Low Resting Heart Rate and Antisocial Behavior: A Brief Review of Evidence and Preliminary Results From a New Test

• NCJ Number: 228587
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 36 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 1115-1130
• Author(s): Todd A. Armstrong; Shawn Keller; Travis W. Franklin; Scott N. MacMillan
• Date Published: November 2009
• Length: 16 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Sam Houston State University
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the relationship between resting heart rate and antisocial behavior.

Abstract

Results found that those with low resting heart rates reported higher levels of severe antisocial behavior and aggressive behavior. The relationship between resting heart rate and antisocial behavior appears to be stronger when the measure of antisocial behavior indexes more serious acts, with the relationship between low resting heart rate and aggressive behavior measure being the strongest. This finding is consistent with earlier research showing that heart rate is related to aggressive forms of antisocial behavior, but not to nonaggressive antisocial behavior. Data were collected from 105 students in a large introductory criminology and criminal justice class at Sam Houston State University, TX, using a one-way analysis of an ANOVA model. Table, figure, appendix, and references