Ignite Presentation - 5 minutes International Positive Psychology Association 8th IPPA World Congress 2023

How chronic loneliness levels and well-being are associated with resting heart rate variability (#235)

Andy Proctor 1 , Braden D Bradshaw 1 , Ryan O Ladle 1 , Brittany M Sheffield 1 , Brandon H Brown 1 , Meg Frost 1 , Julianne Holt-Lunstad 1
  1. Brigham Young University, Vineyard, UT, United States

Loneliness, the subjective perception of social isolation, represents one of the largest risk factors for physical illness and early death in humans (Vila, 2021; Holt-Lunstad, 2021, Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010; De Vogli, Chandola, & Marmot, 2007). Recent studies have shown the impact of chronic loneliness on heart rate variability (HRV) (Roddick & Chen, 2021). Less research exists on whether and how loneliness and HRV are directly linked. This study explores the relationship between chronic loneliness and resting HRV, blood pressure and skin temperature using consumer wearable devices. In addition, it examines the relationship between a machine-learning-based natural language measure of well-being (the PERMA lexicon created by Eichstaedt & colleagues, 2015) and the aforementioned biomarkers.  

  1. De Vogli, R., Chandola, T., & Marmot, M. G. (2007). Negative Aspects of Close Relationships and Heart Disease. Archives of Internal Medicine, 167(18), 1951. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.167.18.1951
  2. Eichstaedt, J. C., Schwartz, H. A., Kern, M. L., Park, G., Labarthe, D. R., Merchant, R. M., Jha, S., Agrawal, M., Dziurzynski, L. A., Sap, M., Weeg, C., Larson, E. E., Ungar, L. H., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2015). Psychological Language on Twitter Predicts County-Level Heart Disease Mortality. Psychological Science, 26(2), 159–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614557867
  3. Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316
  4. Holt-Lunstad, J. (2021). The Major Health Implications of Social Connection. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(3), 251–259. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721421999630
  5. Roddick, C. M., & Chen, F. S. (2020b). Effects of Chronic and State Loneliness on Heart Rate Variability in Women. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 55(5), 460–475. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaa065
  6. Vila, J. (2021). Social Support and Longevity: Meta-Analysis-Based Evidence and Psychobiological Mechanisms. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.717164
  • Please select up to 3 keywords from the following list to best describe your submission content: Health and Medicine, Meaning and Purpose, Physical Wellbeing