The effects of Neuroticism and Extraversion on cardiovascular reactivity during a mental and an emotional stress task

Evidence suggests that physiological reactivity to mental and emotional stress may be influenced by personality traits.ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the relationship between, emotionally based personality traits, Neuroticism (N) and Extraversion (E), and cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) during mental arithmetic (MA) and anger recall (AR).MethodsHeart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output and total peripheral resistance were measured in 114 Singaporean male patrol officers from the Singapore Police Force while they performed MA and AR tasks. N and E were assessed using the NEO PI-R.ResultsHigher N was associated with lower DBP and TPRI reactivity during MA as compared to lower N, but higher TPRI reactivity during AR. Lower E scores were associated with heightened CVR while higher E scores were associated with lower CVR. For SBP and HR, E was associated with a reduction in reactivity across tasks; whereas, for DBP and TPRI this reduction was found only during AR.ConclusionIn this population, N had differential effects on CVR depending upon the nature of the stress task, cognitive or emotional. However, higher E was consistently linked to lower CVR during stress tasks and appeared to influence how individuals express and cope with anger.