Key result
Higher vagally mediated HRV links to better decision-making under risk and uncertainty.
Why the study?
Heart rate variability reflects autonomic nervous system balance and is linked to cognitive functions, but its relationship with decision-making processes remains unclear.
Is heart rate variability associated with decision-making performance in healthy individuals?
Systematic Review (n=1,051)
Is heart rate variability associated with decision-making performance in healthy individuals?
Higher vagally mediated heart rate variability is associated with better decision-making performance in healthy individuals.
May aid cognitive risk stratification under uncertainty in healthy adults; leaves causal mechanisms and clinical utility open.
Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects the balance of the autonomic nervous system and is associated with cognitive functions. However, its relationship with the process related to making a decision is unclear. This systematic review aims to analyze the relationship between HRV and decision‐making. A qualitative analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA‐Statement. Fifteen studies were included, with a total of 1051 healthy participants. Our results show an association between higher vagally mediated HRV and better decision‐making performance, especially under risk and uncertainty. At the same time, a lower HRV is associated with lower performance in developing good decisions. This systematic review highlights the influence of the autonomic nervous system in decision‐making processes. HRV could be considered a biomarker of making decisions. However, the nature of this relationship is still difficult to clarify, and further studies are needed.
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Forte et al. (2021) conducted a systematic review in Healthy participants (n=1,051). Heart rate variability (HRV) was evaluated on Decision-making performance. Higher vagally mediated heart rate variability was associated with better decision-making performance, especially under risk and uncertainty, across 15 studies with 1051 healthy participants.
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