Meier, Maria and Unternaehrer, Eva and Schorpp, Sabine M. and Wenzel, Maya and Benz, Annika and Bentele, Ulrike U. and Dimitroff, Stephanie J. and Denk, Bernadette and Prüssner, Jens C.. (2020) The Opposite of Stress. Experimental psychology, 67 (2). pp. 150-159.
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Official URL: https://edoc.unibas.ch/83302/
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Abstract
Cognition is affected by psychophysiological states. While the influence of stress on cognition has been investigated intensively, less studies have addressed how the opposite of stress, a state of relaxation, affects cognition. We investigated whether the extent of parasympathetic activation is positively related to divergent thinking. Sixty healthy female participants were randomly allocated to a standardized vagus nerve massage (; n; = 19), a standardized soft shoulder massage (; n; = 22), or a resting control group (; n; = 19). Subsequently, participants completed the Alternative Uses Test (AUT), a measure of divergent thinking. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a vagally mediated heart rate variability component, was monitored throughout the experiment. The area under the curve with respect to the increase was calculated for RSA trajectories as an indicator of vagal tone during the relaxing intervention. Regressions tested the effect of vagal tone on AUT outcomes. We found an association between vagal tone and subsequent AUT outcomes. Yet, this association was no longer significant when controlling for the effect of the creative potential of an individual, which was strongly related to AUT outcomes. Being exploratory, we found a positive association between creative potential and vagal tone. These results imply that creative potential might be related to the capacity to relax.
Faculties and Departments: | 03 Faculty of Medicine 03 Faculty of Medicine > Bereich Psychiatrie (Klinik) > Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie UPK 03 Faculty of Medicine > Departement Klinische Forschung > Bereich Psychiatrie (Klinik) > Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie UPK 07 Faculty of Psychology |
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UniBasel Contributors: | Unternährer, Eva |
Item Type: | Article, refereed |
Article Subtype: | Research Article |
Publisher: | Hogrefe Publishing |
ISSN: | 2190-5142 |
Note: | Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article |
Identification Number: |
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Last Modified: | 23 Mar 2022 15:51 |
Deposited On: | 23 Mar 2022 15:51 |
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