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Decision making and heart rate variability: A systematic review
Author(s) -
Forte Giuseppe,
Morelli Matteo,
Grässler Bernhard,
Casagrande Maria
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
applied cognitive psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.719
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1099-0720
pISSN - 0888-4080
DOI - 10.1002/acp.3901
Subject(s) - heart rate variability , autonomic nervous system , psychology , cognition , systematic review , statement (logic) , balance (ability) , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , heart rate , medline , neuroscience , medicine , political science , blood pressure , law
Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects the balance of the autonomic nervous system and is associated with cognitive functions. However, its relationship with the process related to making a decision is unclear. This systematic review aims to analyze the relationship between HRV and decision‐making. A qualitative analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA‐Statement. Fifteen studies were included, with a total of 1051 healthy participants. Our results show an association between higher vagally mediated HRV and better decision‐making performance, especially under risk and uncertainty. At the same time, a lower HRV is associated with lower performance in developing good decisions. This systematic review highlights the influence of the autonomic nervous system in decision‐making processes. HRV could be considered a biomarker of making decisions. However, the nature of this relationship is still difficult to clarify, and further studies are needed.