Physiological Correlates of the Big 5: Autonomic Responses to Video Presentations

Abstract

Personality's link to emotional experience has been demonstrated, but specific biological responses to emotion as a function of personality have not been well-established. Here, the association between personality and physiological responses (heart rate, skin conductance, and respiration) to emotional videos was assessed. One-hundred sixty-nine participants self-reported on their Big 5 personality traits and underwent ambulatory monitoring as they watched four brief video clips from primetime television content showing scenes containing violence, fear, sadness, and tension. Generally, the negatively-toned emotional scenes provoked increases in skin conductance response and declines in heart rate. We found that physiological outcomes depended on the particular emotional scene and on personality, most notably Extraversion and Neuroticism. Extraversion, and to a lesser degree, Neuroticism, were associated with increases in autonomic arousal responses to the scenes. Gender also interacted with personality to predict responses, such that women who scored higher on measures of Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Conscientious tended to show more physiological arousal than men. Overall, the emotional scenes evoked increases in arousal and more controlled attention. The findings are discussed in context of the limited capacity model and shed light on how personality and gender affect physiological reactions to emotional experiences in everyday life.

Physiological adaptation to recurrent social stress of extraversion

“…Additionally, Study 1 and 2 also indicated that, compared to participants low in extraversion, participants high in extraversion showed a more complete HR recovery after the first social stress. Overall, the present study, together with previous studies (Brumbaugh et al, 2013;Jonassaint et al, 2009), suggests a relative lesser cardiovascular reactivity and better cardiovascular recovery pattern to social or emotional stressors of individuals high in extraversion. These findings, to some extent, provide evidence that extraverts are associated with more favorable health outcomes.…”

“…As hypothesized, Study 1 and 2 indicated that, compared to participants low in extraversion, participants high in extraversion showed a relative lesser HR reactivity to the first and second social stress. Previous studies (Brumbaugh et al, ; Jonassaint et al, ) found that, in the stressors that are of relevance to the emotional nature of extraversion, individuals high in extraversion are more likely to show relative less cardiovascular reactivity as compared to individuals low in extraversion. Therefore, as the biopsychological theory of personality suggests, when the stressor contains social‐evaluative elements, extraverts may respond less strongly to the stressor because of their tendency to experience positive affect and adaptively cope with social situations (Eysenck & Eysenck, ; Jackson & Schneider, ).…”

“…Jonassaint et al () found that high extraversion participants exhibited lower DBP and total peripheral resistance index (TPRI) reactivity relative to low extraversion participants during an anger recall task (emotional stressor), whereas no extraversion group difference was found for DBP or TPRI reactivity during a mental arithmetic task (cognitive stressor). Similarly, Brumbaugh, Kothuri, Marci, Siefert, and Pfaff () found that highly extraverted individuals tended to show more HR decline in emotional stressors (viewing negative film clips) compared to individuals low in extraversion. As Jonassaint et al () posited that the effect of extraversion on physiological responses is more likely to be evidenced in stressors (i.e., emotional stress task) that are of particular relevance to the emotional nature of personality traits (i.e., extraversion and neuroticism), we speculated that the physiological responses of extraversion might be especially specific to social stressors, which is of particular relevance to the sociability of extraversion.…”

The Role of Personality in the Assessment of Subjective and Physiological Emotional Reactivity: A Comparison Between Younger and Older Adults

“…Relatively high neuroticism has been reported as related to increased skin conductance in response to both unpleasant and pleasant pictures. However, this relationship was not replicated with induction by sad film clips (Reynaud, El Khoury-Mahalme, Rossier, Blin, & Khalfa, 2012;Brumbaugh, Kothuri, Marci, Siefert, & Pfaff, 2013).…”

O Uso de Biomarcadores em Pesquisas de Marketing

“…Os resultados sugerem que filmes com apelo emocional tendem a gerar aumentos na excitação autonômica e na atenção. As respostas fisiológicas parecem ser influenciadas principalmente pelo próprio conteúdo, com a personalidade exercendo um papel secundário, especialmente no direcionamento da atenção (Brumbaugh, Kothuri, Marci, Siefert, & Pfaff, 2013). De forma diferente, mas com o mesmo objetivo de investigar a relação entre personalidade e respostas autonômicas, 55 sujeitos foram expostos a imagens impressas com cargas afetivas positivas, negativas e neutras, e, nesse caso, a personalidade não foi capaz de influenciar suas respostas autonômicas causadas pelo estímulo (Mardaga, Laloyaux, & Hansenne, 2006).…”