@article{SchinkoethWeymarBrand2019, author = {Schink{\"o}th, Michaela and Weymar, Mathias and Brand, Ralf}, title = {Listening to the heart}, series = {Psychology of sport and exercise}, volume = {45}, journal = {Psychology of sport and exercise}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1469-0292}, doi = {10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101541}, pages = {4}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Objective: The affective-reflective theory of physical inactivity and exercise suggests that the mere thought of exercise can lead to an immediate somato-affective response which, if negative, will drive a physically inactive person to maintain his or her current exercise-avoidant behavior. This study aimed to test the assumption that the somatic core of this affective response can be identified by means of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Design: This study followed a within-subject experimental design. Method. Participants were 91 adult men and women whose HR and HRV were monitored whilst they viewed exercise-related and control pictures in a laboratory setting. Results: Analyses revealed a decrease in HRV during the viewing of exercise-related pictures in less physically active participants. These participants reported that the same pictures elicited feelings with relatively low affective valence and arousal. There were no changes in HR.}, language = {en} }