Summary: New research has found no evidence linking heart rate variability (HRV) to reactive aggression, overturning previous theories. HRV measures the variation between heartbeats and has been associated with stress resilience, but this study shows it is not a reliable biomarker for aggression.
This challenges the use of HRV as a tool for predicting or managing aggression in wearable devices like smartwatches. Researchers emphasize the need to continue searching for effective biomarkers to better understand and prevent aggressive behavior.
Key Facts:
- HRV does not correlate with reactive aggression, contradicting past assumptions.
- Wearable devices tracking HRV cannot reliably predict emotional regulation or aggression.
- The search for effective biomarkers of aggression remains ongoing.
Source: University of St. Andrews
New research from the University of St Andrews debunks the theory that Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is linked to aggressive behavior.
Led by Ph.D. candidate Annah McCurry from the School of Psychology and Neuroscience, the study, published in Aggressive Behavior, screened 705 previous studies and found no evidence that HRV correlates with reactive aggression.
HRV, or heart rate variability, measures the variation in time between heartbeats, which is controlled by the body’s autonomic nervous system. Wearable devices like smartwatches often track HRV, with past research suggesting it could help gauge a person’s stress resilience. However, McCurry’s findings indicate that HRV may not be useful as an indicator of aggression.
McCurry said, “Aggression researchers want to predict aggression so we can prevent it before it occurs. Since poor emotion regulation has been linked with aggression, we want to find an objective biological indicator of emotion regulation, and some have tried to use HRV as this marker.”
“Our findings are definitive: researchers should stop using low HRV as a biomarker of aggression.”
For the general public, this means relying on wearable tech to manage or predict emotional upset or aggression might be misleading.
McCurry said, “Wearable physiology trackers like sports watches are fun, but they are not magic crystal balls.
“We remain convinced that the development of an effective biomarker could transform the way we as a society predict, monitor, and prevent reactive aggression in our population.
“Unfortunately, empirical data clearly indicates that HRV is not an effective biomarker for aggression and the search for a solution must continue.”
About this aggression and neuroscience research news
Author: Annah McCurry
Source: University of St. Andrews
Contact: Annah McCurry – University of St. Andrews
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Theories of Arousal Predict a Link Between Heart Rate Variability and Reactive Aggression: Meta-Analytic Results Disagree” by Annah McCurry et al. Aggressive Behavior
Abstract
Theories of Arousal Predict a Link Between Heart Rate Variability and Reactive Aggression: Meta-Analytic Results Disagree
Polyvagal theory posits that habitually aggressive individuals might have an impaired capacity to calm after arousal, which has led to the investigation of Arousal-based biological indicators – “biomarkers” – of aggression, to identify individuals at high risk.
The most popular approach in research examining (specifically reactive) aggression is the use of wearable technologies that can non-invasively measure heart rate variability (HRV), a cardiovascular phenomenon impacted by activation of the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) nervous system.
But there is a problem: no one has systematically analyzed the results of these studies to determine if HRV is an effective predictor of reactive aggression. We surveyed an initial 705 articles, producing 48 effect estimates amenable to meta-analysis.
Counter to predictions derived from polyvagal theory, the results reveal no correlation between HRV and reactive aggression.
We discuss the implications of this novel finding for theory and practice, considering both the complexity of identifying effective biomarkers and the practical limitations driving methodological decisions in aggression research.
We conclude that there is no empirical evidence supporting HRV as a valid biomarker of aggression.
