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Emotion

Does rejecting negative emotions impact your heart rate?

Visted E, Sørensen L, Osnes B, et al. · Frontiers in psychology · 2017

Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC

People who struggle to accept negative emotions tend to have lower heart rate variability, which indicates a less flexible physiological response to stress.

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Key findings

Having greater difficulties with emotion regulation, particularly a tendency to reject negative feelings, was linked to lower resting heart rate variability. This negative association between lack of emotional acceptance and heart rate variability was also found during normal daytime hours in the 24-hour ambulatory monitoring. Other facets of emotional difficulties, such as lack of emotional awareness or clarity, did not show a strong or consistent relationship with heart rate variability.

Methodology

The researchers recruited 60 university students in Norway to complete a 36-item questionnaire designed to measure six different aspects of emotional processing. They recorded the participants' resting heart rate variability during a 15-minute laboratory session using an electrocardiogram. Additionally, a smaller subsample of 28 participants wore portable heart monitors to track their cardiac activity over a 24-hour period in their normal daily environments.

Limitations

Because the study design was correlational, it cannot prove that failing to accept emotions directly causes physiological stress or lower heart rate variability. The participants were mostly young, female, and healthy university students, meaning these patterns might not apply to clinical groups, older adults, or different demographics. The research relied on self-report surveys to assess emotional difficulties, which can be vulnerable to subjective biases like social desirability or poor self-awareness.

How this study connects

Role on claims

Each row is a claim on a concept or method page where this paper supports, challenges, or qualifies the statement. Roles are hand-checked — not a model guess.

  • SupportsEcological Validityconcept

    Physiological stress indicators, such as resting heart rate variability measured during a brief laboratory session, can reflect physiological activity recorded over a 24-hour period in a participant's daily life.

    Evidence for the claim as stated.

  • SupportsHeart Rate Variabilityconcept

    Difficulties in emotion regulation, specifically a tendency to reject or not accept negative feelings, are significantly linked to lower resting heart rate variability both in laboratory settings and during normal daily activities.

    Evidence for the claim as stated.

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