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Despite supportive behaviors playing a central role in intimate relationships, the extent to which physiological and psychological factors are involved in the quality of the observed spousal support, remains largely unknown. From a physiological stance, cardiac synchrony has been identified as an important component involved in dyadic interpersonal interactions. This study aims to examine whether individual differences in attachment determine, at least to some extent, whether cardiac synchrony enhances or impedes the quality of the observed spousal support. Specifically, this study examines whether attachment style moderates the biobehavioral link between positive cardiac synchrony and observed spousal support. A total of 58 couples expecting their first child participated in a supportive interaction while their cardiovascular responses were recorded, and the quality of their caregiving behaviors was coded. Results indicated that couples' cardiovascular dynamics were synchronized during the supportive interaction. Furthermore, attachment moderated the association between positive cardiac synchrony and the behavioral manifestation of support, such that cardiac synchrony was negatively associated with the quality of support when offered by caregivers with higher scores of attachment anxiety. Our findings show that for those caregivers who have higher levels of anxious attachment—being synchronized with their care seeking spouses is associated with difficulties in providing effective support. We discuss these findings in the context of the emotion regulation difficulties characteristic of anxious attachment patterns. These findings suggest that future work could benefit from performing comprehensive studies that consider physiological, behavioral, and psychological constructs simultaneously. Our findings add a new perspective concerning a physiological mechanism involved in couples' supportive behaviors while taking into account one's attachment style. Whereas previous work pertaining to physiological synchrony tended to focus on couples' conflictual situations, the current work examined physiological synchrony during a supportive interaction. Results showed that couples exhibited physiological synchrony in their cardiovascular dynamics during supportive interaction. Importantly, this synchrony was negatively associated with positive support among caregivers with high attachment anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the effect of a mindfulness‐based curriculum designed especially for preschoolers on facets of executive functions. Fifty‐one preschoolers were randomly assigned to either a mindfulness and kindness curriculum (MC) or an active control dialogic reading program (DR). A battery of behavioral and neurophysiological tests was used to tap into facets of executive control (inhibition, shifting). Electroencephalography data were acquired during the attentional network task (ANT). Relative to DR, children in the MC group exhibited a reduced difference in the N200 Event related potentials (ERP) amplitudes for the congruent versus incongruent conditions during the ANT paradigm representing inhibition and shifting abilities. On the behavioral tasks, both groups improved on executive functions (EF) but on different facets; MC group showed increased inhibition and the DR group demonstrated significantly greater shifting abilities. The results highlight the sensitivity of electrophysiological data to detect subtle cognitive changes. The understanding of how mindfulness‐based interventions in preschoolers affect facets of executive functions can enable further refinement and maximization of the benefits of these interventions for this age group. We examined the effect of Mindfulness and kindness (MK) training in preschoolers on their cognitive abilities using neurocognitive assessments and electroencephalography (EEG). The results demonstrate the biological mechanism for the effect of MK on executive functions. The EEG findings of this study regarding the involvement of top‐down processes in cognitive regulation following MK training highlight the benefits of MK practice in childhood—a critical period in the development of cognitive skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous research in alcohol dependent populations identified alterations within local structures of the addiction 'reward' circuitry, there is limited research into global features of this network, especially in early recovery. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is capable of non-invasively perturbing the brain network while electroencephalography (EEG) measures the network response. The current study is the first to apply a TMS inhibitory paradigm while utilising network science (graph theory) to quantify network anomalies associated with alcohol dependence. Eleven individuals with alcohol-dependence (ALD) in early recovery and 16 healthy controls (HC) were administered 75 single pulses and 75 paired-pulses (inhibitory paradigm) to both the left and right prefrontal cortex (PFC). For each participant, Pearson cross-correlation was applied to the EEG data and correlation matrices constructed. Global network measures (mean degree, clustering coefficient, local efficiency and global efficiency) were extracted for comparison between groups. Following administration of the inhibitory paired-pulse TMS to the left PFC, the ALD group exhibited altered mean degree, clustering coefficient, local efficiency and global efficiency compared to HC. Decreases in local efficiency increased the prediction of being in the ALD group, while all network metrics (following paired-pulse left TMS) were able to adequately discriminate between the groups. In the ALD group, reduced mean degree and global clustering was associated with increased severity of past alcohol use. Our study provides preliminary evidence of altered network topology in patients with alcohol dependence in early recovery. Network anomalies were predictive of high alcohol use and correlated with clinical features of alcohol dependence. Further research using this novel brain mapping technique may identify useful network biomarkers of alcohol dependence and recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensitivity to suffering of others is a core factor in social cohesion and evolutionary success. The emergence of such sensitivity may occur via two neuro‐functional mechanisms. One is sharing the pain and distress of others, which relies on affective empathy. The other involves a caring concern for others' wellbeing, termed compassion. Both affective empathy and compassion are triggered by cues of pain and distress, exhibited by suffering targets. Yet, the mechanisms underlying distress processing in empathy and compassion are not clear. In the current research, we investigated synchrony with a target's distress, as a putative mechanism for continuous processing of distress cues. Participants viewed a video of a target in distress when given two different instructions: they were asked to continuously rate their distress in the affective empathy condition, or their feelings of care in the compassion condition. We used these dynamic ratings as well as participants' autonomic and facial responses to assess multi‐channel synchrony with the target's self‐rated distress fluctuations. Dynamic ratings and facial corrugator responses were significantly positively synchronized with the target's distress. For the corrugator responses, synchrony with the target was more pronounced than synchrony with participants' own ratings. Autonomic responses exhibited negative synchrony with the target's distress. Synchrony