In Medio Stat Virtus: Moderate Cognitive Flexibility as a Key to Affective Flexibility Responses in Long-Term HRV

This study examines the relationship between cognitive and affective flexibility, two critical aspects of adaptability. Cognitive flexibility involves switching between activities as rules change, assessed through task-switching or neuropsychological tests and questionnaires. Affective flexibility, meanwhile, refers to shifting between emotional and non-emotional tasks or states. Although similar conceptually, prior research shows inconsistent findings on their link, especially regarding physiological and self-reported measures. Affective flexibility was operationalized as changes in heart rate variability (HRV) in response to transitioning affective stimuli, while cognitive flexibility was assessed using self-report questionnaires that captured individuals’ perceived adaptability. The findings revealed that individuals with extremely high or low cognitive flexibility displayed similar HRV patterns in response to emotional stimuli, while those with medium levels of cognitive flexibility showed distinct responses. The Extreme group exhibited higher baseline autonomic activation that decreased after exposure, whereas the Average group’s moderate baseline activation increased post-stimuli. This interaction was mainly seen in long-term HRV indexes, while short-term indexes showed a uniform response across groups, suggesting that differences in flexibility were probably not discernible via state features but rather as traits and long-term attributes. The findings suggest that cognitive and affective flexibility exist on a continuum; extremely high and low cognitive flexibility is linked to intense affective responses, while moderate cognitive flexibility corresponds to balanced physiological regulation, supporting the notion that “in medio stat virtus” (virtue lies in moderation).