulatory monitoring ; Cardiac vagal tone ; Heart rate variability ; Self-esteem ; Self-worth
• 刊名：International Journal of Psychophysiology
• 出版年：2012
• 期刊代码：33_01678760
• 类别：psy
• 出版时间：March, 2012
• 卷：83
• 期：3
• 页码：328-335
• 文件大小：328 K

摘要

It has been proposed that self-esteem buffers threat-responding. The same effect is ascribed to the vagus nerve, which is a primary nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system. Consequently, it has been suggested that self-esteem and cardiac vagal tone are interconnected on a trait, as well as on a state, level. In this study, we examined the relationship of vagal cardiac control and self-esteem fluctuations across a single day using ecological momentary assessment. Eighty-four participants were recruited, and self-esteem, negative affect, and vagal tone were recorded throughout a 22-hour period. Men provided higher self-esteem ratings than women, but the negative relationship between self-esteem and negative affect was stronger in women. Moreover, controlling for potential confounds (e.g., age, BMI, depressive symptoms, smoking status, regular physical activity), we observed that for men, self-esteem was significantly positively associated with cardiac vagal tone, whereas for women it was not. These findings suggest that the relationship between self-esteem and vagal innervation of the heart during daily life is sex-specific and might involve different central-autonomic pathways for men and women, respectively.