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Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) has been conceptualized as a biomarker of a neurophysiological system supporting social behaviors. Capitalization, the interpersonal process of sharing positive experiences with close others, has been associated with improved intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. The present study examined whether RSA moderated the within-person associations of daily capitalization with positive affect and relationship quality. Participants (N = 149) completed an electrocardiogram recording during a resting baseline and a worry induction period, as well as a 14-day daily diary assessment of capitalization, positive affect, and relationship quality. Results indicated that RSA reactivity moderated the within-person effects of daily capitalization on positive affect and relationship quality. On days when they did not capitalize, individuals with higher RSA reactivity experienced lower positive affect and poorer relationship quality than their counterparts with lower RSA reactivity. In contrast, no significant differences were observed between participants with lower and higher RSA reactivity on days when they capitalized. These results provide further evidence that RSA reactivity shapes sensitivity to social context, including one's responses to the lack of usual capitalization interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brooding rumination is an intrapersonal emotion regulation strategy associated with negative interpersonal consequences. Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a psychophysiological marker of self-regulatory capacity, may buffer the association between maladaptive emotion regulation and negative interpersonal behaviors. The current work examines the moderating effect of RSA on the association between brooding rumination and different negative interpersonal consequences. Across three convenience samples, individuals with lower RSA showed a stronger association between brooding rumination and more negative interpersonal behaviors as well as less perception of received instrumental social support (Study 1; n = 154), higher levels of interviewer-rated interpersonal stress (Study 2; n = 42) and a stronger indirect association between brooding rumination and depressive symptoms via daily interpersonal stress (Study 3; n = 222). These findings highlight the negative interpersonal consequences of brooding rumination, particularly among individuals with lower RSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]