Beta-adrenergic impact underlies the effect of mood and hedonic instrumentality on effort-related cardiovascular response

After habituation, participants were first induced into negative vs. positive moods and performed then an attention task with either low vs. high hedonic instrumentality of success. In the high-instrumentality condition participants expected to see a funny movie after success and an unpleasant movie after failure; in the low-instrumentality condition participants expected an unpleasant movie after success and a pleasant movie after failure. Effort-related cardiovascular response (ICG, blood pressure) was assessed during mood inductions and task performance. As predicted by the mood-behavior-model (Gendolla, 2000), responses of cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) and systolic blood pressure were stronger in the high-instrumentality/negative-mood condition than in the other three cells. Here the high hedonic instrumentality of success justified the high effort that was perceived as necessary in a negative mood. Moreover, the PEP effects indicate that cardiovascular response was driven by beta-adrenergic impact on the heart rather than by vascular adjustments.

► We manipulated mood and then hedonic instrumentality of an attention task.
► Effort-related cardiovascular response was assessed.
► PEP and SBP were stronger in the high-instrumentality/negative-mood condition.
► High instrumentality justified the high effort necessary in a negative mood.
► Findings reveal effort-related physiological mechanisms in mood regulation.