Key result
Higher heart rate variability correlates positively with moderate physical activity and purpose in life in young adults.
Why the study?
Physical activity and mindfulness predict eudaimonic well-being, but potential mediators of these relationships have yet to be identified.
Are heart rate variability and plasma neurotransmitter/neuropeptide levels (serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine) associated with regular physical activity, trait mindfulness, and eudaimonic well-being in healthy young adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=49)
No
Are heart rate variability and plasma neurotransmitter/neuropeptide levels (serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine) associated with regular physical activity, trait mindfulness, and eudaimonic well-being in healthy young adults?
Resting heart rate variability—unlike peripheral serotonin, oxytocin, or dopamine levels—is positively associated with both moderate-intensity physical activity and eudaimonic well-being (purpose in life) in healthy young adults, suggesting autonomic vagal modulation may link exercise to psychological flourishing.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
HRV associates with activity and purpose in young adults; hypothesis-generating for vagal mediation of eudaimonic well-being.
INTRODUCTION: Eudaimonic well-being (EWB), which refers to optimal human functioning, is associated with psychophysiological outcomes, such as reduced inflammation and a lower risk of depression. Although physical activity (PA) and mindfulness have been shown to be predictive factors for EWB, potential mediators of the relationships of PA or mindfulness with EWB have yet to be identified. PA, mindfulness-related psychophysiological factors (including serotonin [5-HT], oxytocin [OXT]), and dopamine [DA] levels), and heart rate variability (HRV) have been shown to be associated with mental disorders or emotion regulation capacity. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to explore the potential psychophysiological factors associated with PA, mindfulness and EWB. METHODS: A total of 49 young adults (25 males, 24 females) were included with an average age of 25 years (± 5). Plasma 5-HT, OXT, and DA levels were obtained via blood samples from the brachial vein and were analyzed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), and HRV was obtained via 5-min electrocardiograms (ECGs), with participants in the supine position. Spearman's correlation analyses were performed, followed by partial correlation analyses controlling for age, sex, and social status (i.e., student or working professional). RESULTS: HRV was found to be positively correlated with both moderate-intensity PA (r = 0.47, p = 0.04) and EWB (purpose in life; r = 0.50, p = 0.03), even after controlling for relevant variables. On the other hand, neither 5-HT, OXT, nor DA was correlated with PA, mindfulness, and EWB. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that HRV may mediate the relationship between PA and EWB. Additional intervention studies are needed to elucidate the causal relationships among PA, HRV, and EWB.
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Murakami et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Eudaimonic well-being and psychophysiological health in healthy young adults (n=49). Regular physical activity (IPAQ) and trait mindfulness (FFMQ) was evaluated on Partial correlations of heart rate variability (HRV) indices with moderate-intensity physical activity and eudaimonic well-being (purpose in life dimension of the Psychological Well-Being scale), controlling for age, sex, and social status (r = 0.47 (HRV vs. moderate-intensity PA); r = 0.50 (HRV NN50 vs. purpose in life), p=0.04 (moderate-intensity PA); 0.03 (purpose in life)). Heart rate variability positively correlated with moderate-intensity physical activity and eudaimonic well-being purpose in life in young adults.
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