ABSTRACT
Background: Personality and heart
rate variability (HRV) are each strong predictors of well-being, particularly cardiac
health and longevity. The current project explores the correlates of
personality traits on heart rate variability (HRV) to clarify how autonomic
regulation may mediate the development and maintenance of health and disease. Hypothesis: Personality traits will be
significantly correlated with specific measures of HRV. In particular, the
Character traits of Self-Directedness, Cooperativeness, and Self-transcendence are
known to promote physical, mental, and social aspects of well-being, so they
were expected to be
associated with indices of HRV indicating autonomic balance. Methods: Participants were 271 volunteers from
the community, adult men and women. They received an extensive self-report questionnaire, allowing
for a comprehensive personality evaluation. Of these participants, 118
underwent ambulatory—24 hours
recording of HRV. The HRV recordings were sent to the Institute of HeartMath
for interpretation. Data Analysis: Data for personality was retrieved from the Qualtrics site after online administration, into
which the HRV data were entered. Analyses were conducted in SPSS 20. Results: Systematic and significant associations between
personality traits were found. In particular, the Temperament and Character
Inventory’s character traits were related to autonomic balance as measured by
the ratio of low frequency (sympathetic) to high frequency (parasympathetic)
activity. Openness, aggression, avoidant attachment, and forgiveness were found to relate
to several HRV variables. Conclusion: The relations among personality and HRV support the validity of the measures in
ways that clarify the strong relations among personality, HRV, and health.
Further work to replicate and extend these preliminary findings in a larger
sample is underway.