Previous research has shown that being affectively unstable is an indicator of several forms of psychological maladjustment. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying affective instability. Our research aims to examine the possibility that being prone to extreme fluctuations in one’s feelings is related to maladaptive emotion regulation. We investigated this hypothesis by relating affective instability, assessed in daily life using the experience sampling method, to self-reported emotion regulation strategies and to parasympathetically mediated heart rate variability (HRV), a physiological indicator of emotion regulation capacity. Results showed that HRV was negatively related to instability of positive affect (as measured by mean square successive differences), indicating that individuals with lower parasympathetic tone are emotionally less stable, particularly for positive affect.
Data revealed diminished amplitude of the rest-activity pattern of the autonomic nervous system parasympathetic function. Reduced daylight exposure and mood changes could account for this observation.
The observed autonomic changes during confinement reflect an increase in parasympathetic activity during wake periods. Several factors could account for this observation, including reduced daylight exposure related to the confinement situation.
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