was higher in the affective empathy than in the compassion condition, across channels. These results point to the key role of subjective and physiological synchrony with the target's distress in empathic sharing of negative experiences. They also highlight the attenuation of embodied resonance with distress in compassionate experiences. This research is the first to investigate multi‐channel synchrony with a target's distress in affective empathy and compassion. In the affective empathy condition, observers' bodies, faces, and emotions resonated with the target's distress dynamics. The compassion condition exhibited diminished autonomic synchrony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Extensive research has supported the importance of children's positive affect in fostering prosperous psychosocial adjustment. Children's positive affect is believed to be significantly shaped by their environment in general and their caregivers' positive affect in particular. The current study investigates the role of child cardiac vagal regulation, a psychophysiological marker for social engagement, in shaping the association between maternal positive affect and child positive affect. Methods: Mothers and daughters (ndyads = 28) participated in two experimental conditions. In the non‐interactive condition, they separately drew a picture without interacting. In the cooperative condition, they drew a picture together. We measured child respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a widely used indicator of cardiac vagal regulation, during both conditions. We also coded maternal and child positive affect during the cooperative condition. Results: Maternal positive affect was related to child positive affect, but only for children with medium‐to‐high tonic levels of RSA and RSA increases from non‐interaction to interaction. Discussion: Results suggest that child RSA plays a significant role in positive emotion socialization, by making children more susceptible to the emotional cues of their caregivers. Hence, child RSA should be taken into account in preventive and therapeutic efforts regarding child positive affect socialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-criticism is a vulnerability risk factor for a number of psychological disorders, and it predicts poor response to psychological and pharmacological treatments. In the current study, we evaluated the efficacy of a loving-kindness meditation (LKM) programme designed to increase self-compassion in a sample of self-critical individuals. Thirty-eight individuals with high scores on the self-critical perfectionism subscale of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale were randomized to an LKM condition ( n = 19) or a wait-list (WL) condition ( n = 19). Measures of self-criticism, self-compassion and psychological distress were administered before and immediately following the intervention (LKM or WL). WL participants received the intervention immediately after the waiting period. Both groups were assessed 3 months post-intervention. Intent-to-treat ( n = 38) and per-protocol analyses ( n = 32) showed significant reductions in self-criticism and depressive symptoms as well as significant increases in self-compassion and positive emotions in the LKM condition compared with the WL condition. A follow-up per-protocol analysis in both groups together ( n = 20) showed that these gains were maintained 3 months after the intervention. These preliminary results suggest that LKM may be efficacious in alleviating self-criticism, increasing self-compassion and improving depressive symptoms among self-critical individuals. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message Self-criticism plays a major role in many psychological disorders and predicts poor response to brief psychological and pharmacological treatments for depression., The current study shows that loving-kindness meditation, designed to foster self-compassion, is efficacious in helping self-critical individuals become less self-critical and more self-compassionate., The study also suggests that practising loving-kindness may reduce depressive symptoms and increase positive emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent theories emphasize the dynamic aspects of emotions. However, the physiological measures and the methodological approaches that can capture the dynamics of emotions are underdeveloped. In the current study, we investigated whether moment-to-moment changes in autonomic nervous system ( ANS) activity are reliably associated with the unfolding of emotional experience. We obtained cardiovascular and electrodermal signals from participants while they viewed emotional movies. We found that the ANS signals were temporally aligned across individuals, indicating a reliable stimulus-driven response. The degree of response reliability was associated with the emotional time line of the movie. Finally, individual differences in ANS response reliability were strongly correlated with the subjective emotional responses. The current research offers a methodological approach for studying physiological responses during dynamic emotional situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In times of need, people seek comfort and support from close others. Support provision is an integral component of attachment relationships, one that is linked with physical and psychological well‐being. Successful support provision is believed to be grounded in transactions of sensitive, caring behavior between caregivers and support seekers and to serve a profound regulatory function. However, physiological processes underlying support transactions have not been previously studied. We assessed autonomic vagal regulation and coded spontaneous emotional support behaviors in N = 100 heterosexual couples involved in a support interaction. We focused on cardiac vagal activation, operationalized as the increase in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) from baseline to interaction, as an indicator of regulatory efforts. Analyses revealed a negative association between caregivers' and support seekers' regulatory efforts, which was mediated by emotional support behaviors. We found that caregivers with greater increases in RSA from baseline to interaction provided more emotional support to their partners. Such emotional support was associated with smaller increases in support seekers' RSA and with support seekers' perceptions of their partners as being more sensitive to their needs. Finally, these links were only significant among dyads in which caregivers reported lower levels of attachment anxiety. We interpret these results in the framework of interpersonal regulatory processes, suggesting that provision of support may impose regulatory demands on the side of the caregivers, which in turn could result in attenuated regulatory efforts and positive partner perceptions for the support seekers. People frequently turn to significant others for help and support in managing their emotional states. The present research demonstrates that parasympathetic vagal activation is a key physiological mechanism underpinning interpersonal regulation during support interaction in couples. Specifically, caregivers' vagal activation predicted higher levels of emotional support behaviors, which, in turn, resulted in attenuated vagal activation and higher perceived partner responsiveness in their support‐seeking partners. This path was undermined in caregivers high in attachment anxiety. These findings demonstrate the inherent interdependency of partners' regulatory efforts and shed light on vagally mediated interpersonal emotion regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]