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Category: Project

Description: Human body functions, such as heart rate, are regulated by the brain via the autonomic nervous system in response to the environment (e.g., threat, relaxation). This reciprocal connection between the brain and the heart leads to natural fluctuations in heart rate, called heart rate variability (HRV). HRV can be increased in the short and long term, which affects the brain and body, through a training technique called HRV biofeedback. This technique has been shown to improve physical and mental health (Lehrer et al., 2020) as well as cognitive performance (Dessy et al., 2018; Tinello et al., 2021). However, to date, little to no research has investigated the link between HRV and thought processes, or whether the latter can be affected by HRV biofeedback. So far, research indicates that HRV biofeedback influences cognitive processes that may lead to more adaptive thinking, even in the healthy population, which may help prevent psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression. This study seeks to examine the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and thinking and to determine whether short HRV biofeedback immediately affects thinking. In this line, we investigate three different cognitive processes involved in thoughts at rest and during mental time travel (i.e., remembering the past, and projecting into the future): 1) cognitive control (processes supporting goal-directed behavior, such as planning), 2) emotional processes (determine the emotional content of thought), and 3) self-referential processes (direct attention and thought toward the self). The hypothesis is that HRV correlates with these three processes and that HRV biofeedback evokes more adaptive thinking. In this line, we postulate that HRV biofeedback increases cognitive control (e.g., continuity and detail of thought), positive emotional valence, and self-referential processing when thoughts are positive.